Intercourse, by: Andrea Dworkin - Feminish

Virginitywider world of real events. Virginity is redefined through her,given a modern meaning: a woman untouched is a woman whohas not yet felt sexual desire enough to be made sick by it, experiencedsexual passion enough to crave it, and broken rulesin order to be carnal; a woman fucked by her husband but feelingnothing, or not enough, no lust, no romance, no brillianceof sensation, is still a woman untouched. This new virginity ofbody and soul survives marriage, and marriage itself generatesnew, incoherent fantasies of romantic or sexual grandeur: “ Domesticmediocrity drove her to lewd fancies, marriage tendernessto adulterous desires. ” 75There is no freedom, no heroism,no ambition, no equality, outside the domain of sex experiencedas carnal passion and also as the breaking of a rule. Dangeris in the extremity of feeling and the risk of floutingconvention; and the danger verifies the authenticity of theevent, hidden from history yet having the significance of a maleact of freedom inside history. The large, brave world of Joanbecomes the tiny, suffocating world of Emma: and in it we stilllive. The old virginity—with its real potential for freedom andself-determination— is transformed into the new virginity— listless,dissatisfied ennui until awakened by the adventure of malesexual domination: combat on the world’s tiniest battlefield. Ittook Freud to call the refusal to fight on that little battlefield“repression” and to name the ambition to fight on the large one“penis envy. ” The cell door closed behind us, and the keyturned in the lock.The picture of Emma is of a woman unfulfilled: “ she had atthe corners of her mouth that immobile contraction that puckersthe faces of old maids, and those of men whose ambitionhas failed. ” 76 Charles, her husband, had been happy after thewedding night, demonstrative, calling her endearing names: