Sexual humor has been used to interrogate societal discomfort with desire since ancient times. In Greek mythology, for example, Eros represents an archetypal figure who embodies both the power of love and its attendant social anxieties. He is associated with lust, passion, and fertility but also symbolizes the need for self-control, modesty, and restraint. His relationship with Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, suggests that eros must be carefully managed to avoid uncontrollable behavior, yet his very name invokes physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction. This duality sets up a tension between repression and release, which can be seen throughout Western literature from Shakespeare's comedic plays to Chaucer's satires.
In modern literature, sexual humor has taken on many forms, including parody, slapstick, and satire. The sexual revolution of the 1960s challenged traditional values around sex and gender roles, leading to works like Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, which explores masculinity through the protagonist's obsessive masturbation habits.
This openness about sex was quickly followed by backlash in the form of conservative attacks on pornography and censorship efforts.
One notable example is John Updike's Rabbit series, which examines male sexuality and marital dynamics through the character Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. Updike uses humor to explore how men deal with their desires while trying to maintain relationships or careers, often leading to absurd situations. In contrast, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale presents a dystopian world where women are reduced to childbearing machines, revealing society's fears about female sexuality.
More recently, authors such as David Foster Wallace have used irony and metafiction to critique sexual attitudes. His story "The Depressed Person," for instance, features an obsession with pornography that serves as a metaphor for our culture's fixation on fantasy over reality. It also highlights how difficult it can be to reconcile personal desire with societal norms.
Sexual humor in literature interrogates societal discomfort with desire by exposing the contradictions between what we say we want and what we actually do. By pushing boundaries and making us laugh at our foibles, these texts remind us that sex isn't just about pleasure but also power, control, and social expectations.
How does sexual humor in literature interrogate societal discomfort with desire?
Sexual humor has been used extensively by writers to explore and interrogate societal discomfort with desire. Sexual humor can be defined as the use of sexually explicit language and references that are intended to create humorous effects on an audience. It is often seen as taboo and controversial, but it has also been embraced by some authors as a way to challenge social norms and expectations.