Achilles against Time: Of the Iliad, Social Networks and Gym

Teodorski, Marko (2022) Achilles against Time: Of the Iliad, Social Networks and Gym. Antropologija : časopis Centra za etnološka i antropološka istraživanja (CEAI) Filozofskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Beogradu, 22 (1). pp. 35-49. ISSN 1452-7243

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Abstract

The essay discusses Achilles’ image from the perspective of my fear of aging and midlife body crises. Achilles is the protagonist of the Iliad who remained famous in popular culture by choosing glorious and song-worthy death at the plains of Troy over the long life in obscurity. By discussing his various representations (from the Iliad to contemporary novel, cinema and gyms) I show the profound impact the semantics of Achilles had on my self-perception and body identity. Due to my fear of aging I chose a highly auto-destructive path towards a muscled body, one that deemed me “worthy of praise” (aoidimos) on social networks; similarly, Achilles chose to let his body be destroyed in order to be worthy of the Iliad. Social networks and epic poetry are in the essay considered illusory meta-physical extensions of the body, centered on the rejection of aging and praising of youth.

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