17. Pornografie und Lyrik

SEX scenes in fiction are a problem. Whether they’re rendered crudely and directly, through graphic close-ups and blunt four-letter words, or delivered elegantly and obliquely, through misty impressions and lofty euphemisms, most displays of literary lovemaking tend to make the reader’s flesh crawl. They feel like overcooked pornography, undercooked lyric poetry or — worst of all — some odd, jarring combination of the two. Only the juvenile and the information-starved actively seek out such passages; the mature and the experienced regard them as unavoidable ordeals. / aus einer Besprechung von WALTER KIRN, NYT October 31, 2004 zu

VILLAGES
By John Updike.
321 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $25.