Gordon says: >However, democratization of _pornography_ will contribute to >its dissolution. Pornography -- prostitute writing, if you >like etymology -- depends on the forbidding, hiding or >restriction of erotic material, just as prostitution depends >on other kinds of power and oppression. Here's an entry from Samuel Pepys' diary to confirm your thought on the prohibition being constitutive of pornography as genre: ***** February 9th (Lord's day). Up, and at my chamber all the morning and the office doing business, and also reading a little of _L'escholle des filles_, which is a mighty lewd book, but yet not amiss for a sober man once to read over to inform himself in the villainy of the world. At noon home to dinner, where by appointment Mr. Pelling come and with him three friends, Wallington, that sings the good base, and one Rogers, and a gentleman, a young man, his name Tempest, who sings very well indeed, and understands anything in the world at first sight. After dinner we went into our dining-room, and there to singing all the afternoon. (By the way, I must remember that Pegg Pen was brought to bed yesterday of a girl; and among other things, if I have not already set it down, that hardly ever was remembered such a season for the smallpox as these last two months have been, people being seen all up and down the streets, newly come out after the smallpox.) But though they sang fine things, yet I must confess that I did take no pleasure in it, or very little, because I understood not the words, and with the rests that the words are set, there is no sense nor understanding in them though they be English, which makes me weary of singing in that manner, it being but a worse sort of instrumental musick. We sang until almost night, and drank a mighty good store of wine, and then they parted, and I to my chamber, where I did read through _L'escholles des filles_, a lewd book, but what do no wrong once to read for information sake. And after I had done it I burned it, that it might not be among my books to my shame, and so at night to supper and to bed. (_The Diary of Samuel Pepys_, entry for 9 February 1668) ***** Oh dear. Reading a lewd book "for information sake" & burning it later for fear of discovery -- on the "Lord's day." And between the pornographic readings in the morning & at night, the sober man conducts business; drinks wine & "sings" only with male friends (one of them a young gentleman "who sings very well indeed" -- and his name is Tempest, of all names!); parenthetically remembers a young woman's childbirth & a season of the smallpox -- reminders of duty & fear. The sober man, alas, cannot admit that he takes pleasure in either _L'escholle des filles_ or songs sang in male company whose meanings, he insists, escapes him altogether....A testament to repression of sexuality through the pornographic division between public & private at the rosy dawn of capitalism & imperialism (Pepys' career included: Clerk to the Navy Board 1660-1673; & member of the Tangier Committee 1662-79 and its Treasurer 1665-1679). Pepys again: "My observation [is] that most men that do thrive in the world forget to take pleasure during the time that they are getting their estate, but reserve that till they have got one, and then it is too late for them to enjoy it." >Faithful liberals >will blithely say that people should be free to do all the >prostitution and pornography they like, and I too believe that >they should as a matter of political principle, but these >enterprises can't continue without illiberal restraints on >behavior and expression, probably enforced by State power. However, even after the demise of illiberal restraints, some people may still specialize in the production of sexual representation. Democratization of the production of sexual representation simply means that everyone can have a go at it; it doesn't mean that everyone will (want to or have the patience to learn to) be good at it. Yoshie
