This paper examines the concept of love within Mediterranean culture; a notion deeply associated with the philosophical idea of descent—a movement that leads to falling and the possible loss or transformation of individual identity. Some thinkers interpret this descent as a state of vulnerability in which love steals the self, while others perceive love as a path toward knowledge—an ascent of consciousness that cannot be achieved without first experiencing descent. Through a close reading of Mediterranean texts and philosophical writings—from Mahmoud Darwish’s verses to the works of Veronica Franco, culminating in the poetry of C. P. Cavafy—the study explores shared linguistic metaphors of falling and rising that articulate the tension between vulnerability and transcendence. Drawing on Lucien Goldmann’s genetic structuralism, it argues that this dual movement reveals the cognitive structures underlying Mediterranean thought—whether pragmatic and rooted in social experience, or mystical and grounded in transcendence. Within this framework, the paper contends that love serves as a linguistic medium for cognitive transformation, offering a renewed understanding of identity within the evolving Mediterranean consciousness. It contributes to Mediterranean literary philosophy by reframing love as a structural principle of thought rather than as a purely emotional phenomenon.

Authors:
Lujain Bitar, American University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Lujain Bitar is currently Assistant Professor of Arabic literature at American University of Dubai, Dubai,UAE.

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