Why Pornography? Models of Functions and Effects
Abstract
In this article we will discuss several ways in which the role of pornography in the lives of individuals as well as within society has been formulated in recent research and writing. As will be seen from the discussion, the issue of pornography casts into strong relief questions of the moral values, the rights and privacy of the individual, and the place of sex in the maintenance and stability of society and the status quo. Because the issue cuts to the heart of human relations as well as social relations, the models of pornography often derive from more encompassing theories of society and behavior. To anchor these more abstract formulations of the role of pornography to the material under discussion, we have chosen to follow the explication of each with an illustration of how this explanation would be applied to a famous and controversial pornographic novel-the Story of O (23). In each case we use what might be called a "pure" explication of events in the story according to a particular viewpoint. In actuality, of course, few would accept a single explication, but it is hoped that the examples will illustrate more vividly the strongest voices for each view.