Love Enters through the Eyes: Revival of a Classical Topos in Desire Under the Elms (1924)

Abstract

[eng] The present article aims to introduce a literary topos that has originated from the classical tradition and woven into modern American drama. Following Laguna Mariscal's approach to literary topoi, the definition, structure, and literary development of "love at first sight" as a classical topos is outlined. Then, its representation in Eugene O'Neill's modern American play Desire Under the Elms (1924) is studied. While taking Euripides' retelling of Hippolytus-Phaedra narrative as the main reference, this tragedy is also creatively linked to other classical texts through the existence of a classical topos. This incorporation could be deliberate, testifying to O'Neill's meticulous adaptation of the elements of Greek tragedy, or unintentional and the result of a natural literary procedure.