French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Cerquiglini, Métamorphoses – From Actaeon to Posthumanism
Comparative and World Literature
Bibliographic reference: Blanche Cerquiglini, Métamorphoses – D'Actéon au posthumanisme, Paris: Les Belles Lettres, coll. Signets Belles Lettres, 2018.
XVIII + 222 pages
EAN13: 9782251447957
***
Preceded by an interview with Christophe Honoré.
Actaeon the hunter transformed into a stag, Daphne into a laurel, Zeus into a bull… metamorphoses are everywhere in Greek and Latin literature. Whether explaining the birth of the world, the emergence of plants, or the stars, they recount another natural history—not biological, but poetic—fueled by our most fundamental human aspirations: gods and mortals transform themselves, or transform others, out of vengeance, punishment, jealousy, or desire.
Why do these transformations resonate so deeply with us? Because they speak of our secret desire to live another life, under a different identity. These ancient tales plunge us into the origins of our great questions regarding the boundary between human and animal, the concepts of masculinity and femininity, and the crossing of borders between humans and machines. The hundred or so texts gathered here build a bridge between Greco-Roman metamorphoses and twenty-first-century posthumanism, reminding us that tomorrow's robots are yesterday's Proteus.
Blanche Cerquiglini works for the Folio classique series at Gallimard. She is also the co-author, with Jean-Yves Tadié, of *Le Roman d’hier à demain* (2012).
Order on the publisher's website
***
Table of Contents
Toward a Poetic Supernatural: An Interview with Christophe Honoré
Maps
I. Metamorphosis as an Explanation of the World
II. Shifts in Species
Who holds the power to *transform*?
Who holds the power to *transform oneself*?
III. Vengeance, Punishment, Reward
Vengeance and Punishment
As a Reward
IV. Changing Sex, Changing Gender
Tiresias and Hermaphroditus
The Question of Transgender
V. Monsters and Prodigies
The Werewolf
Composite Figures
VI. Metamorphosis as a Tool of Cunning
VII. The Powers of Disguise
VIII. Animate and Inanimate
IX. Natural History
X. From Metamorphoses to Posthumanism
Authors of the "Signet" Collection
To Go Further
Bibliographic Suggestions
Index of Authors and Works
***
The motif of metamorphosis has been a cornerstone of Western literature since classical antiquity, serving as a narrative vehicle to explore the fluid boundaries of identity, nature, and the divine. In this volume, Blanche Cerquiglini gathers around one hundred classical texts to build a bridge between Greco-Roman metamorphoses and twenty-first-century posthumanism. These tales of transformation, often driven by vengeance, punishment, jealousy, or desire, recount a poetic natural history that reflects fundamental human aspirations. The collection explores questions regarding the boundary between the human and the animal, masculinity and femininity, and the relationship between humans and machines.
In modern critical theory, posthumanism questions the traditional boundaries of the human subject, often examining our relationship with technology and non-human animals. The selected texts explore themes such as shifts in species, changing gender, and the transition from ancient metamorphoses to posthumanism, drawing connections between figures like Tiresias or Proteus and modern questions. The collection explores the boundaries between humans, animals, and machines, reflecting on the human desire to live under a different identity. Readers interested in classical mythology and comparative literature may find this collection relevant.
Why Do Mythologies Never Die?
Radio Notre Dame - "Décryptage" Show