Sexual antipodes : enlightenment globalization and the placing of sex / Pamela Cheek.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cheek, Pamela.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--18th century--History and criticism.

English literature.

Erotic literature, English--History and criticism.

Erotic literature, English.

Sex in literature.

French literature--18th century--History and criticism.

French literature.

Travelers' writings, English--History and criticism.

Travelers' writings, English.

Travelers' writings, French--History and criticism.

Travelers' writings, French.

Erotic literature, French--History and criticism.

Erotic literature, French.

Comparative literature--English and French.

Comparative literature.

Comparative literature--French and English.

Globalization--History--18th century.

Globalization.

Imperialism in literature.

Sex customs in literature.

Colonies in literature.

Enlightenment.

Oceania--In literature.

Oceania.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (260 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford : Stanford University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Sexual Antipodes is about how Enlightenment print culture built modern national and racial identity out of images of sexual order and disorder in public life. It examines British and French popular journalism, utopian fiction and travel accounts about South Sea encounter, pamphlet literature, and pornography, as well as more traditional literary sources on the eighteenth century, such as the novel and philosophical essays and tales. The title refers to a premise in utopian and exoticist fiction about the southern portion of the globe: sexual order defines the character of the state. The book begins by examining how the idea of sexual order operated as the principle for explaining national differences in eighteenth-century contestation between Britain and France. It then traces how, following British and French encounters with Tahiti, the comparison of different national sexual orders formed the basis for two theories of race: race as essential character and race as degeneration.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I. METROPOLITAN ALLEGORIES

1. National Character, Publicity and Sex

2. Public Women in the French Body Politic

3. Public Life in Enlightenment Pornography

PART 2. ANTIPODES

4. The Sexual Nature of South Sea Islands

5. British Encounter: Recognizing Sensibility

6. French Encounter: Crafting Transparency

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [195]-236) and index.

ISBN:

9780804780308

0804780307

OCLC:

301295008