Brief Escape into Literary Theory
Mar. 27th, 2019 01:20 pmThere was a discussion on ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
notasupervillain ’s blog the other day, about how frustrating it can be when progressive topics and stuff you agree with are handled clumsily in fiction (i.e. the story grinds to a halt so the characters can discuss the importance of respecting pronouns, instead of just showing them doing so). At one point the topic also came up of erotic fiction in which consent is handled awkwardly rather than sexily; and conversely, ones in which it ought to have been addressed and wasn’t.
I mentioned this was making me think-y about noncon/dubcon fics in general, but that I’d rather work it out over here than take over someone else’s conversation. Trigger warning, obviously, for the concepts of non- and dubcon, although I, not planning to go into graphic detail.
To start with, the type of erotic fantasies here are the ones where the person-things-are-being-done-to is the central or POV character, the one the audience is meant to identify with. I find it hard to believe most people want to be a victim of sexual assault in real life, so I’ve formed two overlapping explanations for the popularity of these:
1. Funhouse/thrill ride: It’s about experiencing a frisson without being in any real danger. Makes sense – after all a lot of people enjoy horror movies or thrillers without wanting to actually have to fight off masked knife-wielding assailants or rescue their loved ones from hostage situations.
2. It’s not a rape fantasy, it’s a plausible-excuse fantasy: If some one is uneasy with their own sexuality (in general, or due to a specific kink) they may only feel able to safely enjoy their fantasies if they come set in a frame of diminished responsibility: “I’m really a Nice Girl/Straight Guy, I was just forced to do all those naughty things by aliens/unusual circumstances/Lord Byron!”
This latter is the explanation I find more interesting, especially as it relates to kink.
Bear with me, because I’m trying to think this through as I go. Some kinks – maybe most – can be described as “this would be horror to anyone not turned on by it.*" On the other hand, among the kink stories I’ve come across, I notice a type** I think of as the “demographic fantasy,” i.e. whatever it’s explicitly about, the real fantasy is of stumbling across one or more people whose obscure fetishes are compatible with yours, whom you also like as people, and who live close enough to meet with frequently, quite by accident—as opposed to hunting the length and breadth of the internet for a chat room devoted to your kink that’s still active and hasn’t been overrun by trolls; or hoping your local fetish scene will eventually turn up someone, but really it’s like trying to date in a small town.
I think if you put together the diminished-responsibility fantasy and the meeting-the-perfect-partner(s) fantasy, a lot of dubcon erotica (especially if it has supernatural elements) can be interpreted as fantasies of subconscious wishes being granted (which is also the basis for a lot of horror and some noir thrillers). ***
Which is the point at which I’m going to veer off and talk about superhero stories. OK, so superheroes nearly always get their powers by accident or congenital mutation or some alien authority suddenly granting them and assigning a mission. Even Tony Stark built his original Iron Man suit because he had to in order to escape his captors and save his life. Actively setting out to acquire superpowers for oneself is usually the mark of a villain, even one doesn’t harm others in the process. Like creating life or trying to become immortal, it’s a Bad Idea and Tampering With the Natural Order. Having abilities thrust upon one, however, is perfectly ok (as long as one goes on to use them for Good); you get superpowers and a clear conscience.
Which makes me wonder if all these stories are coming out of Guess rather than Ask culture—there are things you’re not supposed to desire, but if they just… happen to you, well, no one can blame you if you end up enjoying them.
* Some are more “this would be really boring to anyone not turned on by it.”
** The “It’s your first day at your new job and HR explains that they do things a little differently around here – instead of Casual Fridays they have Formal Fridays where everyone has to come to work in gowns and tuxedos, and then anyone who’s made an error over the course of that week gets whipped while their co-workers watch. You are shocked, but even more shocking is the sudden thrill you experience at the idea of this novel means of motivating employees” variety. Someone should probably do an anthology with a framing narrative of a headhunter/real estate agency staffed by telepaths who deliberately put individuals with matching kinks into the same workplaces/neighbourhoods.
*** The “guy buys an antique top hat which turns out to be enchanted and transforms him into a clone of the original owner, then sends him back in time to be that dude (who died in the original version of events), thus reuniting him/that dude with that dude’s lover ” story I once found would function perfectly well as horror. It wasn't written as horror.
notasupervillain ’s blog the other day, about how frustrating it can be when progressive topics and stuff you agree with are handled clumsily in fiction (i.e. the story grinds to a halt so the characters can discuss the importance of respecting pronouns, instead of just showing them doing so). At one point the topic also came up of erotic fiction in which consent is handled awkwardly rather than sexily; and conversely, ones in which it ought to have been addressed and wasn’t. I mentioned this was making me think-y about noncon/dubcon fics in general, but that I’d rather work it out over here than take over someone else’s conversation. Trigger warning, obviously, for the concepts of non- and dubcon, although I, not planning to go into graphic detail.
To start with, the type of erotic fantasies here are the ones where the person-things-are-being-done-to is the central or POV character, the one the audience is meant to identify with. I find it hard to believe most people want to be a victim of sexual assault in real life, so I’ve formed two overlapping explanations for the popularity of these:
1. Funhouse/thrill ride: It’s about experiencing a frisson without being in any real danger. Makes sense – after all a lot of people enjoy horror movies or thrillers without wanting to actually have to fight off masked knife-wielding assailants or rescue their loved ones from hostage situations.
2. It’s not a rape fantasy, it’s a plausible-excuse fantasy: If some one is uneasy with their own sexuality (in general, or due to a specific kink) they may only feel able to safely enjoy their fantasies if they come set in a frame of diminished responsibility: “I’m really a Nice Girl/Straight Guy, I was just forced to do all those naughty things by aliens/unusual circumstances/Lord Byron!”
This latter is the explanation I find more interesting, especially as it relates to kink.
Bear with me, because I’m trying to think this through as I go. Some kinks – maybe most – can be described as “this would be horror to anyone not turned on by it.*" On the other hand, among the kink stories I’ve come across, I notice a type** I think of as the “demographic fantasy,” i.e. whatever it’s explicitly about, the real fantasy is of stumbling across one or more people whose obscure fetishes are compatible with yours, whom you also like as people, and who live close enough to meet with frequently, quite by accident—as opposed to hunting the length and breadth of the internet for a chat room devoted to your kink that’s still active and hasn’t been overrun by trolls; or hoping your local fetish scene will eventually turn up someone, but really it’s like trying to date in a small town.
I think if you put together the diminished-responsibility fantasy and the meeting-the-perfect-partner(s) fantasy, a lot of dubcon erotica (especially if it has supernatural elements) can be interpreted as fantasies of subconscious wishes being granted (which is also the basis for a lot of horror and some noir thrillers). ***
Which is the point at which I’m going to veer off and talk about superhero stories. OK, so superheroes nearly always get their powers by accident or congenital mutation or some alien authority suddenly granting them and assigning a mission. Even Tony Stark built his original Iron Man suit because he had to in order to escape his captors and save his life. Actively setting out to acquire superpowers for oneself is usually the mark of a villain, even one doesn’t harm others in the process. Like creating life or trying to become immortal, it’s a Bad Idea and Tampering With the Natural Order. Having abilities thrust upon one, however, is perfectly ok (as long as one goes on to use them for Good); you get superpowers and a clear conscience.
Which makes me wonder if all these stories are coming out of Guess rather than Ask culture—there are things you’re not supposed to desire, but if they just… happen to you, well, no one can blame you if you end up enjoying them.
* Some are more “this would be really boring to anyone not turned on by it.”
** The “It’s your first day at your new job and HR explains that they do things a little differently around here – instead of Casual Fridays they have Formal Fridays where everyone has to come to work in gowns and tuxedos, and then anyone who’s made an error over the course of that week gets whipped while their co-workers watch. You are shocked, but even more shocking is the sudden thrill you experience at the idea of this novel means of motivating employees” variety. Someone should probably do an anthology with a framing narrative of a headhunter/real estate agency staffed by telepaths who deliberately put individuals with matching kinks into the same workplaces/neighbourhoods.
*** The “guy buys an antique top hat which turns out to be enchanted and transforms him into a clone of the original owner, then sends him back in time to be that dude (who died in the original version of events), thus reuniting him/that dude with that dude’s lover ” story I once found would function perfectly well as horror. It wasn't written as horror.
