Dionysian
In Camille Paglia's theory, the Dionysian is dark and chthonic and a force of chaos and destruction, which is the overpowering and alluring chaotic state of wild nature. It is associated with females, wild/chaotic nature, and unconstrained sex/procreation. Paglia argues that there is a biological basis to the Dionysian, writing: "The quarrel between Apollo and Dionysus is the quarrel between the higher cortex and the older limbic and reptilian brains".
When
- First attested
- 0 CE
- Attested period
- 0 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Described in Camille Paglia's 1990 book Sexual Personae.
Relationships
- enemy of
- Apollonian
- manifests as
- Chthonic
- manifested by
- Chthonic
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“American humanities scholar Camille Paglia writes about the Apollonian and Dionysian in her 1990 bestseller Sexual Personae. The broad outline of her concept has roots in Nietzschean discourse, an admitted influence, although Paglia's ideas diverge significantly. The Apollonian and Dionysian concepts comprise a dichotomy”
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