Masochism: The Art of Power

by Nick Mansfield

How does the male masochist provide a metaphor for modern and postmodern power? Through a study of the representations of masochism in literature, psychopathology, philosophy, and cultural theory, Mansfield challenges our fundamental assumptions about masculine power in the postmodern era, arguing that masculine power has become masochistic. In the later twentieth century, the author argues, power presents itself as powerlessness but this deconstruction of traditional masculine authority does not result in a diminution of power. This provocative account traces masochism through the writings of Krafft-Ebing, Sacher-Masoch, Freud, Sartre, Proust, Genet, and Foucault.

126 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 1997

Reviews

[jimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

he had me in the first half i'm not gonna lie... surely, it's literally everyone who came before me who is wrong, and i am going to prove it via a sexual phenomenon i find distasteful. there are some fascinating insights here tho.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible study into the notion of power and control.