For those following my own pet theories, the rape theme in Donne's Holy Sonnet #14 is not some joke. You think Donne just pulled that out of his ass? Where do you think the words ravish, rapture, and ursurp, along with many others, come from? It is an interconnected motif. And it isn't just related words. Donne got all that stuff about being "ravished" (raped) by God right out of the Old Testament, especially the prophets. What does Ezekiel say about God's having chosen him? Or Elijah? Mmmmm?

It all stems from a very visceral concept of what possession (!), ownership, and dominion mean. Maybe read some St. Theresa of Avila if you think it's some random fluke I'm on about.

But that isn't even my pet theory. I'm more interested in drawing out the geneology of fantasy wankers. They start with the Pre-Rahpaelite Brotherhood c. 1850, but that has roots in Romanticism. The line goes low through Robert E. Howard and high though His Wankship, JRR Tolkien, and soars on to Thomas Kinkade's self-indulgence and today's stunning variety of fantasy literature, games, toys, movies, theme parks, and live action bimbos.

I also have some ideas about how the Muse (or some damn thing) speaks through artists, without their really taking part in the creative process. Plato said this. It's not unrelated to enthrallment, possession, ecstasy, and enthusiasm.

Ecstasy is to be outside your body, enthusiasm is to have God enter you, and we've already discussed enthrallment and possession.

See where I'm going with all this?