Aristotle believed semen to be the purest of all bodily secretions; a vehicle for the spirit or psyche that gives form to substance. For Proustrsquo;s narrator in Swannrsquo;s Way; waking to find he has experienced a nocturnal emission; it is the product of ldquo;some misplacing of my thigh.rdquo; The heavy metal band Metallica used it to adorn an album cover. Beyond its biological function; semen has been applied with surprising frequency to metaphorical and narratological purposes. In Images of Bliss; Murat Aydemir undertakes an original and extensive analysis of images of male orgasm and semen. In a series of detailed case studiesmdash;Aristotlersquo;s On the Generation of Animals; Andres Serranorsquo;s use of bodily fluids in his art; paintings by Holbein and Leonardo; Proustrsquo;s In Search of Lost Time; hard-core pornography (both straight and gay); and key texts from the poststructuralist canon; including Lacan on the phallus; Bataille on expenditure; Barthes on bliss; and Derrida on disseminationmdash;Aydemir traces the complex and often contradictory possibilities for imagination; description; and cognition that both the idea and the reality of semen make available. In particular; he foregrounds the significance of male ejaculation for masculine subjectivity. More often than not; Aydemir argues; the event or object of ejaculation emerges as the instance through which identity; meaning; and gender are not so much affirmed as they are relentlessly and productively questioned; complicated; and displaced. Combining close readings of diverse works with subtle theoretical elaboration and a keen eye for the cultural ideals and anxieties attached to sexuality; Images of Bliss offers a convincing and long overdue critical exploration of ejaculation in Western culture. Murat Aydemir is assistant professor of comparative literature at the University of Amsterdam.
#2055545 in eBooks 2009-06-30 2009-06-30File Name: B00352L25C
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. More attention to the digital version is neededBy LLAResearch is compelling. However its a shame that more attention wasnt paid to the digital version. No pictures and no links to the footnotes. Its time consuming to have to find them. The standard is to have links to the foot notes and pictures. I realize this is basically a dissertation. but neglect of the technology detracts from the focus of the book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Only History of its KindBy Billies MomThis is one of the only books that deals with the social and cultural history of black performers at the turn of the twentieth century in a comprehensive and original fashion. It is also a good read. "Staging Race" is a must-have for anyone who is interested in the little-known history of black theater before the Harlem Renaissance.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Where are the pictures?By AgustineInteresting subject. too much speculation on racial attitudes of both races. According to other sources the incident of Williams and Walker having their clothes stolen occurred in Cripple Creek Colorado. not Georgia. Why does the Kindle edition not have the pictures? If ones wants to see the pictures that goes with the text you are instructed to refer to the print copy of this book.That is annoying and tacky.
