Eros and the Good: The Portrayal of Erotic Experience in Plato and Bataille

Abstract

<p> This thesis is a study of the portrayal of erotic experience given by Plato in the Symposium, and by Georges Bataille in his later theoretical writings, particularly Erotism and The Accursed Share. As such, this work is a comparison between an ancient and a modern understanding of eros in order to see which provides a more adequate account of erotic experience.</p> <p> Though Bataille does not directly critique Plato's understanding of eros, there are several passages within the Symposium that bear a striking resemblance to the erotic account given by Bataille. This is especially evident in the speech of Aristophanes, where Plato, through one of his characters, provides an erotic understanding that contains many of the same elements that are found in Bataille. The Aristophanic account of eros is directly criticized by Plato through Socrates' erotic speech in the same dialogue. By illuminating the Platonic critique of Aristophanes' erotic understanding, I will extend the critique to Bataille, thus demonstrating the crucial deficiencies within Bataille's account.</p>