The WELL: inkwell.vue.44: M. J. Rose

#76: Reva Basch (reva) Sun 5 Sep 99 10:54

Sun, 05 Sep 1999 10:54:00 PDT

Yes, thank you both very much, and thanks to everyone else who participated, too. [Read entire topic]

#75: David Gans (tnf) Sat 4 Sep 99 10:15

Sat, 04 Sep 1999 10:15:00 PDT

The topic will remain open. Thank you for visiting the Inkwell, M.J. Rose! And thank you, Marcy, for your excellent work. [Read entire topic]

#74: M. J. Rose (anewanais) Fri 3 Sep 99 20:05

Fri, 03 Sep 1999 20:05:00 PDT

Yes, I'd like to thank David and Reva and Cynthia for inviting me here and you Marcy for interviewing me and everyone who asked questions. I've enjoyed this tremendously. I'll check in every once in a while in case any other questions crop up. [Read entire topic]

#73: Marcy Sheiner (mmarquest) Fri 3 Sep 99 14:28

Fri, 03 Sep 1999 14:28:00 PDT

Perhaps it's time to wind things up. MJ, any final comments for our readers? [Read entire topic]

#72: Cynthia Dyer-Bennet (cdb) Wed 1 Sep 99 14:26

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 14:26:00 PDT

nicely said, mmarquest. [Read entire topic]

#71: M. J. Rose (anewanais) Wed 1 Sep 99 13:09

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 13:09:00 PDT

Thank you Marcy. Very much. [Read entire topic]

#70: Marcy Sheiner (mmarquest) Wed 1 Sep 99 12:57

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 12:57:00 PDT

Wow. I've been away for awhile, I come back and all hell has broken loose. I was going to wind this up, but it looks like it's too exciting to people to give up just yet.

Let me just say a few things about all the above postings:

MJ did write a _novel_, and she is not obliged to defend it, or porn, or erotica, or the feminist position that might be taken on her book.

People have been trying for the past 20 yrs or so to make a distinction between porn and erotica. Frankly, I don't make a distinction. There are class issues involved, and there's the "what turns me on is erotica, what turns you on is porn" thing in all these arguments. I do tend to use the word erotica simply because, as editor of women's erotica, I've gotten used to it. The significant difference now is that sex writing is getting better, and that the female point of view is being expressed.

As for MJ's scene about the pedophile: I'm gonna get killed for this, but...entertaining a sexual fantasy about minors (or any other taboo like incest or animals) is not the same thing as acting on that fantasy. Therefore, the person who fantasizes these things is not necessarily sick or a deviate or perverted. ACTING OUT THE FANTASY IS. Nonconsensual sex and sex with a minor is wrong, illegal, imomoral. Not the thought! In Lip Service, the pedophile indicated that he was actually engaging in such acts, which made it wrong. The POV of the main character, Julia, and her actions, indicated that she, and the author, did not tolerate such behavior.

LS, IMO, will not incite anyone to rape or violence or sex w/ minors. It might make phone sex more appealing to some--no harm there! [Read entire topic]

#69: M. J. Rose (anewanais) Tue 31 Aug 99 08:24

Tue, 31 Aug 1999 08:24:00 PDT

Augustine - lets take it one step at a time - you are taking bits and peices of different answers and putting them together in a way that was not intended and you are suggestiong I am some sort of spokesperson for erotica or feminism and I'm not

- you say - >>>>It's a bit difficult to follow the logic train here -- first you're "angry" at women who have plastic surgery, then you say you're completely accepting of them.

What I said was I was more angry at women who have TONS of plastic surgury that I am at SOME of the porn I have seen.

That's my personal opinion.

So just becuase I say I am a believer in women chosing thier own paths doesn't mean that some of those paths can't make me personally angry or disappointed.

Then Augustine writes >>>Your book is marketed as an 'erotic

thriller', then you say you don't write anything pornographic. You

write a graphic description of child sexual abuse to move the plot

along, then say it's not meant to titillate, which is what graphic

sexual description does, good or bad, unless it's in a medical

textbook>>>

I believe, (as do many people) that erotic writing is not the same as pornography. If you beleive it is the same - you're entitled to your opinion. But in my opinion the two are different, hence my statement that I don't write porn.

As to the scene with the pedophile - the scene is written to convey that this man is a deviate and is troubled.

I did not find it erotic - I feel sorry for anyone who might find it erotic.

Let me ask you - if one man reads a rape/murder mystery and gets off on the idea of the way the rape/murder is committed was the writer of that book writng porn?

And lastly A writes>> Let me try one last question of interest: Do you feel your book is appropriate material to be taught in the feminist lit class that you referred to above? If so, why?

I don't have any idea as to wether or not its appropriate. Two professors of feminist lit have written and told me that - that is completely and solely their opinion not mine.

Once again, I wrote a fictional account of one woman's journey. I am not an authority or spokesperson for erotica, feminist therory, or for that matter anything else. [Read entire topic]

#68: David Gans (tnf) Tue 31 Aug 99 06:14

Tue, 31 Aug 1999 06:14:00 PDT

I think the question of who exactly is demeaned by pornography and sex-for- money is a very interesting one.

I started to say somrething about how pathetic a guy is who can't get laid except for money, and then I thought there are some situations in which a guy who can get laid for "free" would choose to pay for it... [Read entire topic]

#67: Andrew Brown (andrewb) Tue 31 Aug 99 05:43

Tue, 31 Aug 1999 05:43:00 PDT

#53 Dexterity is certainly a quality phone sex rewards [Read entire topic]