Is sex necessary?
A Witty Illustrated Satire of Marriage, Courtship, Sexology, and Modern MannersBy E.B. White, James Thurber
Length3h 15m
About this audiobook
Published in 1929, *Is Sex Necessary?* is a brilliantly irreverent mock-sociological treatise that turns the solemn language of modern psychology, marriage advice, and scientific expertise into comic material. Alternating between pseudo-scholarly argument, deadpan observation, invented cases, and eccentric illustrations, it parodies a culture increasingly eager to classify desire, domesticity, and gender roles. Its standout conceit is the sustained imitation of authoritative discourse: footnotes, diagnoses, and conclusions become instruments of absurdity rather than certainty. E. B. White and James Thurber brought complementary gifts to this collaboration: White's economical, deceptively lucid prose and Thurber's surreal visual and verbal comedy. Written amid the interwar expansion of popular psychology, self-help literature, and debates about sexual modernity, the book belongs to the tradition of American literary satire that questions institutional expertise by mimicking its forms. Their shared voice exposes the contingencies beneath supposedly universal pronouncements about romance and social behavior. This compact volume rewards readers interested in humor, cultural history, and the mechanisms of satire. It offers a rare opportunity to see prose, parody, and illustration working together to unsettle received wisdom. Readers will find both an entertaining comic performance and an illuminating record of how literary wit can transform contemporary anxieties into an enduring dialogue about authority, intimacy, and the perils of taking fashionable ideas too seriously.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.7 (3.2K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreHumor, Literary Classics
Length3 hrs 15 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 17, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Sex Side of Life: An Explanation for Young People (Annotated)
2Is sex necessary?
3Foreword
4Preface
5CHAPTER I. The Nature of the American Male: A Study of Pedestalism
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6CHAPTER II. How to Tell Love from Passion
7CHAPTER III. A Discussion of Feminine Types
8CHAPTER IV. The Sexual Revolution: Being a Rather Complete Survey of the Entire Sexual Scene
9CHAPTER V. The Lilies-and-Bluebird Delusion
10CHAPTER VI. What Should Children Tell Parents?
11CHAPTER VII. Claustrophobia, or What Every Young Wife Should Know
12CHAPTER VIII. Frigidity in Men
13ANSWERS TO HARD QUESTIONS
14NOTE ON THE DRAWINGS IN THIS BOOK
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