The Pornography of Representation

This book marks a radical and powerful intervention in traditional arguments about pornography. Kappeler re-examines the artistic distinctions between fantasy and reality, pornography and erotica, and challenges the legal definition of obscenity as well as the intellectual defence of 'freedom of expression'. By linking images of actual violence with the imaginative portrayal of women in the realm of the aesthetic, she establishes vital connections between modes of representation and social forms of power and domination.

It is essential reading for anyone concerned with issues of pornography and sexual politics and related debates in literary criticism and cultural studies.

Acknowledgements vii

Preamble 1

Problem 1 Fact and Fiction 5

Problem 2 Human Rights 11

Problem 3 Obscenity and Censorship 18

Problem 4 Porn vs Erotica 35

Problem 5 Subjects, Objects and Equal Opportunities 49

Problem 6 Why Look at Women? 63

Problem 7 Art and Pornography 82

Problem 8 The Literary and the Production of Value 101

Problem 9 The Book Business 123

Problem 10 Playing in the Literary Sanctuary 133

Problem 11 Collaboration 148

Problem 12 Communication 167

Problem 13 Sex/Sexuality 196

Postscript 212

Practical Perspectives 220

Notes 223

Index 239

'An undubitable success... Kappeler is clearly a writer whose work will always reward careful reading... the book will be of immense value to those involved in social theory, feminism and media studies.'
Radical Philosophy

'A sharp, smart, confrontational work.Strong and unafraid, it illuminates the meaning of pornography to women and exposes the intellectual corruption of those who defend it. As a critique of culture, it is outstanding.' Andrea Dworkin

'Kappeler does an excellent job of exposing the arguments of the liberal defenders of pornography'. The Media Education Journal

'Opens up the pornography debate with a thought-provoking attack on all male-defined art.' City Limits

Susanne Kappeler Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia and works as a freelance writer and teacher in both England and Germany. She authored Reading and Writing in Henry James and was also co-editor of Teaching the Text. This book marks a radical and powerful intervention in traditional arguments about pornography. Kappeler re-examines the artistic distinctions between fantasy and reality, pornography and erotica, and challenges the legal definition of obscenity as well as the intellectual defence of 'freedom of expression'. By linking images of actual violence with the imaginative portrayal of women in the realm of the aesthetic, she establishes vital connections between modes of representation and social forms of power and domination.

It is essential reading for anyone concerned with issues of pornography and sexual politics and related debates in literary criticism and cultural studies.