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Literary notes about saturnalian (AI summary)

The word "saturnalian" in literature is often used to evoke a sense of uninhibited revelry and subversive freedom. For instance, in [1] from George Eliot’s work, the term is employed to characterize a period when established norms are upended, allowing characters like Kezia to criticize those in authority with unrestrained boldness. In contrast, Suetonius’s historical narrative in [2] uses "saturnalian" to describe behavior steeped in licentious excess—a chaotic, indulgent abandon that departs from the disciplined structure of conventional poetry. Both examples underscore the term's association with moments of intense, often disruptive liberation, though the contexts and nuances differ significantly.
  1. Altogether, this time of trouble was rather a Saturnalian time to Kezia; she could scold her betters with unreproved freedom.
    — from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
  2. In a word, it deserves to be regarded as an effusion of Saturnalian licentiousness, rather than of poetry.
    — from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius

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