Sexual antipodes

By Pamela Cheek

Book Description

This scholarly exploration reveals how sexual customs and national identity became intertwined during the Enlightenment era, offering profound insights into the foundations of modern Western consciousness. Pamela Cheek examines how eighteenth-century Britain and France used sexual order as a lens to understand and define their national characters, particularly through their colonial encounters with distant lands like Tahiti.

The work demonstrates how these competing nations developed contrasting theories of race and human nature by comparing their own sexual customs with those they encountered in the Orient and the Southern Hemisphere. Through careful analysis of colonial representations, Cheek shows how sexual identity became a proving ground for broader claims about civilization, character, and cultural superiority.

For readers interested in understanding the deeper currents that shaped modern consciousness, this book illuminates how intimate aspects of human experience became tools for defining entire societies. The author traces how these colonial comparisons ultimately established the framework for contemporary Western sexual identity, revealing the complex interplay between personal intimacy and political power.

This examination of French literature and Enlightenment thought offers valuable perspective on how cultural assumptions about sexuality continue to influence our understanding of self and society. The work provides essential context for anyone seeking to understand the historical roots of modern attitudes toward identity, difference, and human nature.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)

📄 Length: 246 pages

What You'll Discover

✓ Explore French literature
✓ Explore History and criticism
✓ Explore History
✓ Learn about the path to enlightenment
✓ Explore Sex customs in literature
✓ Explore Erotic literature, history and criticism
✓ Explore French Erotic literature
✓ Explore French literature, history and criticism, 18th century

Topics Covered

French literature History and criticism History Enlightenment Sex customs in literature Erotic literature, history and criticism French Erotic literature French literature, history and criticism, 18th century English and French French and English Colonies in literature Travelers' writings, history and criticism Sex in literature In literature Travelers' writings, French English Erotic literature Travelers' writings, English English literature, history and criticism, 18th century Globalization English literature Imperialism in literature Comparative Literature