Literary notes about Orgiastic (AI summary)
Literary usage of "orgiastic" often imbues a sense of excessive, unbridled revelry and ecstatic abandon, whether in the context of ritualistic ceremonies or as a metaphor for unrestrained emotional fervor. The term is commonly linked to ancient rites and cultic celebrations, where it describes activities that merge physical ecstasy with spiritual excess, as seen in discussions of Dionysian or other frenzied cults [1][2][3]. At times, "orgiastic" is also employed to characterize behavior that borders on chaotic debauchery, reflecting both the allure and inherent danger of unchecked passions [4][5]. This layered connotation enriches the narrative texture by inviting readers to consider how the interplay between the sacred and the profane can lead to moments of both divine ecstasy and moral ambiguity [6][7].
- It strove to rival the new faith by ritual splendour and orgiastic rites, and ‘the extreme sensuality of superstition.
— from Darkness and Dawn; Or, Scenes in the Days of Nero. An Historic Tale by F. W. (Frederic William) Farrar - [111] One must indeed remember that alongside the Apollonian element in Greek life is the orgiastic or Dyonisiac element.
— from Rousseau and Romanticism by Irving Babbitt - Beyond her a naked Bacchante whirls in an orgiastic dance, clicking castanets high in the air above her head.
— from The Mute Stones Speak: The Story of Archaeology in Italy by Paul Lachlan MacKendrick - cried the host, in a tone that seemed to defy both Paradise and Limbo, and ecstasy followed ecstasy in orgiastic sequence.
— from The Oxford Circus: A Novel of Oxford and Youth by Hamish Miles - There would be much casual but ingenious cruelty, an orgiastic indulgence in every uttermost thrill of sense.
— from In Red and Gold by Samuel Merwin - And, instead of realising what our men are fighting for, She's an orgiastic nuisance who in fact enjoys the War.
— from Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, January 10, 1917 by Various - The orgiastic ritual of the priests of Kybele made at first little appeal to the more disciplined temperament of the Roman population.
— from From Ritual to Romance by Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay) Weston
