The animal-boyfriend tales: the paradigms of “Eros and Psyche” and “Beauty and the Beast”

Abstract

The article analyzes the influence of popular tales in the history of "Eros and Pique" told by L. Apuleius and delves into the study of this story of the 2nd century A.D., highlighting at the same time the elements that the author draws from the Egyptian and Greek religions to finally establish the model of love that has influenced Western societies’ imagination for centuries. It also analyses the story of "the Beauty and the Beast" from the version of Madame Leprince de Beaumont. It explores the human fascination with horror and stops at the possible meanings that can be applied to the discovery: behind the face of the monster, a human being who suffers from a magic spell is hidden. It reviews the subjects that both stories have in common and shows their differences, as well as the diversity of magical elements that appear in them and vary in multiple versions collected from the oral tradition.