IN DEFENCE OF MASOCHISM
n Which of these is genuinely masochistic? a) Having your chest stepped on by a woman in stiletto heels? b) Falling in love with someone who doesn't know you exist? or c) Imagining making love with a Sumo wrestler from underneath? Interesting
and vaguely bizarre propositions one may think. But for magazine editor-turned-author Anita Phillips this threesome are of vital importance in her new book, published this week, A Defence Of Masochism (Faber & Faber, #9.99). Billed as a ''fresh and striking picture of human longing, curiosity, and eroticism'', Phillips attempts to run the gamut from Freud and Venus In Furs to Blue Velvet and The Story of O in demonstrating why masochism has such a tight grip on our collective imagination. Citing the likes of Madonna, who is daubed a ''pioneer in propelling S&M into the mainstream'', to Gianni Versace's fashions and Yardley's risque autumn advertising, Phillips tries to uncover the truths behind the cultural curtain.
Based on a wide range of cultural sources and conversations, the London freelancer, who was first published by Edinburgh's Polygon Press, presents an intimate portrait of the subject she has obviously embraced fully in her thirties. She said recently: ''Masochism is the risky part of love - when you feel at a disadvantage, unsure of yourself, ready to do absolutely anything for the obscure object of desire. It's Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, so blinded by passion that she can't see anything wrong with her darling donkey, or Iggy Pop singing I Wanna be Your Dog.'' Then again, perhaps all this is just a reaction to excess exposure to FHM magazine?
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