UA French Professor Publishes Book on Hermes and Aphrodite in Today’s Culture

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Hermes and Aphrodite may be ancient Greek gods, but they are alive and well in contemporary literature and culture, according to a book edited by a University of Alabama professor who specializes in modern French literature.

“Hermes and Aphrodite Encounters,” is a collection of papers based on an international colloquium held at the University in 2002 and produced by Dr. Metka Zupancic, associate professor of French/modern languages within the College of Arts and Sciences department of modern languages and classics.

That colloquium, “Hermes and Aphrodite in Contemporary Literature and Culture” gave scholars the opportunity to present on literature, cinema, anthropology and religious history. This volume represents those proceedings, said Zupancic.

The Greek deities Hermes and Aphrodite were Mount Olympian gods, whom the Romans knew as Mercury and Venus. Hermes was a messenger, but he was also known for his trickery, cunning, commerce, music and power over sleep and dreams. Aphrodite represents love and beauty, and her union with Hermes produced Hermaphroditus, an androgynous deity.

The 27 essays in this book examine these mythological figures and how the human characteristics they embody are portrayed or re-portrayed in modern culture.

For example, scholars look at the work of French novelist Margaret Duras as illustrating the gender fluidity of Hermes and Aphrodite. They also point to Hermes role as a trickster in cinema heroines such Erin Brockovich, the main character in the 2000 movie by the same name, who uses sex appeal to get her way or missionary Rosie in 1951’s “The African Queen” who convinces riverboat captain Charlie into believing they can blow up a German gunboat.

“I think what we accomplished with this colloquium and book, with the support of the University, is an illustration of where the collective conscious might be going to,” Zupancic said.

Scholars from U.S. and international institutions, University faculty and graduate students contributed to the 313-page book, produced by Summa Publications in Birmingham.

Zupancic also has authored a book on 1985 Nobel Laureate Claude Simon and edited other books on myth criticism in modern French literature. She is in the process of producing a book-length study of French feminist Hélène Cixous’ myth and spirituality.

The College of Arts and Sciences is Alabama’s largest liberal arts college and the University’s largest division with 355 faculty and 6,600 students.