Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society How Has Porn Changed Through History?
Dec 23, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Professor Kathleen Luby, an 18th-century literature specialist, dives into the intriguing history of pornography. She reveals how printed porn emerged in the 1740s and gained a narrative depth. Luby highlights the presence of queer narratives and the role of porn as social protest. She contrasts the nuanced views of the 18th century with the misogynistic tropes of the 19th century, exploring themes of consent and the evolution of sexual privacy. With a focus on lost archives, Luby invites a deeper understanding of erotic literature's impact on society.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Porn As A Way Of Knowing
- Kathleen Luby defines pornography as representations that treat sex as a unique way people know and feel things.
- She argues erotic material can also have aesthetic and philosophical value beyond mere arousal.
Print Made Porn Prolific
- The 18th century sparked a boom in printed pornography due to cheaper paper and wider reading.
- Narrative porn proliferated because prose made sex accessible to larger audiences beyond expensive engravings.
Lost Archives Skew History
- Luby describes the British Museum destroying parts of Henry Spencer Ashby's donated porn collection, erasing queer and obscure voices.
- She says this archival loss skews the historical record toward famous male authors.