Paper Topic:

Western History unit 1 q 3

(Pritchard 2000 ,

.124 . Extramarital relations for Updike are not erotic , despite the manner with which he describes the sexual activities of his characters in the novel . Rather than titillating , the goal of Updike 's prose is to portray the emptiness that these affairs and illicit relationships cause . There is no desire to eroticize or sexualize the characters the idea is to present the weaknesses of their personalities and the ramifications of unbridled desire . It is not specifically aiming for preaching either , focusing only on the emotional hollowness that gives birth to

the seed of lust and temptations in the first place

As Updike himself explains , his idea of sex in his literary achievements is far from intentionally erotic . Rather , the idea is to create a portrait wherein sex is a tool it is a means by which Updike indicts the weaknesses of society 's moral fiber . As he said of sex in his writings in an interview with CNN , I 've seen it said of my work that it 's 'anti-aphrodisiac ' that it doesn 't - that my s of sex doesn 't turn you on . But they 're not really meant to do that . I mean , sex described in detail is not a turn-on (Austin 1998 . Updike is far from a prude , true , yet his writings are not erotic for eroticism 's sake . The goal is to present moral weaknesses , not join banality

Unlike the earlier accusation of critics , the story of Couples is far from erotic , despite its routine use of sexual scenes and explicit activities . The story revolves around the lives of several couples living in an upscale community in Tarbox - a fictional suburb located in Boston . These young couples live wealthy lifestyles and have enough time on their hands to fool around . Piet Hanema , for example...

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