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
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.
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- Published
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- Accepted version
Journal
AngelakiISSN
0969-725XPublisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
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4Volume
20Page range
131-156Department affiliated with
- English Publications
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- Yes
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- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-02-22First Open Access (FOA) Date
2019-02-22First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-02-21Usage metrics
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