Cosmic Narcissism: Self-Image and the Contemplation of Nature in Gaston Bachelard's Thought

The mythical image of Narcissus has served to explore, both in art and in psychoanalysis, topics such as reflection, selfishness, contemplation and autoeroticism. Gaston Bachelard had a thorough reading of this mythological being, which we propose to reflect upon with a view to exploring the question of "self-image". Our objective will be to clarify the notion of "cosmic narcissism" that Bachelard suggests, to analyze the "self" that emerges in the aesthetic experience. Through the image of Narcissus, Bachelard highlights the active role of Nature in shaping the artist's self-image. He proposes a "cosmic narcissism" as an "idealizing" path of the self, which we will contrast with the "neurotic narcissism" suggested by Freud.