From: frantz@bvc.edu
Newsgroups: alt.horror
Subject: Re: Sex and Horror
Date: 19 Aug 92 12:54:24 CDT
Organization: Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, IA

In article <1992Aug19.092319.23281@newssrv.edvz.univie.ac.at>, J1300DAF@vm.univi
>
> The following thoughts came to my mind when reading the discussion
> on Barker and his use of sex. It has been said, that he uses to
> much sex (or features of deviant sex) in his works. In fact, by
> doing so, he follows a tradition  of the genre. Horror is IMO
> based on the fear of sex and the fear of death. Much of the classic
> stuff is really very openly about sex: the vampire is a sexual
> fantasy (think of Stoker's description of the 3 vampire ladies),
> an other example is the topic of the split-personality (werewolf,
> Jeckyll/Hyde), living out his sexual needs and therefore to be
> punished. The same appears in some modern filoms (e.g. Halloween,
> Friday the 13th), here are the teenagers to be punished (for having
> sex). I don't want to start a discussion on Freud (libido and
> thanatos and so on ...), but this concept fits perfectly.
>
> Barker seems to be afraid of sex, and thats why he writes about it.
> Why he often uses deviant forms of sexuality, is IMO clear: the
> tolerance level of society has changed. Sexual taboos, which where
> frightening at Stoker's time (sexual relationships without formal
> binding, homosexuality), have lost their terrifying power. So Barker
> uses harder stuff, but not to exploit them in a cheap way. I think
> he only wants to show that there are forms of sexuality beyond our
> "normal" understanding ... and he wants to show how frightening sex can
> be. The combination of sex and hurt seems to be his major obsession,
> and he uses it in a very exciting way in his work ... perhaps to get
> rid of that obsession. When I was reading the Books of Blood, I felt
> sometimes, that here is a person, who uses writing as a kind of therapy.
>
> King also seems to be afraid of sex, that's why he doesn't write
> about it. Obviously he is unable to write about that matter in an
> open way, but I got the impression that is is always there. Many of his
> figures are sexually frustrated. He said somewhere in an interview,
> that one thing he is really afraid of, is the vagina dentata, so that
> fits into the picture. King's main topic are the fears of children,
> and one the fears of children is the fear of sex. I liked this theory
> about the gang sex scene in IT, stating that the children used sex
> to strengthen their bond. But think of an other possibility: IT
> represents the sum of their childhood fears (isolation, division
> from their parents and so on). By overcoming their fear of sex
> they prepared to meet It. After they had successfully done away
> with this big taboo, the were ready to destroy the rest of their
> fears.
>
> Well, just speculating ...
>
>     - Oliver
>
> "I never drink ... wine." (The Count)

Wow!  FAscinating thoughts here, Oliver.  I'd never considered your theory
of the children in It preparing to meet their fear by conquering one of
their own (one that certainly is shared by all adolescents as you rightly
point out.)  It's interesting, and I like it a lot more than my original
response to that scene which was to think: This is totally pointless and
I'm pissed that King's editor didn't cut this.  Thanks.

On Barker, though, I guess I'm not totally convinced that his use of it is
therapeutic for his own fear.  Guess I'd like to stay away from
psychoanalyzing the writer himself and stick with what's in front of me.
On that note, I have to say that I think Barker's work has an air of
experimentation to it that doesn't really translate to dealing with fear of
sex.  No, there's too much joy and fun he communicates in many of his sex
scenes to really convince me that sex and human sexuality is something to
be feared.  Yes, you're right.  There are many sex scenes in his work which
are disturbing and attached, as it were, to destruction.  I could cite
scenes in Weaveworld when the ghost sisters rape the protagonist or
certainly a number of similar abuses in Imajica.  But I think there's
enough to counter those which suggests simply that Barker enjoys exploring
the bounds of human sexuality and sees it as an integral part of our
existence.  In the end this suggests to me that sex is absolutely *not*
something to fear, but also *not* something that we should let take us over
, either.

Further thoughts?

Andrea @ BVC


Yes, you're right. I pointed out that fear-of-sex-thing to strong.
(Perhaps due to my after all still limited skills in English as a
foreign language). There is also a lot of "Joy of Sex" (pun not
intended|) in Barker's work. But after all, when you look at
the Hellraiser and the thematically related material, you will
find sex very closely associated with violence and pain. That's okay
by me, because sex (especially good sex) in fact IS frightening and
just a heartbeat away from violence. (And I am NO member of the
SM department|||) Barker simply goes one step further than "normal"
relationships: he takes the step from passion to pain (like
some other authors did before, like de Sade)

     - Oliver

"I never drink ... wine." (The Count)

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