Alan Moore on Lost Girls

As people who know me might expect, I'm very much looking forward to receiving my copy of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls, which Brian pre-ordered for me for my birthday. The graphic novel itself has caused quite a bit of controversy, as might be expected - both for its portrayals of classic literary figures in sexual situations (often of questionable taste) and for the sheer fact that it is, by the authors' own admission, a pornography. (On a side note, Neil Gaiman wrote an excellent article for Publisher's Weekly on Lost Girls and what constitutes erotica vs. pornography; unfortunately, he had to cut it down to half as long for the actual published version.)

Fortunately, this being a country of free speech, Alan Moore has had numerous chances to defend himself and his work, and has done so with great eloquence. I particularly liked this interview, in which he discusses many related topics - differing attitudes towards sexuality in different cultures, for instance, and exactly how arbitrary such cultural standards are. I especially liked what he had to say on divorcing this part of our lives from the feelings of shame that so often take natural desires and twist them into monstrous and degrading acts. And I also thought it was interesting hearing his take on how his growing relationship with Melinda Gebbie affected the book, and vice versa: "I'd recommend to anybody working on their relationship that they should try embarking on a 16-year elaborate pornography together. I think they'll find it works wonders."

All talk of sex and pornography/erotica aside, however, and whatever one's particular views on such subjects may be, I think we can all agree that it's fantastic that we live in a world where people can not only publish controversial content, but be allowed to talk about it and defend it as they see fit, without fear of retribution. I sometimes think that in their rush to denounce people we disagree with, we often lose sight of what a wonderful aspect of our world this is.

Alan Moore on Lost Girls

As people who know me might expect, I'm very much looking forward to receiving my copy of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls, which Brian pre-ordered for me for my birthday. The graphic novel itself has caused quite a bit of controversy, as might be expected - both for its portrayals of classic literary figures in sexual situations (often of questionable taste) and for the sheer fact that it is, by the authors' own admission, a pornography. (On a side note, Neil Gaiman wrote an excellent article for Publisher's Weekly on Lost Girls and what constitutes erotica vs. pornography; unfortunately, he had to cut it down to half as long for the actual published version.)

Fortunately, this being a country of free speech, Alan Moore has had numerous chances to defend himself and his work, and has done so with great eloquence. I particularly liked this interview, in which he discusses many related topics - differing attitudes towards sexuality in different cultures, for instance, and exactly how arbitrary such cultural standards are. I especially liked what he had to say on divorcing this part of our lives from the feelings of shame that so often take natural desires and twist them into monstrous and degrading acts. And I also thought it was interesting hearing his take on how his growing relationship with Melinda Gebbie affected the book, and vice versa: "I'd recommend to anybody working on their relationship that they should try embarking on a 16-year elaborate pornography together. I think they'll find it works wonders."

All talk of sex and pornography/erotica aside, however, and whatever one's particular views on such subjects may be, I think we can all agree that it's fantastic that we live in a world where people can not only publish controversial content, but be allowed to talk about it and defend it as they see fit, without fear of retribution. I sometimes think that in their rush to denounce people we disagree with, we often lose sight of what a wonderful aspect of our world this is.