In this brilliantly original book, Camille Paglia identifies some of the major patterns that have endured in western culture from ancient Egypt and Greece to the present. According to Paglia, one source of continuity is paganism, which, undefeated by Judeo-Christianity, continues to flourish in art, eroticism, astrology, and pop culture. Others, she says, are androgyny, sadism, and the aggressive western eye, which has created our art and cinema. Paglia follows these and other themes, from Nefertiti and the Venus of ...
Read More
In this brilliantly original book, Camille Paglia identifies some of the major patterns that have endured in western culture from ancient Egypt and Greece to the present. According to Paglia, one source of continuity is paganism, which, undefeated by Judeo-Christianity, continues to flourish in art, eroticism, astrology, and pop culture. Others, she says, are androgyny, sadism, and the aggressive western eye, which has created our art and cinema. Paglia follows these and other themes, from Nefertiti and the Venus of Willendorf to Apollo and Dionysus, from Botticelli and Michaelangelo to Shakespeare and Blake and finally to Emily Dickinson, who, along with other major nineteenth-century authors, becomes a remarkable example of Romanticism turned into Decadence.
Read Less
Paglia has written a difficult book showcasing a unique view of the history, and psychology, of art.
She describes her method as a kind of sensationalism, and moves quickly between centuries and genres. Whether or not you buy her overarching analysis, you will find her readings of poetry, and her insights into the artists she examines, rewarding.
selcukeryatmaz
Jan 24, 2008
instructive
Paglia, in her skillfully crafted book, explores society and individual in terms of sex, gender and identity. Elegant yet understandable language makes Sexual Personae a must for anyone who approve dynamics of western culture.
