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Pornography, the Theory
Frances Ferguson
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Description for Pornography, the Theory
Paperback. Ferguson argues that the emergence of pornography as a literary phenomenon in Western culture can be tied to the development of utilitarian philosophy. He contends that considering the usefulness of something rather than its individual essence diverts our attention from individual identities. Num Pages: 208 pages, bibliographical references , index. BIC Classification: DSA; JFMP; JPA. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 222 x 154 x 13. Weight in Grams: 358.
When we think of debates about pornography, what first comes to mind is the question of whether it should be banned or protected. But perhaps we should ask instead what pornography tells us about the way individuals are valued or represented. Combining literary criticism and political theory, Frances Ferguson describes the affinities between pornography and less controversial representations to provide a better understanding of its harms and to demonstrate how it works. Pornography first developed in western Europe during the late eighteenth century in tandem with the rise of utilitarianism, the philosophical position that stresses the importance of something's usefulness over its essence. Through incisive readings of Sade, Flaubert, Lawrence, and Bret Easton Ellis, Ferguson shows how pornography - like utilitarian social structures - diverts our attention from individual identities to actions and renders more clearly the social value of such actions through concrete literary representations. Only when pornography is used to expel individuals from social structures or institutions that promote value, Ferguson argues, is it potentially dangerous. Impassioned, judicious, and deeply informed, Pornography, the Theory will prove to be essential reading for anyone interested in literature and its cultural history.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2004
Publisher
The University of Chicago Press United States
Number of pages
208
Condition
New
Number of Pages
208
Place of Publication
, United States
ISBN
9780226243214
SKU
V9780226243214
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50
About Frances Ferguson
Frances Ferguson is the Mary Elizabeth Garrett Professor of Arts and Sciences and professor of English and the humanities at The Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of Wordsworth: Language as Counter-Spirit and Solitude and the Sublime: Romanticism and the Aesthetics of Individuation.
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