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Ladkin Onanism of Poetry Article Angelaki Final 13th April 2015.pdf (312.65 kB)

The "Onanism of Poetry": Walt Whitman, Rob Halpern and the deconstruction of masturbation

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posted on 2023-06-09, 16:58 authored by Sam LadkinSam Ladkin
Lyric is onanistic: masturbation is the latent content of lyric poetry. This article counters queer theory with a turn to onanist theory, pointing out the centrality of masturbation to the work of Jacques Derrida, and suggesting that rather than consider masturbation the supplement to sex, we might consider the opposite. Modern man (the gendering is deliberate) has, according to Derrida, been mistaken in his metaphysics by a deluded fidelity to presence, an ontological error to which he has been attached as though to a lover; instead, modern man is guiltily onanistic. This article argues that the apostrophic intimacies of lyric and the longings held therein are masturbatory. To do so it reads Rob Halpern's Music for Porn as a deconstructive reading of Walt Whitman's Civil War poetry.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Angelaki

ISSN

0969-725X

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

4

Volume

20

Page range

131-156

Department affiliated with

  • English Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-02-22

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-02-22

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-02-21

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