Solitary Pleasures: The Historical, Literary and Artistic Discourses of Autoeroticism

This text addresses masturbation, exploring both the history and artistic representation of autoeroticism. On the one hand, it is the subject of much popular treatment, especially in sexual self-help books, advice columns and in popular culture. On the other hand, masturbation is still a taboo subject for most people in every day conversation. Analyzing representations of autoeroticism from the 16th century to the present, the study establishes masturbation and related issues of sexual fantasy and sexual autonomy as subjects of importance for cultural history, gender studies, and the history of literature and art.