Mythe et allégorie dans l’œuvre de Lucien

Abstract

This paper examines Lucian’s attitude towards myth and allegory, under its double aspect of interpretative technique and creative process. A careful reading shows that Lucian’s use of myth and allegory is deeply ambiguous and crafty: while constantly criticizing mythology, he gives it the leading role; while making fun of the allegorical exegesis of mythology, he resorts to allegorized myths too; while claiming to exploit the didactic potential of allegory, he subtly corrupts the great models from which he draws his inspiration: even his own allegorical compositions do not escape ironic questioning.

Keywords

• allegory
• poetics
• comedy
• dialogue
• enigma
• exegesis