Vernant, l'antichista ottuso

Abstract

Vernant, the obtuse classicist.

The article offers a systematic critique of Jean-Pierre Vernant’s interpretation of the Oedipus myth, highlighting the methodological and conceptual aporias stemming from his adherence to Ignace Meyerson’s historical psychology. By reducing the mind to its historically determined productions and denying the existence of permanent psychic functions and of the unconscious, this approach leads to a form of relativism that undermines the explanatory capacity of myth analysis. The article specifically challenges Vernant’s denial of the unconscious, the moral absolution of Oedipus with regard to parricide and incest, and the uncritical reliance on the protagonist’s own testimony in reconstructing his relationships with Laius and Jocasta. It also refutes the interpretation of Oedipus as a pharmakos, showing that exile does not take the form of a sacrificial expulsion but rather of a voluntary choice. In conclusion, the article argues that Vernant’s attempt to refute Freud results in a contradictory and theoretically weak reading of the myth, which paradoxically serves to reinforce, rather than undermine, the validity of the psychoanalytic interpretation.