Addresses the complicity of representation in what is represented, and its creative transformations, by re-examining classic poetic, dramatic and fictional texts by men in light of women's philosophical, theoretical and critical responses to them.
Written by a practising poet and novelist who has close experience of the subject matter and has published creative work in the areas being examined, Sexual Violence and Literary Art is a wide-ranging study, covering carefully selected works from Ovid through Shakespeare to Pope, Richardson, Shelley, Hardy, Nabokov and beyond. It addresses the necessary complicity of any representation in what is represented, by examining ways in which canonical male writers have attempted to evoke and address representations of sexual violence in poetry, prose fiction, and poetic drama in light of women's philosophical, theoretical and critical responses to these works of literary art.
By:
Peter Robinson
Imprint: Anthem Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 538g
ISBN: 9781785278853
ISBN 10: 1785278851
Pages: 274
Publication Date: 02 December 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: Experience and Point of View; 2. ‘And Still She Cried’: Two Allusions to Ovid; 3. Talking Yourself to Death: The Rape of Lucrece; 4. Innocence, Sincerity, and Bodies in The Rape of the Lock; 5. Private Violence and Public Meaning: Clarissa; 6. ‘Touched Very Delicately’: Shelley’s The Cenci; 7. ‘A Blank to Me’: Thomas Hardy and the Loss of Meaning; 8. ‘Readings Will Grow Erratic’ in Philip Larkin’s ‘Deceptions’; 9. The Rape of Dolly Haze; or, Rorty on Nabokov; 10. ‘And Still the World Pursues’: Conclusions; Bibliography.
Author of many books of poetry, translation, fiction and literary criticism, Peter Robinson is a professor of American literature at the University of Reading and poetry editor for Two Rivers Press.
Reviews for Sexual Violence and Literary Art
‘This groundbreaking study explores how male perspectives shape narratives of sexual violence, offering intricate ethical insights into patriarchy. With a rich historical range, each chapter provides detailed close readings that reveal the complex ethical and imaginative dynamics behind male representations of violence against women in literature and culture.’ —Adam Piette, University of Sheffield, UK. ‘This book offers a consistently thoughtful critical voice across 40 years of essays. With sensitivity and insight, it provides fresh, nuanced readings – especially of Richardson and Shelley – while demonstrating a rare talent for close analysis and uncovering overlooked biographical details in English and American literary texts.’ —David Pascoe, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
