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Quote by Camille Paglia

“At some level, all love is combat, a wrestling with ghosts. We are only for something by being against something else. People who believe they are having pleasant, casual, uncomplex sexual encounters, whether with friend, spouse, or stranger are blocking from consciousness the tangle of psychodynamics at work, just as they block the hostile clashings of their dream life.”

Quote by Camille Paglia

Work

Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson

This comprehensive study delves into the depiction of sexuality in art and literature, analyzing the works of artists and writers from ancient Egypt to the 19th century. The book examines the complex interplay between art, culture, and human sexuality, offering insights into the evolution of artistic expression and its relationship with societal norms. more

Author

Camille Paglia
Camille Paglia

Camille Paglia is an American academic, cultural critic, and author known for her controversial views on a variety of cultural and social issues. Born on April 2, 1947, she has taught at several universities and has written numerous books and articles on topics such as art, literature, and gender studies. more

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“In art, [Tolstoy] articulates with almost prophetic brilliance the elements that combine to make and keep women inferior, all of them originating, in his view, in sexual intercourse, because sexual intercourse requires objectification and therefore is exploitation. In life, he blamed and hated Sophie [his wife], feeling antagonism and repulsion, because he wanted to fuck her and did fuck her.”

“Sex, like everything else, is good or bad, helpful or unhelpful, pleasant or painful, fulfilling or demoralising based on the participants’ thoughts. Within the context of love, sex is a force for good. For many people, a loving sexual connection is the closest they ever get to a transcendent sense of benevolence, bliss, and that feeling of all is well—the closest they get to God. This is because loving sexual oneness is the shadow of true spiritual Oneness. As such, it carries with it some of the same elements, some of the same promise. The desire for physical unity represents the more profound desire for spiritual completeness. Within a spontaneous, playful, respectful, and unselfish context, sexual closeness is a channel for light, but it cannot fulfil our deepest yearnings.”