Niels Klim: da antieroe a eroe... e ritorno
Nicolaus Klimius: From Antihero to Hero... and Back

Summary/Abstract: Any attempt of placing a character in the category of hero or antihero must start from his profile, especially from his moral profile. In a very general acceptation of the term, a hero is the depositary of positive – or perceived as positive – values, mandatorily superior to common norm: bravery, courage, special physical and mental capabilities, altruism, spirit of sacrifice, etc. On the contrary, an antihero lacks these qualities (sometimes he exhibits contradictory features) or he only has some of them. As a consequence, a set of innate or acquired values place the individual into one category or another. Therefore, it seems impossible for a character to be both a hero and an antihero within the same literary work. My study seeks to analyze this binomial: by displaying the same features, Nicolaus Klimius – the central character of the novel Nicolai Klimii iter subterraneum – experiences both conditions, of hero and antihero, depending on the values promoted in the worlds he crosses. In his hallucinating underground journey, we discover worlds that value differently the same qualities or concepts; for this reason, these worlds are as antagonistic as the notions through which we attempt to understand this character.

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