Paper short abstract:

This paper explores eroticism and pleasure in Diane Case’s Toasted Penis and Cheese to show the wide variety of sexual pleasures available to both men and women, but with emphasis on the pleasure available to the woman and how this engenders her overall wellbeing.

Paper long abstract:

Examining eroticism and pleasure from the angle of the woman, or even from any angle, is an emerging trend in African literature. Earlier works view eroticism from what the man does, his pleasure which are met, half met or denied, with the woman being passive. Emphasis is laid on the man as sexually active and the harvester of sexual pleasures while the woman is sexually dormant and the provider of pleasures for the man. From this angle, the woman is marginalized in discussions on sexual pleasures. This paper explores eroticism and pleasure in Diane Case's Toasted Penis and Cheese to show the wide variety of sexual pleasures available to both men and women, but with emphasis on the avenues of pleasure available to the woman. Sexual pleasures in the text are presented in binary forms with the socio-cultural and religious factors determining what are classified in these binaries as good/bad, moral/immoral, acceptable/unacceptable, and healthy/unhealthy. By externalising the protagonist's internal conflict through her conversation with imaginary angels, Case effectively represents different understandings and ideologies over varied sexual behaviours and pleasure. She however does not subscribe to the inhibitions generated by these ideologies but places the pleasures of the consenting adult(s) over them. The degree of sexual satisfaction or its denial contributes significantly to the general wellbeing of the individual, and to an extent determines the pace of human inter-relations.

Key words: eroticism, sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction/denial, morality