The
writer’s bag of goodies: grammatical foundation, originality, character
development, healthy protagonist/antagonist balance, plot advancement, plot
device, narrative, dialogue, plausibility, sex.
Sex.
I
recently acquired a used book from a going-out-of-business mom and pop shop for
a $1, titled Best American Short Stories
– 1998. It caught my eye because first, the author selection was diverse
and two, it was edited by Garrison Keillor. The short story has been an evasive
critter for me ever since I took a creative writing course in college. They’re
one of those things I can’t explain, other than to say I either enjoyed reading it or
did not and why I did or why I didn’t enjoy reading it. In writing short stories, however, I am
not alone when I conclude they can be a greater challenge than novel-writing
since the author is attempting to compress as much in a few pages as others do
for hundreds. Many instructors and writers I’ve heard reiterate this point. So
the reason I bring this up and cite this particular book is one reason…why does
every damn story have to have some ubiquitous reference to sex? I’m six stories
in the twenty story compilation and all of them (except for one, which still
had an adultery reference) have contained sexual intercourse as a theme.
Sex
is common in modern and ancient literature, transcending cultures with some
exceptions. It’s mentioned in mythology, the Kama Sutra, the Bible, Native
American folklore, medieval literature, and almost every genre put out in the
last three centuries. Even during times of censorship, wily authors found a way
to use metaphor when referring to the exchange of bodily fluids. This makes
sense because, like violence or death, sex is as integrated into the human
experience as food. We do it for both pleasure and survival. My question is,
though, in something like a short story, is it not plausible to simply make a
point without requiring intercourse between two bodies being mentioned? Are
there not enough tangents on the slope of creative output to write a story
without it? Can an erotic author write a short story about a bank robbery without sex?
The
answer to all three is an emphatic ‘yes.’
I
don’t care about sex being in the story. Within context, sex away. I DO care about it being in every one of
them. Sure, I like a good bump scene as good as any hot-blooded, mid-thirties
male who has to ask his wife on a daily basis if he’s still attractive to her. But
I’m not reading literotica or ‘Where the Britches End.’ I’m reading literary
fiction.
Perhaps
my random book choice was a poor example. Besides, I’m not even halfway
through. Regardless, the first story involved three girls talking about sex;
the second contained a girl getting molested by her father; the third involved extramarital
affairs; the fourth lacked it as a theme, but still did not abstain from
childhood hormones or wandering adult eyes; the fifth involved an elderly
Indian man banging a slutty neighbor; the sixth involved a depressed lesbian
who even banged her friend for comfort. Again, perhaps my book was a bad
example, perhaps it was something else.
It
was published in 1998, after all, and contained selections from U.S. and
Canadian publications. Maybe the context of the year means everything. The
Clinton-Lewinsky affair was bursting the news apart, so sex was everywhere. The
sitcom Friends (which I like) was
glamorizing the use of hormonal surge into millions of American homes by way of
six beautiful people who seemed to never suffer the consequences. Jerry
Springer, albeit a poor example, was a preview of the raucous interest in society’s
bottom dwellers which would come to dominate half of shock-TV in basic cable
outlets which devolves to the present day. Does the year matter? Yes, no,
maybe…I don’t think I give much of a shit.
Another
point I’m loathe to consider: the guest editor himself. I love Garrison
Keillor. Ever since I discovered the brain tingles his voice triggered inside
of me when listening to his Sunday afternoon rebroadcasts of Prairie Home Companion, I’ve been a fan,
fifteen years and counting. I love the sketches and music: Guy Noire, Lives of the Cowboys, Rhubarb Pie, Coffee, News from Lake
Wobegan…the man’s preservation of Midwest humor and penchant for giving
homage to his Lutheran-Norwegian culture makes him a folk hero. But I’ve also
read his books and the differences between his family-theme broadcasts cannot
go unmentioned. He really seems to have an appreciation for sexuality in his
books, especially the action between older folks. This is understandable,
considering he’s in his seventies and is still married with children. He has
that right. So as the editor of the particular compilation in question, does
Mr. Keillor simply prefer this medium? Did he even select them? I don’t know
and if I ever get to meet him, I’ll never pose the question. As I said, the
man’s a genius.
The
subject of sex in literature dwarfs any attempt to blog, being more fit for the
nonfiction shelves and reference sections for any real attempt to probe. I’ve
little trust for cultural historians these days, too, as many can’t refrain
from turning the subject at hand into their own tasteless critique of
Judeo-Christian culture’s attempt to repress every mention of the word penis or vagina. Who the hell is trying to oppress you? Where is it illegal
to buy literature about sex these days? It’s available to ten-year olds over
the internet now! To those writers, get the hell over your own insecurities and
write about the subject at hand and don’t worry about Judeo-Christian boogeyman’s
opinion anymore. We live in a secularist nation. The wind is at your back. The
right faces more censorship than the left does now. And surprise...conservative
bigots and rednecks and Bible-thumpers and gun-lovers have sex, too. And
surprise…they enjoy it.
Since
I tire already, I’ll conclude with this: I enjoy a diversity of the human
experience in the literature I both read and write. I write about sex, too. My
unpublished manuscripts contain difficult subject matter, and sex is not
neglected (the balance between gratuitousness and context is for another day).
I realize, should I desire a squeaky clean book then to check out books in the
squeaky clean section. I don’t want the squeaky-clean section. I like books
with honesty and truth, free from whitewash and free from censorship. I only
wonder if I’ve been under a rock for so long, as I’ve devoted myself to the
classics for several years in attempts to note the common appeal which made
them classic, that I missed that
evolution in literature. But in the genre of short story, with respect to the
editors who select them, is there an industry-set ratio of sex-in-the-story in
which I need to be aware?
Please
tell me, because there’s a heaping crap-ton of virgins in my manuscripts who
are in for a rude awakening.
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