Slash meta #1: please discuss!

[thrihyrne]

Okay! I've begun reading a couple of recent-ish articles so I can have some non-anecdotal references for this article I'm writing, and came across this rather stunning sentence:

In fact, it has been argued that slash is not really about male homosexuality at all; rather, it is about a female fantasy of heterosexual sex acted out via ostensibly male bodies.

I'll be getting the book from interlibrary loan that has the essay that made this argument. I had an instant response to the comment, but rather than put out my thoughts, I'd like yours. I probably won't respond to these as I'm positing myself as an observer and will organize and interpret what happens later, but for anyone who has a thought on this who would like to share it, please do, and comment among each other. But play nice!!! No bashing on my LJ. Everyone is allowed to her own opinion.

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For those who are interested, that argument came from an essay contained in the book Magic mommas, trembling sisters, puritans & perverts: feminist essays, edited by Joanna Russ and published in 1985. It's a bit older, but that premise still stunned me. And with a title like that, why wouldn't I want to read all of the essays?!

Comments

[leaf-light.livejournal.com]

Hmm, answering the first question last. Well it certainly doesn't apply to me as I don't want to turn anything into het sex, just because I don't find it appealing to me. I agree with callumjames comments in that the majority of slash - m/m or f/f - has nothing at all to do with gay reality. I read and enjoy it anyway. One could, I think, equally argue that most het romance doesn't have much to do with heterosexual reality. And due to my own sexuality (perhaps having a more male brain?) I enjoy good gay and lesbian written films/porn/fiction just as much but in a different way. A bit like sweet and savoury.

And from the reverse perspective would this mean that to the writer of the mentioned book if I wrote het it would be me putting lesbians into heterosexual couplings? My first reaction to that is why would I bother? I think there are plenty of reasons why people read and write anything, there aren't any single one size fits all answers.