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The new adventures of Asterix and Obelix have hit the screens. On this occasion, the psychoanalyst Philip Grimber invited the entire Gallic village to his «reception» and saw in these stories accurate metaphors for our inner life.
Asterix is a comic book series created in 1951 by writer René Gosini and artist Albert Uderzo. Since then, 34 comics, eight cartoons and three feature films have been published about the adventures of two Gauls and their friends, who have become famous not only in France, but throughout the world. The fourth film in the series, «Asterix and Obelix in Britain», with the same Obelix — Gerard Depardieu, appeared in the Russian box office in October 2012.
GALLIC VILLAGE: «The strength of our impulses»
“The inhabitants of this village symbolize the power of our impulses, capable of overcoming even the power of the “Super-I”, which is Caesar and his troops. The Romans conquer the world, but they are rebuffed by brave little men who have strengthened their strength with a magic potion. The potion gives them free access to their desire, to their libido. “Oh, if we too could throw off the yoke of our inner prohibitions (our “Super-Self”) and freely enjoy life!” we think, looking at the Gauls.
ASTERIX: «The Child Within Us»
“How not to note the contrast between small stature, thinness and the incredible strength that Asterix gains by drinking a potion? This is the image of a child — especially since he does not show any sexual or romantic desires anywhere. He personifies that thirst to return to the state of omnipotence, which possessed us in childhood. It reminds us of our dream of becoming a superhero — Superman, Batman … We admire the exploits of this «boy» — because, thanks to the potion, he can make his dreams come true.
OBELIX: «Oral Beginning»
“As a baby, he fell into a vat of potion, and therefore he has the ability to fulfill all his desires. This is an absolute metaphor for orality! Orality is our way of absorbing the Universe, our first relationship with the world — after all, first we comprehend the world by taste, suck, drink mother’s milk … Obelix loves to eat, make love, and he also has a taste for violence and fights. It combines all the oral and archaic desires that we once went through. And Obelix carries menhir stones with him: you simply cannot find a better phallic symbol. He is the triumphant phallus, for the enjoyment of which there are no barriers. But this is a joyful pleasure “without complexes”, pure pleasure. A story about Asterix for the general public — otherwise Obelix would certainly not miss a single skirt.
IDEFIX: «Love»
“Love is the fixed idea of this dog. He is the very embodiment of loyalty. Having chosen Obelix, he will never back down from him. Each of us wants to be chosen and loved unconditionally and without any conditions. There is something very touching in the way an immense character gets down on all fours in front of a small creature.
PANORAMIX: «Father, law, justice»
“This druid of the Gallic village is a symbolic “father” who, with the help of his potion, allows (or does not) the Gauls to give in to attraction. He is a metaphor for absolute paternal authority: “No, you can’t!”, “You have already drunk the potion”, “You fell into a vat when you were very small” … He does his role perfectly: he gives permission or, conversely, “castrates” imposing a ban. He is justice and law. It gives or does not give the opportunity to enjoy, freely follow your libido.
FALBALA: «The object of desire»
“She embodies the Gallic “blonde” with her feminine charm and seductive roundness: this is the girl from the picture, the embodiment of sensuality. Next to her, Obelix, in love, behaves like a boy: he blushes, gets confused in words. Falbala attracts the eyes of all men, she is the perfect object of desire.
ABRARAKURSIKS: «The castrated leader»
“He is not the boss, but his wife Bongmin. It’s funny to watch him capitulate to his strong-willed wife. We love it when (at least in the books) the king is naked. We are fascinated by power, but at the same time we like to see flaws in it. This village headman is ridiculous: they raise him on a shield … just a meter from the ground, he obeys his wife in everything. We are pleased to find that the statesman turns out to be the most ordinary person. Castrated like everyone else.
CONSERVATORICS: «Our masochistic tendencies»
“This bard is a scapegoat. He’s pathetic, but we like to watch him suffer. Called to sing of the exploits of the Gauls, he sings terribly out of tune, for which he gets what he deserves. It satisfies our masochistic tendencies. The so-called death drive lives in each of us: sometimes, because of it, we provoke disasters, deep down knowing full well that we will repeat the same disastrous scenario again and again. And yet, ridiculing the one who should write our history, we again gain youthful independence of view, irony and audacity.