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Pornography is often talked about as this abstract alien “thing” that has no connection to the real-world experience of any “decent” or “good” person. The thinking goes that since pornography is this anti-feminist and morally damaging abstraction, it must originate from a dark place consumed with hate and misogyny. But what if I told you that, in fact, there’s a whole spectrum of pornography dedicated to paying homage to the most cherished children’s stories and beloved horror classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1965), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde (1886), and Dracula (1897)? And how would your opinions of pornographers change if you knew that they loved these books as much as you do? Well, that’s part of the story being told by professor Laura Helen Marks in her book: Alice in Pornoland: Hardcore Encounters with the Victorian Gothic. Unsurprisingly, Laura’s academic background is in English, and this book is a product of her attempt to unite Victorian era gender and sexual politics with contemporary pornographic narratives. While many people don’t consider pornographic narratives too deeply, Laura argues that many pornographic tropes that we are familiar with today, including notions around a loss of innocence, the bisexual erotic undercurrents of Dracula biting both men and women, and the dual personality traits of pornography viewers themselves, originate from Victorian literature. While we often think of pornography as a medium indulging shamelessly in all types of sexual practices, pornography still needs to establish some type of taboo within their narratives for one of their characters to subversively upend sexual norms. Incorporating conventions from Victorian literature within these pornographic narratives provides both the cultural norms—and characters willing to subvert those norms—all within one book! Additionally, the obvious tension within Victorian novels where sexuality is alluded to with metaphor, is finally liberated within pornographic narratives where the underlining sexuality of these books are realized within pornography. Laura’s creative approach to pornography studies has quickly made her one of the most essential voices in contemporary pornography studies. Alice in Pornoland is one of the most unique pornography studies books you’ll ever read because of the ways it makes you rethink both classical literature and pornography itself.
This is a special episode of the Porno Cultures Podcast because it’s our first live episode recorded at Babeland (ironically, another Victorian era reference!) in Seattle Washington. Both Laura and I were in Seattle for the annual Society for Film and Media Studies conference, and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to have a live episode where a bunch of pornography scholars could come together to not only celebrate Laura’s amazing book, but also honor the history of one of the country’s most important sex shops, Babeland!
“#Following: Laura Helen Marks”
Laura’s Porn Studies article from Feminist Media Histories
Laura’s Rialto Report feature on Jeff Stryker
“Merry XXX-mas: A Brief History of Yuletide Smut”
“The Duce: Porn, Nostalgia and Late Capitalism”
Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy & Fantasy (1976)
“Alice in Wonderland (1976): What Really Happened?”
buy or rent Dracula Erotica (1980)
Rare photos from Dracula Exotica found by the Rialto Report.
Shaun Costello’s open letter To Lauran Helen Marks about Dracula Exotica.
Interview with Vanessa Del Rio
Dr. Jerkoff and Mr. Hard (1997)
upcoming events at Babeland in Seattle
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