June 17, 2002
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Sexual Personae
Okay, I read the book. Camille Paglia's Sexual Personae. At the end of it all I think I'm more confused than enlightened. First of all, what is a sexual personae anyway? Do I have one? If I don't have one, where could I get one? Once I have one, what will I do with it? Will be as useful as a saving's card? I mean, if a sexual personae could get me a deeper discount at Barnes and Noble - I'll take two please.
Ms. Paglia must be one of those lecturers who have students on a waiting list. She seems to take a great deal of pleasure in saying shocking things. But after she's said them, I'm still wondering what she meant by it all. Some of her ideas sound new and revolutionary, until you stop and think and realize that although she rejects traditional language, she's talking about traditional values.
She says that people need rules. That we have an innate predisposition to live within boundaries, and that if there are no boundaries, we will create them. Hmmmmm . . . sounds a lot like the New Testament writings of Paul. She says that we become slaves to our sexual nature, his perspective is a little broader - he says that we become slaves to our "sins."
Ms. Paglia, never met a cigar that was just a cigar. She sees every face as a mask (a personae) and she interprets every mask to be a sexual exaggeration. I was irritated by her references to "pretty" men as effeminate and "strong" women as androgynous. Can we not simply be attractive, strong, gracious, or brave?
In her chapter on the Marquis de Sade (who she considers to be one of the greatest and most neglected philosophers of all time) she details horrific scenes from his writing one after another. Then she says, "Remember these are not actions they are ideas." I kept thinking about the old adage regarding gifts, it's the thought that counts. Haven't we all had the occasion to smile and thank the giver when we really wanted to shout "What were you thinking!?!" In the case of the writings of Sade, she insists that his work is merely a philosophical answer to Rousseau's idea of the noble savage. Okay. But, surely one or two ironic essays would have made the point. Did he really have to write so many books detailing every act of torture and sexual violence that he could imagine in order to provide an adequate response? I'm glad that Ms. Paglia finds something redeeming in his work, but I'm unconvinced that he deserves the level of scrutiny that she suggests.
The book certainly offered a provocative viewpoint. I'm still thinking about gender and art, beauty and violence. Even though I didn't agree with many of Ms. Paglia's views, in the end, she challenged me to examine sex and values from a different viewpoint than I had previously considered - that of the battle between choas and order, anarchy and civilization.
Comments (16)
Great review! thanks.
sail on... sail on!!!!
Ok - I'm beginning to remember now - that was the one I didn't read - thought it was tedious, I think. I DID read "Vamps and Tramps" which I liked at the time. But that was at least 10 years ago. And no, I haven't hugged a June bug today, but if I see one, I'll certainly keep that in mind.
You certainly are well read.
God Bless - Dale
very interesting!
I think I can skip that one.
Is it bad if I'm confused?
Thanks for the review. I think I'll pass.
Sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the great review!
As though you weren't warped enough! I have to read a steady diet of Highlights for Children just to keep us balanced.
LOL at Tim there
I will have to look into that one.. I like a book that challenges my mind like that.
great review...
I agree with season - not exactly on my list of books I'm planning on reading this summer.
Thanks for a very well-written and informative review though!
I'm pretty sure she thinks he's a genius because of the line she states in the first chapter, "...men are free, but they find freedom intolerable and seek new ways to enslave themselves, through drugs and depression....whenever sexual freedom is sought or achieved, sadomasochism will not be far behind." In Sade she sees the evolution of the daemonic culminating in ...um, that stuff Sade writes.
If we are to understand complete and total freedom, we must know complete and total slavery--to know total pleasure, we must know total pain, etc, etc. So Sade seeks true enlightenment by going to the extremes. Well, that's why I think she might think Sade's a genius. The idea of it is the same to the spirit as the act might be to the body, I guess.
Some of the stuff she writes I believe she does to negate so many of the contemporary feminists, who're mad with being "enraged." What the hell do they have to be so angry about? We've got it pretty damn good, and have accomplished damn near everything the pioneers of feminism set out to achieve, but now she feels like they're missing the point of feminsism. I love how she contradicts so many "feministic" beliefs, particularly her ideas on how some feminists would have us believe that society is responsible for rape, when it is society (and thus civilization) that protects from it.
ach, too much to say. that book is one suited for a women's studies course, I think.
What is sexual personae? I think it is the natural spirit your body has, that exists according to your gender. It is nature. It is sex (gender). It is supposedly an individual's true "nature" that has not been civilized, and it can be found, according to Paglia, in the natural world and art attempts to capture it. Hell, maybe look on a cereal box for a better definition 'cause this one ain't making any sense, lol
Does she not recognize that ideas give birth to actions? Else where do actions spring from? M de S a great philosopher? Who ever said evil lacks intelligence?
UUmmm ...... don't think I will be adding this to the "Family Summer Reading List" anytime soon.
Hmmm... interesting.
the marquis was a bit extreme, I must say.
I'm happy to say that I am not.
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