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- Newsgroups: alt.pagan
- Path: sparky!uunet!caen!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!ashall
- From: ashall@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew S Hall)
- Subject: Re: Sexual Personae
- Message-ID: <1992Nov17.154752.4040@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
- Keywords: Camille Paglia
- Sender: news@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
- Nntp-Posting-Host: top.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
- Organization: The Ohio State University
- References: <1992Nov16.210436.18106@panix.com>
- Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 15:47:52 GMT
- Lines: 46
-
- In article <1992Nov16.210436.18106@panix.com> jimoates@panix.com (Jim Oates) wr
- ites:
- >I thought this may be interesting. The following is a quote
- >from the preface to Camille Paglia's book, "Sexual Personae":
- >
- > "I argue that Judeo-Christianity never did
- > defeat paganism, which still flourishes in
- > art, eroticism, astrology, and pop culture."
- >
- >I've just started the book; so far, it is quite an eye-opener.
- >Has anyone out there in alt.pagan read it? I'd be curious to
- >hear from anyone about there reactions to the book.
- >
- >I know, I know, people either love or hate Camille Paglia.
- >Maybe everyone here hates her: either way, I'd like to hear
- >some comments.
- >
- >Thanks,
- >Jim
- >
- >jimoates@panix.com
- >
- >
- Oh boy, have you opened a can of worms...
-
- Sexual Personae is a fascinating book. Camille has many interesting things to
- say incl. what you cited above which is true. Most mainline Xians don't think
- about it, but there is massive pagan borrowings by Xianity. Some of the fundies
- are aware of this, some local one hand out tracts condemning Easter and X-Mas
- as pagan holidays.
-
- Camille is very erudite and quite strong at dealing with earthy matters like
- lust, sex, etc. She is an almost orthodox Freudian and tends to cast too much
- in purely sexual terms. I wont post much more on S.P. in order not to
- predjudice your reading.
-
- As to her notoriety, she has brought some much needed fresh air into the
- monolithic academic debates about literature, feminism, and sexual roles.
- IMO, she is hated because she has challenged the powerful regime of the (to
- borrow a term) femi-nazis and eurofaddish intellectuals.
-
- If you would like to get a clearer picture in much less restrained terms of her
- views, I suggest her collection of essays entitled Sex, Art, and American
- Culture.
-
- Andrew Hall
-