Science and Education a New Dimension. Philology, V(35), Issue: 125, 2017 www.seanewdim.com Sexuality as ‘universal illness’ in David Lodge’s novels O. V. Uzlova Kyiv National Linguistic University Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Paper received 25.03.17; Revised 30.03.17; Accepted for publication 01.04.17. Abstract. The paper tackles the problem of correlation between sexuality and illness in the writings by contemporary British author David Lodge. In his novels body is represented in the narrative, discursive and aesthetic strategies, as well as underlying semantic structures of the text. Drawing upon the novels Therapy, Thinks, Author, Author, Deaf Sentence and A Man of Parts, it is argued that sexuality is regarded as a ‘universal illness’. The analysis of the texts under consideration shows that sex in the novels of former Catholic David Lodge is often considered to be a sin or a moral crime that should be followed by punishment. Keywords: D. Lodge, body, illness, disease, sexuality Introduction. Scientific theories as well as fiction of the of life. Different diseases, including erectile dysfunction, late 20th century give special attention to the problem of not only point to physical degradation as a result of natu- representation of sexuality, as well as ill and deviant bod- ral processes, but function to represent the idiosphere of ies. In modernist texts body was a repository for I- the texts under consideration. consciousness and controversial desires, but in postmod- As a matter of fact, D. Lodge used the representation ernist fiction it is mostly regarded as deviant, performa- of erectile dysfunction in his earlier novels, too. In Small tive or virtual. Moreover, sexual behaviour is often re- World Arthur Kingfisher’s sexual and intellectual sterility garded as a reflection of moral health or illness. The symbolizes ‘a very un’ealthy condition’ of ‘the whole common feature of David Lodge’s novels taken into con- profession of academic literary studies’ [6, p. 119]. It is sideration is their peculiar interest in such corporal and also significant that the protagonists of two novels (Ther- sociocultural experiences as sex, ageing and illness. apy and Deaf Sentence) face erectile dysfunction exactly Overview of related works. Although there had been when their careers and personal relationships are going earlier studies, the poetic features of D. Lodge’s recent downhill. As S. Žižek aptly notes, the “symptom arises novels have not yet become the object of focused scholar- where the world failed, where the circuit of the symbolic ly interest. European critics and literary scholars communication was broken” [10, p. 73]. (B. Bergonzi, R. Todd, M. Goch, E. L. Bjork, A. Quinn, Quite often one partner’s affliction can cause the inver- H. Mantel, L. Lerner, F. Holmes, J. Mellors) pay attention sion of gender roles. That is exactly what happens to the mostly to D. Lodge’s novels written in the period of main character of Deaf Sentence and his wife. Having 1960-1984 regarding them as a complex symbiosis of taken early retirement because of progressive loss of hear- fictional and theoretical discourses. ing, former professor of linguistics Desmond Bates be- The object of investigation of the majority of Ukraini- comes a kind of a housewife. The improvement of his an and Russian scholars are certain poetic features of spouse’s appearance and her business success that seem to Lodge’s campus trilogy (O. Bandrovska, O. Luxembourg, run parallel to the protagonist’s physical and social de- V. Novikov, N. Solovyova, O. Masliaeva, V. Horolskiy, cline make him aware not only of the age gap, but also of O.Sydorova, O. Tolstyh), as well as certain aspects of his the increasing estrangement between them. At the begin- theoretical works representing the development of West- ning of the novel his wife seems to take the lead in the ern literary process in the final decades of the 20th century relationship with a submissive man. “When he accompa- (I. Ilyin, N. Vladimirova, I. Kabanova, V. Strukov, nied her to this or that social event he sometimes felt like Y. Muratova). Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of a royal consort escorting a female monarch, walking a D. Lodge’s latest fiction and theory is one of important pace or two behind her with his hands joined behind his tasks facing present-day English studies. Despite a great back, a vague unfocused smile on his face” [5, p. 33]. The number of works exploring D. Lodges earlier texts, the dominant role played by female characters surrounding functions of ill body in his novels have never been the Desmond is exaggerated by the male forms of their names focus of special academic research. (wife Fred and PhD student Alex). It is symptomatic that Purpose of the study. The paper sets out to explore the protagonist is the only one in the novel who reduces the relations between illness and sexuality in contempo- his wife’s name ‘Winnifred’ to ‘Fred’. rary British fiction. In D. Lodge’s novels the process of reconstructing the Materials and methods. Traditional academic meth- characters’ split identity is implemented in complex inter- ods of literary studies have been combined with strategies action with other people, including sexual relationships of such interdisciplinary branches as sociology, body the- that sometimes have ‘perverse’ nature. Therefore, due to ory and disability studies. its particular importance in the power discourse, BDSM Results and discussions. So much has now been writ- as a variety of erotic role playing involving bondage, dis- ten on sexual discourse in all its ambiguities and com- cipline, dominance, submission, sadomasochism, and plexities that, rather than being the taboo subject it once other related interpersonal dynamics has got special was, the issue has tended to become overdetermined. That meaning in Deaf Sentence. In her e-mail PhD student is why, although D. Lodge’s five latest novels break down Alex suggests that Desmond should punish her for mak- taboos concerning sexuality among Catholics and the el- ing “irremovable marks in a library book” [5, p. 128]. She derly, it can be argued that any representation of body offers professor Bates to see her “bent over the table”, behaviour in his texts should be regarded, first and fore- “naked from the waist down”, with her “head on a cush- most, in its metaphoric meaning. In fiction human body ion” and to “spank” her “butt” using just “the flat of [his] and sexuality are not autonomous phenomena since they hand” without direct sexual intercourse [5, p. 129]. are used to introduce a broader range of problems. In Though Desmond refuses to come to the student’s D. Lodge’s novels, especially Therapy, Deaf Sentence and apartment, her suggestion evokes his sexual desire. The A Man of Parts, elderly subjects are not depicted as hav- protagonist uses proposed role play to vary sexual rela- ing lost their sexual identities. Moreover, sexuality is tionship with his spouse. Their intercourse is structured transferred to the ontological sphere of the terminal stages around a powerful imaginative configuration since touch- 55 Science and Education a New Dimension. Philology, V(35), Issue: 125, 2017 www.seanewdim.com ing Fred Desmond imagines himself in the ‘red-lit room’ doing that since Messenger and I became lovers. I didn’t spanking Alex [5, p. 132]. In this case Winnifred’s body want to record my behavior because I was afraid that loses its individual features and becomes a collective fe- scrutinizing it and analyzing it might awaken scruples of male body. It symbolizes generalized image of the Other conscience and inhibit my pleasure. (In fact I still shrink over whom Desmond has to get temporary control. How- from examining this experience with the straight unflinch- ever, the process of learning is oriented not to the Other ing gaze of the first person. Let me try it another way…) represented by a woman, but to himself. It appears to be <…> For that was what she had become, a woman of the process of self-discovering. Use of the first-person pleasure, a scarlet woman, a woman of easy virtue, a narration in this textual segment shows the character’s woman no better than she should be – or so she would narcissistic identification with the male narrator. As have been described in the pages of an old novel” [8, G. Brame notes, if “you’re an ordinary person having p. 258]. ordinary intercourse, there are a lot of questions you never In Lodge’s novels the interaction between sex and ill- have to address about who you are, who your partner is, ness is ambivalent. On the one hand, sex can sometimes what issues of control [exist]. When you leave the world cure characters from depression and help them to retrieve of vanilla sex <…> you have to start asking [such] ques- their gender and social roles. On the other hand, the nov- tions of yourself. Doing so opens up the opportunity, or els illustrate common point of view that seriously ill or presents the problem of consciousness, of growing in self- injured bodies cannot be considered as vessels of sexuali- knowledge” [1, p. 89]. ty. That is why ill people are often treated as asexual or In BDSM practice D. Lodge’s character needs to re- even worse, deviant and disgusting. At a certain stage in a trieve the role of a dominant partner for a while, but not to grave illness’ progress the termination of sexual life be- cause or receive pain. It is desire to feel emotional satis- comes a kind of experience that precedes the end of life faction stemming from the power he has over another itself.