Eros as 'Pteros'. Allegorical Mythology in Plato's Phaedrus

In order to appreciate the fundamental interaction of literature and philosophy in these myths, I suggest that we approach them armed with the tools of close textual analysis and a redefined concept of allegory - tools frequently employed in relation to Platonic myth, albeit generally in a thoroughly negative or, at best, imprecise way. On the basis of a close reading of the myth in Phaedrus 246a-256e, key passage to understanding the status of myth in Plato's work, I tie Platonic writing to an allegorical aesthetics intricately entwined with the philosophical core of the dialogue.