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Latin for "perfect place", locus amoenus is a literary term which generally refers to an idealized place of safety or comfort. A locus amoenus frequently is a pastoral place, with connotations of Eden.
The term originates from Aristotle's discussion of the pastoral in "Poetics" (384 B.C.).
In Shakespeare, the locus amoenus is the space that lies outside of city limits. It is where erotic passions can be freely explored, away from civilization and thus hidden from the social order which acts to suppress and regulate sexual behavior. It is mysterious and dark, a feminine place, as opposed to the rigid masculine civil structure. See William Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream", "As You Like It", and "Titus Andronicus". In Beowulf, Heorot is a locus amœnus until it is attacked by Grendel.
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