GRs sexual intanglements

[RuudSaurins at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/15/2003 11:07:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, werdmai at earthlink.net writes:
> > > Hello All> > > After finally getting a fair portion of GR read, I have> been curious as to people's interpretations of the many> sexual situations throughout. Sure their are obvious ties> to the rocket with the phallus and control with bondage> but any thoughts on other reasons for his wide usage of > these> events? > > Sorry if this is a repeat threat/question but has been on> my mind since the whole Anubis episode...
      Now here is a topic earmarked for objective, dispassionate, polite, and friendly group discussion.  At least the discussion should not wallow merely in opinionated arcana.  I think that it is a marvelous topic; not only relative to GR (which seems to have more "sex" in it thanatz sibling novels), butt ass a theme in TRP's writing in general.     IMHO, one of TRP's ambitions in writing _GR_ was to deliberately juxtapose psychological issues (e.g. fear, identity, classical conditioning paradigms, etc.) with the role of military ambitions in the promotion of deadly and increasingly poorly understood technologies 9culminating in the "faster than the speed of sound" rocket ordnance delivery system we have all learned to stop worrying about and love).  I do not have a text with me, but TRP alludes to our species being "in love; in sexual love" with our own destruction.  TRP evidently wishes to explicitly distinguish from "platonic" love with one's species' penchant for self annihilation.  Altho I would acknowledge (again, imho) some prurient, pornographic element at work here; the sexual references extend far beyond mere titillation; much more clever, metaphoric, literary, humorous, bizarre, fetishistic (izzat a word?), etc.etc.etc.usw.     IMHO, once again, I believe that TRP ardently admires "honesty", "factuality", "reality"...call it what you will...and let us not forget that he was an adult male during the conception and execution of _GR_, and the simple fact of the matter may be that sex was on TRP's mind a great deal, and that he recognizes the importance of sex in the lives of ordinary foax he is trying to portray. He may even consider himself an ordinary f**k.  In this regard, attempts at understanding one's own sexuality can be posed as a metaphor for understanding anything at all; chemistry, physics, calculus, mechanical engineering, and all of the other challenging information systems that contribute to the design and construction of dem ol weapons o' mass destruction we all know and love.   !
  Then again, maybe his publisher had him put in sex scenes after the fact to help the novel sell, kinda lock day duz inna move-ease d's daze.  Anyway, I think it would be a great topic for P-listing that extends to and is reflected in all TRP's writing.  You don't want to get me started on the graphic symbolism of "V." as that ol' shady grove, fertile delta,etc., as well as the mysterious "subject" of obsessive male quests of discovery.                                                     truly,                                                     ruud