Arthur Magazine recently published online an essay by Alan Moore that appeared in its November issue. Titled “BOG VENUS VERSUS NAZI COCK-RING: Some Thoughts Concerning Pornography”, it discusses the place of erotica in society from cave paintings to today. There’s a lot to take in, but something I found particularly interesting:
Sexual etiquette and even to a certain extent sexual politics could not be mentioned or discussed within the confines of Victorian propriety, which meant that only in a field already banished far beyond those confines could such subjects safely be brought up. It’s by no means unusual to find participants in some chapter-length orgy of the period suddenly declaring half-time during which they will discuss such issues as the gentleman’s responsibility to make sure that his female partner has been fully satisfied by their exchange, or the importance of always acceding to the female partner’s wishes even when deranged by passion. These were matters that could not be raised in Home Hints and were certainly not taught at school or by one’s parents. It would seem that the only sexual education being circulated in the 19th century was within publications that were by their very definition deemed obscene.
This attitude of course continues to today. Society has banned, along with outward depictions of sexual activity, discussions of sexual activity. Schools are hardly allowed to mention condoms at all let alone instruct teenagers in how to use them properly so that they don’t break, and hardly anywhere can you find advice on the *etiquette *surrounding their use. Take a look at Wikipedia’s top 100 pages for any given month. Here’s April 2007’s, but the date parameters don’t really matter. People turn to Wikipedia of all places to find information about intimate activities. They’re not there looking for smut, just information that isn’t available in any other readily available place. I’m not advocating that all manner of topics become fair game for dinnertime discussion, and certainly there are letters columns and the Loveline that get into such matters but I think it’s interesting that while our society as certainly become more depraved, some things haven’t change all that much.
Moore’s piece of course accompanies his own literary contribution to the discussion, which is also worth the read. Some day I’ll write up my thoughts on it, but I need to read it again first. In the meantime, the Arthur piece is worth the read.