The Trouble With Sex
Comments: 4
Sam Leith on the difficulties of writing about sex in literary fiction.
The trouble with sex
Telegraph.co.ukNow, there’s an altogether different and rather more complicated problem. The problem is how to write about sex. In particular, how to write about sex as sex. That is, to write about sex seriously. Often, writing about sex is instrumental: it becomes the stalking horse for humour (Chaucer, Tom Sharpe, Howard Jacobson) or philosophy (Sade, Rochester, Houellebecq) or, exceptionally, cosmology (the Martin Amis of London Fields). It remains almost uniquely difficult, still, to write about sex - what goes on, constantly, between men and women, and men and men, and women and women, and men and goats - without it turning into something else. How to make it be itself?
•••
Posted to Oh, the Humanity • 2003.09.15 (Mon) • 11:03
Comments
Posted by CyberMonk 2003.09.15, 11:32
The first three might have some hope of redemption, but the fourth has a snowball’s chance in hell.
^_^
Posted by Kristen 2003.09.16, 08:44
Interesting article. Sex is hard to write. I tried once and gave up in a fit of giggles. A quote from said attempt:
“She picked up her clothes and walked out of the room with as much dignity as possible. ‘Thank goodness I have a decent butt,’ she thought as she felt Daniel’s eyes boring into her.”
You can see why I abandoned it…
Posted by dowingba 2003.09.16, 14:16
What about a woman and a goat?
Posted by Kaitlyn 2004.08.05, 05:43
Big since big bring home equity loan, intenet mountains school old.
Post a comment:
Send This Story to an Enemy
• • •
