Chapter 26

Configuración neurocognitiva del ideal amoroso y castidad en las protagonistas de la novela griega

This chapter analyses the configuration of plots in Greek novels under the basic principle of material welfare and erotic desire as they are understood by Patrick Colm Hogan and under the notions of brain concepts formulated by the neurobiologist Semir Zeki. As a result, this paper considers Greek novels as an almost prototypical example of what is known as romantic tragicomedy. The Greek version of this genre focuses on stories of two young lovers who are forced to split their paths and undertake adventures before they can finally reunite again at the end of the plot, which is normally enabled by fate. In the configuration of these characters, the Zekian concept of unity-in-love is evident. In fact, according to Zeki, this concept is found in every culture due to biological reasons. On the other hand, fulfilling the ideal of unity-in-love entails the presence of moral values in these stories, like chastity or virginity, which determine the purity of the protagonists, very often challenged during the adventures of the heroine. These moral aspects imbue these novels with a religious value that may imply desires of ecstasy or death, being both ways for soothing the desire of reunion and for easing the fusion with the object of love.