Abstract In this article, the writer notes that poetry has traditionally been the realm where the Dionysian myth, as defined in opposition to the Apollonian myth, is able to reign free, effectively embracing the sort of chaos and formlessness that has traditionally defined Dionysus. At the same time, the writer points out, it is very difficult to isolate the Dionysian qualities of a poem from the Apollonian qualities, as one relies on the difference between the two as definitional factors in each; in order for true poetry to occur, one needs the Apollonian to give form and temperance to the wildness of the Dionysian. Still, in this essay, the writer reads two poems by Frank O'Hara, "Poem" and "Homosexuality," from a purely Dionysian standpoint - even though, it may be argued, that an Apollonian reading of the poems may also be elicited.
From the Paper " "Poem" is about desire in a purely aesthetic sense. It is Dionysian not only in this embrace of desire and the aesthetic, but in that it does not fear embracing the irrational, the absurd, in rendering a work of art. The poet states that we desire flowers more than George Sand's blue rose; in other words, a blue rose is not a flower? The poem does not really make any logical, Apollonian sense - and that is exactly O'Hara's point. A classical, romantic nature poem about flowers might attempt to elaborate on the qualities of the blue rose via metaphor, thus allowing the Apollonian to temper the Dionysian impulses of the poem. But O'Hara will have none of it - other than stating that it belongs to George Sand, the famous French writer from the 19th century, we do not learn anything else about flowers, other than what they are not: poison oak."
Abstract This paper discusses and compares the Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy of two 20th century poems - Frank O'Hara's "Homosexuality" and Stephen Dobyns' "Counterparts." The paper uses these poems to show how a dichotomous conception of Apollo and Dionysus is rather limiting from the standpoint of literary analysis. It discusses how considering the intertwining of Apollonian and Dionysian tendencies is the only way we can adequately grasp a poet's mythical conception of the universe.
From the Paper "At first glance, O'Hara's poem seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of homosexuality. As one penetrates below the surface of the poem, however, it becomes readily obvious that, without making any explicit references to homosexual practices, "Homosexuality" is in fact an homage to the Dionysian celebration of life that has traditionally been an integral part of the gay lifestyle. Dionysus has traditionally been aligned with the idea of joyful excess, drunken revelry, and, in art and literature, formlessness. The speaker in the poem feels unable to contain his own soul, and so he lets it drift off and intends to follow it on its unpredictable journey."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that the Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy has frequently been employed as a departure point for the critical evaluation of poetic works. In this essay, the writer proposes using those qualities typically associated with Dionysus - that is, the integration of the self into the whole, the life and death cycle (the myth of descent and ascent), the natural world, and the ecstatic - in order to analyze poems by Brenda Hamilton, Sharon Olds, and Yusef Komunyakaa. The writer shows that the Dionysian tendency, rooted in the belief that man plays a role in the drama of eternal repetition that is grounded in the cyclical view of nature, is present in these works and informs each poet's mythic vision of the universe.
From the Paper "What each of these three poems has in common is the fact that they are based around images of human figures confronting the Dionysian motifs of descent and ascent via nature. Each poem represents a struggle between the Apollonian and Dionysian extremes, a struggle that is very much part of every human being's life. In Hamilton's poem, the poet is quite eager to run away altogether from Apollonian order into the wild chaos of poetry and the sea. It does not take much convincing for her; from the moment the poem opens, she is ready to go. Olds's poem represents a more virulent struggle between the two poles. While the father in the poem has clearly made his choice and has learned to live with it, for the younger man, the son, the journey will be a much longer road, Olds infers, marked by pain and suffering. In Komunyakaa's poem, wild Dionysus is consistently present from the beginning in the form of the figure in the poem, who is apparently half-man and half-beast - a hefty dramatization of the sublimation of Apollo into Dionysus. The poem plays not only with this dichotomy between man and the animal kingdom, but between man and woman as well."
Abstract An examination of Nietzsche's philosophies of music which are still applicable today, and can be seen as the foundation of modern music theory. Nietzsche extensively employed the terms ?Dionysian? and "Apollonian" in his conjectures about music. These are terms that are in reference to Plato and his suppositions about simple, ordered and unassuming music (Apollonian) versus irrational, anarchic, chaotic music (Dionysian).
From the Paper "German Philosopher/Musician/Composer, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was particularly interested in what he believed to have been the higher quality of life that prevailed in certain periods of history, such as the Italian renaissance, the classic era of the Greeks, and Moorish civilizations in Spain. While most art forms were included under a single umbrella in Nietzsche's philosophies, he wrote extensively about music and musicians as a unique and separate entity."
Tags: apollonian, dionysian, friedrich, history, music, philosophy, theory
Examines the conflict between reason and hedonism in literature & philosophy: Euripides, [Epic of Gilgamesh], Plato, Machiavelli, Shakespeare and more.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 7 sources, 1999, $ 63.95
From the Paper " In Greek mythology, Apollo represents an aspect of the Greek ideal and a characteristic element of Greek civilization--the perpetually vigorous and graceful young man, contrasted with his half-brother Dionysus. Dionysus is the wild and enthusiastic zealot, while Apollo is calm and orderly, balancing vigor and reason. The Apollonian/Dionysian dichotomy is found expressed in literature both before the time of the Greek Golden Age and after, suggesting that there is something elementary and even primal in the pairing.
Dionysus was the central figure in a major cult of the Greek world, a cult that would have a long-term influence in mythology, religion, and literature. Dionysus was a pan-Hellenic god who was widely celebrated throughout the Archaic period and honored at dramatic contests with tragedies and comedies. His was also.."
From the Paper "Nietzsche: Apollonian and Dionysian
Philosophers have been misinterpreted and taken out of context throughout history, but none as often as the 19th century German philosophers Hegel and Nietzsche. The extremely religious Hegel has been linked to the godless communism, and godless Nietzsche will be forever bound by his "superman" model to the "Aryan Supremacy" aspirations of Hitler and the Third Reich. Ironically, no civilization epitomized as much the dichotomy of order and disorder that define the Apollonian and Dionysian tendencies, which Nietzsche attributed to mankind. The Apollonian tendency was a desire for clarity and order, represented by the Greek..."
Abstract An examination of the theories of three of the ?classical social theorists" - Frederich Nietzsche, Emil Durkheim, and Max Weber. It discusses the emerging pattern in which religion's role changes and evolves as society itself changes and evolves. The paper explores the theories individually and shows how each of the three affected public thinking and the role of religion in society.
From the Paper "In summation, Weber saw society as losing its ritualistic mysticism. It was becoming much more rational, more Apollonian. This Apollonian increase as earlier stated brings about a decrease in the Dionysian, the importance in ritual objects. As this decreases in value, then solidarity, the very binding force of society begins to collapse. Alienation of the individual begins to develop which is a by-product of modem industrial society.
The connection is then complete. First, religion can be divided into two factions, a rational and a ritualistic. Second, the ritualistic faction can be said to unify or bind a society into a cohesive unit. Finally the rational faction is becoming more important which represses the ritualistic, and thus represses social solidarity."
Abstract This paper briefly discusses the origins of the Greek theatre and how Greek comedy was distinctive in Athens and became an official part of the Dionysian festivals about 50 years after tragedy did. It looks at how Greek comedy is represented by Aristophanes, the only playwright from the period of Old Greek Comedy whose works survive. It shows how Aristophanes' works were satires directed at specific people in Athenian society. He attacked many political figures in his plays, but he also directed attacks at other cultural figures in Athenian society. It also analyzes how Aristophanes satire was carried in to the Roman era by the works of Plautus.
From the Paper "The theater in its full form came into being in Classical Greece. At that time, the theater was part of a religious festival and so included a number of ritual elements, several of which have been modified for use in theater ever since. Roman theater developed from Greek traditions carried over in the Hellenic period and then transformed to fit the Roman social structure and Roman sensibilities. The two theaters have similarities and also differences. They often use the same myths as source material and give those myths different treatment. The Roman theater also developed new theatrical forms and genres which extended what the Greeks had performed."
The history and development of the architecture of the Roman theater building. An in-depth look at how the ancient Romans borrowed heavily from the Greek example, but improved upon it to create a building that was uniquely Roman.
Abstract The paper discusses in great detail the evolution of the Roman theater, beginning from the Greek wooden origins to the stone monuments that became iconic with Roman architecture during the Republic and the Empire. A brief history of theater is discussed in the beginning of the paper, with special attention given to the religious implications of how theaters were originally set up. The importance of the orchestra and "skene" are given historical background, dating back to early Dionysian worship. The layout of the early Greek theaters are discussed, with a complete layout included that describes the circular performance area, the seating arrangements, background adjustments and a rudimentary stage. The rest of the paper deals with how the Romans, eager to take the art of theater from being a religious practice to more of an entertainment value for the masses, incorporated their own unique designs to the Greek theater layout to create a more efficient and clearly Roman design. Heavy attention is give to Vitruvius and his work " De Architectura" which provides a step-by-step process in which Roman theaters were built. Improvements are discussed from eliminating the completely circular stage to a half-circle, as well as creating an official stage that persists in modern theatrical performances. The paper takes each part of the theater and discusses the area extensively in terms of what the Romans did to improve upon or change from the early Greek models.
From the Paper "Ancient Rome's concept of art and architecture was heavily influenced by the cultures that the Romans had conquered, but were in no way identical copies of the art that existed in those subjugated areas. The Romans excelled at taking artistic ideas from other civilizations and molding them into a form that could undoubtedly be identified as uniquely Roman. This technique can easily be seen in practice when one examines the Roman theater building. Roman theaters can be found throughout the area that used to be the Roman Empire, with remnants of theaters all over Europe and the Mediterranean. These theaters have details and building techniques that are exclusive to Roman designs, but when they are viewed in comparison with ancient Greek theaters, one can clearly see where the Romans received their inspiration."
Abstract This paper examines how Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray" and Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" are literary works situated in the cultural phenomenon known as decadence. This cultural phenomenon began in the late nineteenth century and involved the production of a range of interrelated aesthetic, social and sexual personae. It looks at how the most prevalent of these in the work of Wilde and Mann are the beautiful boy, the dandy and the degenerate, because they represent the "Other". It also discusses how both novels also deal with the dichotomy of the Apollonian and Dionysian artistic impulses in literature, which serve to define the calm exterior/decaying interior that codifies decadence.
From the Paper "Felski argues that Decadent literature offers "explicitly feminized male protagonists, who are identified with love of artifice, excess, and everything unnatural." This is certainly true in the case of Dorian Gray. She also mentions the "association of femininity with ornamentation and detail in Western culture." Both Dorian and Tadzio's clothing is described with much attention to the detail and adornments of the garments. Wilde's novel regards the protagonist's cultivation of sense experience, passion and sensation in the pursuit of beauty. Dorian studies exotic perfumes, collects musical instruments and precious stones, and once attended a masquerade ball wearing a costume covered with 560 pearls."
Abstract This paper examines the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates and seeks to show that, taken allegorically, this story does not speak of temptation to sin but rather speaks of the call to transcend and to become initiated. It attempts to show that this fascinating story is not merely a realistic allegory of growing out of childhood, nor a tragic story of rape and murder, but also a sophisticated modern-day retelling of the coming of Dionysus and the calling of the Maenad. It looks at how Arnold Friend is a type of Dionysus and how his call to Connie parallels the call of the mad god to his Bacchae and to the initiates in his mysteries.
From the Paper "Understanding Arnold Friend as an exemplar of Dionysus opens up far greater insight into the allegorical and mystical elements of this story. Dionysus was widely worshiped in the Greco-Roman world as a savior and an initiator into the mysteries of the self. (Freke & Gandy) He brought madness and death, certainly, but always this chaos was part of "the beauty and horror inextricably tied to the process of Becoming," (Mcginty, 165) and though he was a god of death he was also a god of resurrection who was commonly compared to Jesus by early Christian writers and their pagan contemporaries. (Freke & Gandy) With this in mind, several elements of the story may be re-evaluated. "
Abstract This paper discusses how Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground" is an interesting and somewhat shocking short novel first published in 1864 and often seen as a forerunner of existential fiction. The paper then looks at how first-person narrator of the story recites a long complaint about life, society, and in fact all of human existence in what he deeply feels to be its essential pointlessness and cruelty. The paper then attempts to analyze the psychology behind the behavior of the "Underground Man" by examining what three important thinkers have to contribute to the discussion: Plato, Nietzsche, and Freud.
From the Paper "Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was very impressed with Dostoevsky, claiming that "Dostoevsky is one of the few psychologists from whom I have learned something" ("Nietzsche.") The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music (1871) was Nietzsche's first major book. In it, he first elucidates what would soon become a widely known dichotomy, that between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, two opposed strands of ancient Greek thinking which he deduces based upon his uniquely creative interpretation of Greek literature. Put briefly, the Apollonian is the rational, while the Dionysian is that which is irrational or instinctive. "
