Few do it quite like the Greeks and Romans when it comes to romantic flair. Not only does the huge number of classical myths dealing with love and lovers attest to this, but also their message of romantic optimism. The myth of Cupid and Psyche is the ultimate example of true love's power to triumph over the most daunting of obstacles.
In Psyche's Dark Night, a short story by contemporary writer Francesca Lia Block, the ancient romance inspires a revisitation in the modern world, one where Cupid is a struggling alcoholic, and Psyche an insecure single gal.
The Ancient Myth of Cupid and Psyche: Love's Power to Triumph over All Obstacles
The ancient romance begins with Psyche's beauty distracting Venus's worshippers and sparking the goddess's jealous rage. Venus enlists the help of her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with the most wretched of men so her beauty is wasted. Despite Cupid's intentions, he falls hard and fast for Psyche.
Cupid's Scam
When Psyche's parents consult an oracle to find out why she is still single, Apollo, in cohoots with Cupid, declares that Psyche must become the wife of a terrifying serpent. As Psyche is abandoned on a mountain top awaiting the serpent, she instead finds a beautiful palace and hears Cupid's mysterious voice saying the palace is hers. Every night, under the cover of darkness, Cupid sneaks into Psyche's bed where he takes her as his wife and instructs her that all will be well as long as she resists the urge to look at him.
Psyche's Mistakes
After Psyche gazes at Cupid by candlelight as he sleeps, Cupid awakens and flees. Psyche is devastated and bravely goes to Venus to ask for help. Venus, angry to hear her son disobeyed her, demands that Psyche complete impossible tasks in exchange for her help. To Venus's great surprise, Psyche completes most of the tasks. But when she finally fails, Venus takes revenge by making her fall into a deep sleep.
A Fairy Tale Ending
Cupid, who had been pining away for his wife, enlists the help of Jupiter, who wakes Psyche and turns her into an immortal. Cupid, god of love, and Psyche, whose name means 'soul', then live happily ever after basking in the glow of their unshakeable eternal bond.
An Ancient Love Story is Revisited in the Modern World: Psyche's Dark Night by Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block is a writer whose stories are known for their magical realism. Her characters often face the harsh realities of day-to-day life en route to ultimate fulfillment through love's transcendent power. The magical elements in stories such as Psyche's Dark Night, published in the collection My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, come from the ancient myths and fairy tales that inspire her modern writing.
Psyche, Cupid, and Online Dating
Block's story opens with, "Psyche met Cupid online. They had already been through a series of failed relationships at this point so they were both wary" (New York: Penguin, 2010). From the very start, the ancient couple is faced with the challenges and romantic pitfalls of courtship in the modern world.
As in the myth, the symbolic power of light and darkness parallels the searching and finding aspects of romance. In Psyche's Dark Night, these aspects further illuminate the insecurities of individuals seeking love, as well as the journey towards self-acceptance that must be traversed before romantic love can truly be a success.
Psyche and Cupid Meet in the Darkness
In Block's version of the myth, instead of Cupid providing for Psyche in the form of a glorious palace, it is the latter who has a stable job and an "adorable rent-controlled apartment." In addition, Cupid's mysterious voice does not boom from the heavens, but through the phone line; this is how they embark on their courtship, afraid to meet in person. After a 2 a.m. booty call, the pair meet in darkness and consummate their relationship. They continue this way as Cupid, a commitment-phobic unemployed actor, feels that once he is seen, he will lose himself, while Psyche wants only to see and be seen.
Psyche and Cupid Go Their Separate Ways
After Psyche gazes at Cupid sleeping and they part ways, they each embark on journeys of self-exploration. Here, Psyche is seen as a modern Cinderella, one whose tasks on the road to happiness are self-imposed, unlike those demanded by the domineering Venus and the evil stepmother.
A Fairy Tale Ending, or Is It?
Block's departure from the mythic and fairy tale ending of ultimate fulfillment through romantic bliss is a testament to the power of the self in the modern world. As readers leave Psyche's Dark Night not knowing if the two will reunite, the happy ending comes in the form of personal growth as "Cupid walked away whistling to himself" and Psyche, instead of longingly watching Cupid walk away, "checked her own eyes in the car mirror. They looked big and bright. They belonged to her and they could see."
The use of ancient tales by modern writers reveals the timelessness of their message, as relevant today as they were in civilization's earliest days. In the ancient myth of Cupid and Psyche, romantic love is seen as an unstoppable force; in Francesca Lia Block's Psyche's Dark Night, an alternate reading is put forth as love's slings and arrows are understood in terms of the personal growth that can occur during the search for ecstatic love.
Sources:
- Block, Lia Francesca. Psyche's Dark Night. "My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me. Forty New Fairy Tales." Bernheimer, Kate. (Ed.) (2010). New York: Penguin Group.
- Cotterell, Arthur. The Encyclopedia Of Mythology. (1996). London: Anness Publishing.
- Nardo, Don. Cupid and Psyche. "Greek and Roman Mythology." (1998). California: Lucent Books.
- Francesca Lia Block. Accessed January 06, 2012.
Lara Smith - is a freelance writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English, History and Religious Studies.
