From Epic Return to Existential Dissatisfaction: A Comparative Reading of Homer’s Odyssey and Eça de Queirós’s A Perfeição
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Introductory
Note to the Reader My interest in Greek mythology began
during my teenage years. I vividly remember spending hours reading the
mythological sections of the encyclopedia collection my mother kept at home
for us. Those stories of gods, heroes, monsters, and tragic destinies awakened
in me a fascination with the ancient world that would remain through the
years. Around that same period, my sister had
been assigned to read The Odyssey in high school. The book remained
somewhere in our home gathering dust after she had finished it, and out of
curiosity I decided to read it myself. I greatly enjoyed the experience. The
figure of Odysseus, wandering through strange lands while longing for Ithaca,
immediately captured my imagination. Later, as a freshman in college taking a
World Literature course, I would finally read The Iliad, which
deepened my appreciation for Greek epic and classical storytelling. Years afterward, when I encountered Eça
de Queirós’s retelling of the Odysseus myth in A Perfeição, I was
struck by the radically different perspective through which the ancient hero
was portrayed. The story transformed the epic figure of Odysseus into
something more psychologically complex, existentially restless, and
profoundly modern. Queirós’s reinterpretation made me reflect on how myths
survive across centuries not by remaining static, but by allowing each
generation to reinterpret them according to its own anxieties, philosophies,
and understanding of human nature. That personal fascination and
intellectual reflection ultimately inspired the present essay. Jonathan
Acuña Solano |
From Epic Return to Existential Dissatisfaction: A Comparative Reading of Homer’s Odyssey and Eça de Queirós’s A Perfeição
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Abstract This
essay explores the relationship between Homer’s Odyssey and Eça de
Queirós’s short story A Perfeição through the theoretical perspectives
of intertextuality, myth criticism, dialogism, reception theory, modernity,
decadence, and psychoanalytic desire. While Homer presents Odysseus as the
archetypal hero who rejects divine perfection in favor of mortal authenticity
and homecoming, Queirós reinterprets the myth through a modern lens
characterized by existential dissatisfaction and psychological instability.
Drawing on the theories of Julia Kristeva, Northrop Frye, Mikhail Bakhtin,
Hans Robert Jauss, Friedrich Nietzsche, Walter Benjamin, and Jacques Lacan,
this essay argues that A Perfeição transforms the Homeric epic into a
meditation on the impossibility of fulfillment and the restless nature of
human desire. Ultimately, the essay demonstrates how Queirós demythologizes
the classical hero and converts the ancient narrative into a modern exploration
of incompleteness and existential ambiguity. |
Keywords: Intertextuality,
Mythology, Odysseus, Homer, Eça De Queirós, Dialogism, Desire, Modernity,
Decadence, Reception Theory |
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Resumen Este ensayo explora la relación entre La Odisea
de Homero y el cuento A Perfeição de Eça de Queirós mediante las
perspectivas teóricas de la intertextualidad, la crítica mítica, el
dialogismo, la teoría de la recepción, la modernidad, la decadencia y el
deseo psicoanalítico. Mientras Homero presenta a Odiseo como el héroe
arquetípico que rechaza la perfección divina a favor de la autenticidad
mortal y el regreso al hogar, Queirós reinterpreta el mito desde una visión
moderna marcada por la insatisfacción existencial y la inestabilidad
psicológica. A partir de las teorías de Julia Kristeva, Northrop Frye,
Mikhail Bakhtin, Hans Robert Jauss, Friedrich Nietzsche, Walter Benjamin y
Jacques Lacan, este ensayo sostiene que A Perfeição transforma la
épica homérica en una reflexión sobre la imposibilidad de la plenitud y la
naturaleza inquieta del deseo humano. Finalmente, el ensayo demuestra cómo
Queirós desmitifica al héroe clásico y convierte la narrativa antigua en una
exploración moderna de la incompletitud y la ambigüedad existencial. |
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Resumo Este ensaio explora a relação entre a Odisseia
de Homero e o conto A Perfeição de Eça de Queirós por meio das
perspectivas teóricas da intertextualidade, da crítica mítica, do dialogismo,
da teoria da recepção, da modernidade, da decadência e do desejo
psicanalítico. Enquanto Homero apresenta Odisseu como o herói arquetípico que
rejeita a perfeição divina em favor da autenticidade mortal e do retorno ao
lar, Queirós reinterpreta o mito sob uma ótica moderna marcada pela
insatisfação existencial e pela instabilidade psicológica. Com base nas
teorias de Julia Kristeva, Northrop Frye, Mikhail Bakhtin, Hans Robert Jauss,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Walter Benjamin e Jacques Lacan, este ensaio argumenta
que A Perfeição transforma a epopeia homérica em uma reflexão sobre a
impossibilidade da plenitude e sobre a natureza inquieta do desejo humano.
Por fim, o ensaio demonstra como Queirós desmistifica o herói clássico e
converte a narrativa antiga em uma exploração moderna da incompletude e da
ambiguidade existencial. |
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Introduction
The
persistence of classical mythology in modern literature demonstrates the
extraordinary adaptability of ancient narratives to changing cultural,
philosophical, and psychological concerns. Among the many myths that have
survived through literary reinterpretation, the story of Ulysses and Calypso
occupies a particularly important place in Western imagination. In The Odyssey,
traditionally attributed to Homer, Ulysses remains trapped on the island of
Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso offers him immortality, sensual pleasure, and
eternal comfort. Nevertheless, the hero longs to return to Ithaca, embracing
mortality, suffering, and human imperfection instead of divine permanence.
Centuries later, Portuguese writer, Eça de Queirós revisits this episode in A
Perfeição, transforming the classical myth into a modern reflection on dissatisfaction,
existential instability, and the impossibility of fulfillment.
Rather
than merely reproducing the Homeric narrative, Queirós rewrites it through
irony and psychological complexity. His Ulysses is no longer simply the heroic
voyager yearning for home; instead, he becomes a deeply restless individual
incapable of enduring even paradise itself. The island ceases to function
merely as a place of temptation and instead becomes a symbol of oppressive
perfection. Through this reinterpretation, Queirós dismantles the heroic ideal
associated with classical epic and replaces it with a modern consciousness
marked by anxiety, contradiction, and existential
incompleteness; Ulysses feels trapped in a mouse trap.
This
essay argues that A Perfeição operates as a modern dialogic
reinterpretation of The Odyssey in which heroic transcendence is replaced by
psychological dissatisfaction and existential instability. Through the
theoretical lenses of intertextuality, myth criticism, dialogism, reception
theory, modernity and decadence, and psychoanalytic desire, this paper examines
how Queirós transforms Homeric epic into a critique of perfection and an
exploration of modern subjectivity.
Homeric Foundations: Ulysses
and the Desire for Return
In The
Odyssey, the episode of Ulysses and Calypso constitutes one of the central
symbolic moments of the epic tradition. Ulysses resides on Ogygia for several
years, surrounded by divine beauty and eternal comfort. Calypso offers the
Greek hero from Ithaca immortality and freedom from human suffering. Yet
despite these gifts, the hero constantly longs for the island Ithaca and
Penelope, her Spartan wife. His desire for return, or nostos, defines
his heroic identity.
The
Homeric hero is characterized not by the pursuit of pleasure but by fidelity to
home, memory, and human destiny. Ulysses chooses mortality over divine eternity
because his humanity depends on struggle, limitation, and belonging. Homer’s
narrative therefore establishes a clear opposition between divine perfection
and authentic human existence. Ogygia functions simultaneously as paradise and
prison, for perfection ultimately alienates Ulysses from his human condition.
According
to Northrop Frye (1947), myths establish archetypal structures that continue to
reappear throughout literary history. The Homeric Ulysses represents the
archetype of the wandering hero whose journey toward home symbolizes spiritual
and existential completion. The epic structure of the narrative reinforces
ideals of perseverance, identity, and heroic endurance. Consequently, the
original Homeric framework provides the mythic foundation upon which Queirós
later constructs his revisionary interpretation.
At the
same time, Homer’s narrative already contains tensions that modern writers
would later expand. Although Ulysses desires return, he also experiences
moments of hesitation, temptation, and emotional fragmentation throughout the
epic. These ambiguities allow later authors to reinterpret the hero according
to the concerns of their own historical periods. In this sense, the Homeric
myth remains open to continual reinterpretation.
Intertextuality and Literary
Rewriting
The
relationship between Homer and Queirós can be productively understood through
the concept of intertextuality developed by Julia Kristeva. Kristeva (1980)
argues that every literary text emerges from a network of previous texts.
Literature does not exist in isolation; rather, texts constantly absorb,
transform, and reinterpret earlier narratives.
Viewed
through this perspective, A Perfeição is not simply inspired by
The Odyssey but actively engages in a dialogue with it. Queirós assumes that
readers recognize the Homeric myth and intentionally manipulates expectations
associated with heroic tradition. The reader approaches Ulysses expecting
grandeur, perseverance, and moral certainty, yet Queirós gradually destabilizes
these expectations.
The
intertextual relationship becomes especially evident in the transformation of
Ogygia itself. In Homer, the island is undoubtedly seductive but remains
external to Ulysses’ authentic identity. In Queirós, however, the island
acquires a more psychologically complex dimension. Perfection itself becomes
intolerable. The protagonist’s dissatisfaction no longer emerges merely
from separation from home but from an internal incapacity to experience
fulfillment.
Kristeva’s
theory helps explain why Queirós’s rewriting possesses such critical power.
Because the modern text constantly echoes Homeric structures, readers perceive
the distance between classical heroism and modern psychological fragmentation.
Meaning emerges precisely from this tension between continuity and
transformation. Queirós preserves the mythic skeleton of the Homeric narrative
while simultaneously subverting its ideological foundations.
This
intertextual strategy also reflects broader nineteenth-century literary
tendencies. Modern writers frequently revisited classical myths not to glorify
antiquity but to question inherited ideals. Myth became a mechanism for
exposing the instability of modern identity. Through intertextual rewriting,
Queirós transforms epic certainty into existential ambiguity.
Dialogism and the Conflict of
Worldviews
The
reinterpretation of Homer in Queirós can also be examined through the dialogic
theory of Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin (1981) argues that literary works function
through the interaction of multiple voices and ideological perspectives. Texts
are never monological; instead, they exist in dialogue with other texts,
traditions, and worldviews.
In A
Perfeição, two distinct visions of humanity confront one another: a) the
classical worldview represented by Homeric heroism and b) the modern worldview
characterized by skepticism and psychological instability. Queirós does not
completely reject Homer but rather enters into dialogue with him. The ancient
ideal of heroic fulfillment becomes questioned from within modern consciousness.
This
dialogic tension becomes especially visible in the portrayal of Ulysses. In
Homer, the hero’s desire for return possesses moral clarity. His suffering
confirms his nobility. In Queirós, however, Ulysses appears emotionally
contradictory. His restlessness no longer signifies heroic virtue but
existential dissatisfaction. The heroic journey loses its transcendental
meaning and becomes psychologically ambiguous.
Bakhtin’s
(1981) concept of dialogism also illuminates the treatment of Calypso. In the
Homeric narrative, she largely functions as an obstacle or temptation within
the hero’s journey. Her emotional interiority remains secondary. Queirós,
however, grants her greater psychological presence and vulnerability. As a
result, the moral structure of the myth changes significantly. Ulysses’
departure no longer appears unquestionably heroic; instead, it may suggest
emotional cruelty or inability to sustain intimacy.
The
dialogic relationship between the two texts therefore generates a
reinterpretation of values themselves. Homeric certainty encounters modern
irony. Epic transcendence encounters psychological fragmentation. Through this
literary dialogue, Queirós exposes the incompatibility between classical ideals
and modern existential consciousness.
Myth Criticism and the
Demythologizing of the Hero
Myth
criticism provides another valuable framework for understanding Queirós’s
transformation of the Homeric narrative. According to Frye (1957), literature
repeatedly employs archetypal patterns derived from mythological structures.
However, modern literature often modifies or reverses these archetypes in
response to changing historical conditions.
In
Homer, Ulysses exemplifies the archetypal hero whose journey culminates in
reintegration and restoration. His return to Ithaca symbolizes the triumph of
order over chaos and identity over fragmentation. The mythic structure affirms
the coherence of the world and the meaningfulness of human perseverance.
Queirós,
however, dismantles this archetypal certainty. His Ulysses no longer embodies
harmonious reintegration but perpetual dissatisfaction. Rather than progressing
toward existential completion, he appears trapped within an endless cycle of
desire and restlessness. The mythic hero becomes psychologically unstable and
spiritually incomplete.
This
demythologizing process reflects broader tendencies within modern literature.
As religious and metaphysical certainties weakened during the nineteenth
century, writers increasingly questioned traditional heroic models. Myth no
longer functioned as unquestioned truth but as material for reinterpretation
and critique. Queirós participates in this literary movement by exposing the
fragility of epic ideals under modern conditions.
Importantly,
the title A Perfeição itself contains profound irony. Perfection,
traditionally associated with divine harmony and fulfillment, becomes
oppressive and unbearable. Ogygia transforms into a symbolic representation of
existential suffocation. Ulysses does not flee suffering toward happiness;
instead, he flees perfection itself. This reversal fundamentally alters the
meaning of the myth. In Homer, paradise threatens heroic identity because it
distracts Ulysses from his human obligations. In Queirós, paradise becomes
intolerable because human desire itself depends upon incompleteness and
movement. The hero cannot remain within perfection because desire ceases to
exist once fulfillment becomes permanent.
Modernity, Decadence, and
Existential Restlessness
The
transformation of the Homeric myth in Queirós also reflects broader anxieties
associated with modernity and decadence. Thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche
and Walter Benjamin explored the spiritual instability and fragmentation characteristics
of modern life. To start with, Nietzsche (1968) frequently critiques the
exhaustion of traditional values and the crisis of meaning in modern
civilization. His philosophy emphasizes the instability of identity and the
perpetual tension between desire and fulfillment. Queirós’s Ulysses can be
interpreted through this Nietzschean lens as a figure incapable of achieving
stable satisfaction because modern consciousness itself is marked by internal
contradiction.
The
decadent atmosphere surrounding Ogygia also reflects “fin-de-siècle”
sensibilities. The island represents aesthetic perfection carried to excess.
Beauty, pleasure, and abundance gradually become sterile and oppressive. This
corresponds closely to decadent literature’s fascination with exhaustion,
ennui, and artificiality. Ulysses experiences not heroic suffering
but existential boredom. Within this line of thinking, Benjamin (1969)
similarly describes modernity as an experience of fragmentation and disconnection.
And for this reason, traditional narratives of coherence collapse under modern
conditions, leaving individuals psychologically displaced. Queirós’s
reinterpretation of Ulysses reflects precisely this displacement. The Ithacan
hero no longer possesses a stable relationship with destiny, home, or identity.
His dissatisfaction becomes internalized and perpetual.
Unlike
the Homeric hero, whose journey moves toward restoration, Queirós’s Ulysses
appears condemned to endless movement without definitive fulfillment. His
departure from Ogygia no longer guarantees meaning or completion. Instead, the
narrative emphasizes instability itself as a defining feature of human
existence. This modern reinterpretation profoundly alters the symbolic function
of travel. In epic tradition, the voyage leads toward knowledge and
reintegration. In Queirós, movement becomes symptomatic of existential
inability to remain satisfied. The hero travels not because fulfillment awaits
elsewhere but because permanence itself becomes unbearable.
Lacanian Desire and the
Impossibility of Fulfillment
The
psychological dimension of Queirós’s Ulysses can be further illuminated through
the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan. Lacan (1977) argues that human
desire is fundamentally structured around absence and lack. Desire can never
achieve complete fulfillment because it depends precisely upon what remains
unattainable. This Lacanian perspective offers a compelling explanation for
Ulysses’ dissatisfaction in A Perfeição. Ogygia provides
everything traditionally associated with happiness: beauty, pleasure, comfort,
and permanence. Yet these very conditions eliminate the tension necessary for
desire to continue functioning. Once perfection becomes stable and complete, desire
collapses into emptiness.
From a
Lacanian perspective, Ulysses cannot remain in paradise because human
subjectivity itself depends upon incompleteness. The unattainable object of
desire constantly shifts, preventing definitive satisfaction. Consequently,
Ulysses’ longing for departure reflects not rational decision-making but the
structural impossibility of fulfillment itself. This interpretation radically
transforms the Homeric narrative. In Homer, Ulysses chooses mortality because
of loyalty to home and identity. In Queirós, however, his departure may reveal
a deeper psychological impossibility: the inability of human beings to
endure permanent satisfaction.
Calypso’s
tragedy also acquires new dimensions within this psychoanalytic framework. She
attempts to offer total fulfillment, but such fulfillment proves incompatible
with human desire. Her paradise fails precisely because it eliminates lack,
movement, and incompleteness. The relationship between Calypso and Ulysses
therefore becomes structurally doomed. In this line of thinking, Lacan’s
theories help explain why the title “Perfection” operates ironically in
Queirós’s narrative. Perfection (Perfeição) destroys the very conditions
that sustain emotional and existential vitality. Human beings remain attached
not to complete satisfaction but to the endless movement of desire itself.
Queirós transforms the Homeric myth into an exploration of this fundamental psychological
contradiction.
Reception Theory and the
Modern Reader
The
reinterpretation of Homer by Queirós can also be understood through the
reception theory of Hans Robert Jauss. Jauss (1982) argues that literary
meaning changes according to the historical expectations of readers. Each era
rereads earlier texts through its own cultural and philosophical concerns. From
this perspective, A Perfeição reflects a specifically modern
reception of the Homeric myth. Ancient audiences likely interpreted Ulysses
primarily as a heroic exemplar of perseverance and intelligence. Modern
readers, however, approach the character through psychological and existential
frameworks unavailable in classical antiquity.
Queirós’s
rewriting therefore reveals how the myth evolves across historical periods. The
same narrative structure acquires radically different meanings depending on
cultural context. Heroic return becomes existential dissatisfaction. Divine
temptation becomes psychological suffocation. Epic grandeur becomes irony and
ambiguity. Reception theory also explains why Queirós’s version resonates
strongly with modern sensibilities. The modern reader recognizes Ulysses’
dissatisfaction as psychologically plausible. Unlike the morally stable hero of
epic tradition, Queirós’s protagonist reflects the fragmentation and
uncertainty associated with modern identity.
Furthermore,
Jauss (1982) emphasizes that literary history depends upon continual
reinterpretation rather than static preservation. Classical myths survive
precisely because they can be rewritten according to changing intellectual
conditions. Queirós participates in this dynamic process by transforming
Homeric material into a critique of modern existential instability. The
relationship between the two texts therefore should not be understood
hierarchically. Homer provides the mythic foundation, but Queirós generates new
meanings through reinterpretation. The value of the modern text lies not in “fidelity”
to the original but in its capacity to reveal “previously unexplored dimensions”
of the myth.
Conclusion
The
relationship between The Odyssey and A Perfeição
demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of classical mythology to undergo
continual reinterpretation across historical periods. While Homer presents
Ulysses as the archetypal hero who rejects divine perfection in favor of human
authenticity, Queirós transforms the same narrative into a modern meditation on
dissatisfaction, existential instability, and the impossibility of fulfillment.
Through
intertextuality, Queirós enters into critical dialogue with the Homeric
tradition, preserving its narrative foundations while simultaneously subverting
its ideological assumptions. The heroic certainty of epic literature is
replaced by psychological ambiguity and existential restlessness. Ulysses no
longer appears as a stable moral exemplar but as a fragmented modern subject
incapable of enduring even paradise itself.
Theoretical
perspectives from Kristeva, Frye, Bakhtin, Jauss, Nietzsche, Benjamin, and
Lacan illuminate different dimensions of this transformation. Intertextuality
reveals the dynamic relationship between classical and modern texts. Myth
criticism explains the demythologizing of heroic archetypes. Dialogism exposes
the ideological tension between epic transcendence and modern skepticism.
Reception theory demonstrates how myths acquire new meanings across historical
contexts. Nietzsche and Benjamin help contextualize the narrative within
modernity and decadence, while Lacan explains the psychological impossibility
of permanent fulfillment.
Ultimately,
Queirós’s reinterpretation of Ulysses reflects a profound shift in Western
literary consciousness. In Homer, suffering results from separation from home
and identity. In Queirós, suffering emerges from the impossibility of
satisfaction itself. This transformation marks the movement from classical epic
certainty toward modern existential ambiguity.
Rather
than diminishing the Homeric myth, Queirós’s rewriting demonstrates its
continuing vitality. The enduring power of mythology lies precisely in its
ability to generate new meanings in response to changing philosophical and
psychological realities. Through A Perfeição, the ancient voyage
of Ulysses becomes not merely a journey toward home but an exploration of the
modern human condition itself.
San
José, Costa Rica
Friday,
June 5, 2026
📚 References
Bakhtin, Mikhail. (1981). The dialogic
imagination: Four essays (M. Holquist, Ed.; C. Emerson & M. Holquist,
Trans.). University of Texas Press.
Benjamin, Walter. (1969). Illuminations
(H. Arendt, Ed.; H. Zohn, Trans.). Schocken Books.
Frye, Northrop. (1957). Anatomy of
criticism: Four essays. Princeton University Press.
Homer. (1996). The Odyssey (R. Fagles,
Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century BCE)
Jauss, Hans Robert. (1982). Toward an
aesthetic of reception (T. Bahti, Trans.). University of Minnesota Press.
Kristeva, Julia. (1980). Desire in language:
A semiotic approach to literature and art (L. S. Roudiez, Ed.; T. Gora, A.
Jardine, & L. S. Roudiez, Trans.). Columbia University Press.
Lacan, Jacques. (1977). Écrits: A selection
(A. Sheridan, Trans.). W. W. Norton.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. (1968). The will to
power (W. Kaufmann & R. J. Hollingdale, Trans.). Vintage Books.
Queirós, Eça de. (2002). Contos. Livros
do Brasil.
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