Dionysus: The re-emergence of a God from Greek mythology in modern literature

The Dionysus of ancient Greece essentially represents the same extreme potentialities of life as his manifestations in modern literature. Through an archetypal analysis of Dionysus it becomes strikingly clear that Dionysus evokes a level of consciousness that transcends all epochs of time. This study examines the ecstatic and sensual in Women in Love, madness and brutality in Heart of Darkness, Dionysus' tendency towards revolt against societal norms in The Stranger, and the fruits of Dionysic knowledge in The Magic Mountain. The parallels between the Dionysus of ancient Greece and the selected novels are strong and lead to a greater knowledge of the hidden, but powerful unconscious of mankind. Dionysus is revealed to be both the destructive and driving force of creativity within us all.