Sex Advice From Literary Women (Buffy Included)

Buffy and Spike in "Smashed"

Thanks to my friend, E, for letting me know about Sex Advice From Literary Women: 10 Steamy Secrets from Classic Novels.  It's a fun post and well worth reading, though it's a shame we don't have a few queer pics and examples too.  Plus I think the high culture snobbery about "the classics" is erroneous.  Shakespeare was the popular writer of his day, and the same went for Jane Austen, so calling them part of the literary canon doesn't mean they weren't ever pulp.  They're simply old pulp.  And damn good pulp too.  Dammit, Shakespeare may even be the best pulp ever.

The equivalent of Shakespeare today, I'd say, is probably Joss Whedon because he is a popular dramatist -- a writer for the people -- whose stories recognize what it is to be different, or dark, or trapped by society's rules, or messed with psychologically, or left out, or struggling to maintain a persona.  So what have we learned about sex from Joss?

Here's one from the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled Passion:

"Passion. It lies in all of us, sleeping, waiting. And though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir, open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us, guides us. Passion rules us all and we obey. What other choice do we have? It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace, but we would be hollow: empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead."

Or this, from End of Days, in which Spike, a vampire who has regained his soul, speaks to Buffy about a night spent holding her:

"I've lived for sodding ever, Buffy. I've done everything. I've done things with you I can't spell, but I've never been close to anyone, least of all you, until last night. All I did was hold you, watch you sleep, and it was the best night of my life. So, yeah, I'm terrified."

Oh, and this one isn't a quote, but it's still a lesson about sex:  In Hush, a spell has made the town of Sunnydale speechless.  Willow and Tara, who are both witches, are in a room waiting for the monsters to come through the door and rip them to shreds.  (You should know that these two women are attracted to one another, but have yet to get together).  The room, which is almost empty, has a drinks machine in the corner, and Tara sees the drinks machine, then communicates her plan to Willow, with her gaze.  Willow seems to understand and the women link their fingers together, gently, slowly, reading one another's stares, then --wham!-- as their grasp on one another tightens, they turn their eyes to the drinks machine, connected, and it swooshes across the room, thumping to a stop against the door. 

The power of sexual connection.  Need I say more?

By the way, I just realised that Spike isn't a woman, but sod it, he gives a darn good quote. ;)