A pair of lovers might marry for physical attraction, and then discover one another's emotional attributes. But will this lead them to a higher form of affection, in the Platonic ideal of erotic progression? A monk would suggest that modern married life is too distracting to allow a full communion with the divine, in the presence of such worldly responsibilities, and thus religious eroticism is fundamentally incompatible with even the best of earthly, married affection.
Of course, there are those such as Bataille, who would suggest the idea of the connection between eroticism and death means that even in the original, first flush of passion, there is a parallel between the divine and the ordinary, bodily erotic. The loss of self sought by mystics and the loss of self more ordinary people seek in the distractions of love through the petite morte or little death of the orgasm are similar, although Bataille suggests that the momentary distraction of eroticism and the permanent loss of self and access to true understanding of the divine in romantic and erotic mystical language has a fundamentally different purpose, even if the experiences may be parallel in language -- they are not equally parallel in experience.
Bataille may seem equivocal in his use of the term "death," as he uses it to describe a death of the self in momentary erotic congress, and also death of secular identity when a mystic becomes erotically 'one' with God, a death that cannot be sustained in ordinary human experience. However, this parallel, like De Rougemont's is again useful to compare to the Greek mode of progression with the Christian contrast...
Spain Salud my family and fellow Spaniards! My fellow Andalucians! We are gathered here today to celebrate customs that are centuries old, customs that have survived the vicissitudes of Spanish social life and politics, customs that have transcended any economic, social, or political woes that might happen to occupy the consciousness of our citizenry. The great kingdoms of our past do mingle with the democratic ideals of our current nation. It
Eye and the Story of O. are both very early examples of erotic fiction. In many respects, they establish themes that will often be repeated in this modernist genre. Such themes include the almost overwhelming use of sensual imagery and the development of specific sexual identities in the characters in the books that are reflected in the non-erotic aspects of how they conduct themselves. Bataille, a contemporary of Sartre, wrote
Given some other details of the painting's construction, however, and specifically of the halo, this interpretation could be seen in an ironic light. Most of the painting's colors are quit vibrant, with red and yellow dominating. There are several instances in the painting where certain objects seem to blend in with or fade into the background. The halo is one such object; in both color and size it is one
These issues are highly politically complex, and the author makes it clear in this chapter that these issues are no less psychologically complex for the individuals that must make choices regarding them. The ability for these issues, especially that of abortion, to polarize society is quite large, and individual values and sentiments are often lost in the larger picture, it seems. Like other sexual values, the author attempts to make
" (lines 20-21) the journalist, the activist... must be the observer and not make the news. Lastly the point-of-view of the unnamed dead, "enemy" whose ears were cut off to use an example of cruelty and to elicit fear, "Some of the ears on the floor/caught this scrap of his voice. Some of the ears on / the floor were pressed to the ground." (lines 31-33) Perhaps the ears were
Bram Stoker's masterwork and greatest novel, Dracula, has been and remains one of the most culturally pervasive novelistic tropes of the last 100 years. Indeed, in multiple film versions as well as in the novel and myriad other mediums, it remains a deeply pervasive cultural idea. Part of the inspiration for the story no doubt takes elements from Stoker's own life and fictionalizes and dramatizes them to the point where
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