From Aristophanes to Bellow: Ravelstein and the use of friends in fiction

In Ravelstein, Saul Bellow writes of his departed friend Allan Bloom. In so doing he uncovers some very private parts of Bloom's life, and ruminates at length on his relationship with his own wife. This part elegy, part memoir turned novel raises very interesting questions about the bounds of friendship and power of Eros.;As one of our greatest novelists, Bellow is held to much higher standards than other writers and an examination not only of the repercussions of using real people in imaginary literature, but the influence of Eros in the artistic process, can provide some valuable perceptions into the creative process itself. Comparing how Aristophanes treats Socrates in the Clouds with how Bellow treats Bloom in Ravelstein provides an excellent source for exploring these processes.