Show Sex Realism I Offends Morals Morals' 1 GRANT We should regard realism in the portrayal portrayal portrayal por por- of sex as an offense not so much against morals as against decency The essence of the sex sex novelists novelist's of offense offense offense of- of lies not in the illegality or in inthe inthe inthe the immorality of ot the matter he represents represents represents rep rep- resents but in its ugliness There are things gs' gs in the world which are inherently inherently inherently ugly and nd by consequence Inherently inherently inherently offensive They have always been so regarded and so so long as men are in possession of the senses by which they are apprehended they will willbe willbe willbe be so regarded They are in themselves themselves them them- selves elves neither Immoral nor indecent they are am among ng the necessities which have been laid by n nature ture upon man They become indecent indecent- only but surely are obtruded upon upon the perceptions perceptions perceptions per per- of other men We have agreed not only to keep these facts out of the reach of the senses but not to speak of them or otherwise to represent represent represent sent then them to the imagination This means that they are not proper material material material ma ma- for tor conversation and th that t they are not proper material for art Against i isome some of them we have the written law against others the unwritten I If It we transgress the written law we weare weare weare are guilty not only of indecency but butof butof butof of misdemeanor or of immorality Inthe in inthe inthe the strict and legal sense dense en if we transgress the unwritten law we are still guilty of Indecency but of or Immorality immorality immorality im Im- im- im morality only in the broad sense If It we resort t to the plea that we have made no rio breach in the law of the land we are none the less under condemnation tion for breach of the law of taste We Weare WeI Weare are not to tell all the truth If this means the falsification of life Ufe it is at I worst a conventional falsification that carries no actual deceit Yale Yale Review |