Pornography, the Theory: What Utilitarianism Did to Action

by Frances Ferguson

Book Overview

Pornography first developed in western Europe during the late eighteenth century in tandem with the rise of utilitarianism, the philosophical position that stresses the importance of something's usefulness over its essence. Through incisive readings of Sade, Flaubert, Lawrence, and Bret Easton Ellis, Frances Ferguson here shows how pornography-like utilitarian social structures-diverts our attention from individual identities to actions and renders...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226243214
• ISBN13: 9780226243214
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.9"