A Rhetoric of Pornography: Private Style and Public Policy in “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon”

Rhetoric Society Quarterly Jul 2012

A Rhetoric of Pornography: Private Style and Public Policy in “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon”

Greta Wendelin University of Kansas

Abstract

In 1885, William Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, printed an exposé of child prostitution in London, “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon.” This incendiary article helped pass the Criminal Law Amendment bill, but also garnered accusations of pornography against the “Maiden Tribute.” Using Stead's four-part article as a case study, I develop a rhetorical understanding of pornography to account for the dynamic political energy and outrage generated by this text. I argue that the pornography of the “Maiden Tribute” managed to create a particular ignorance, one in which sexuality was isolated from material economic realities. Ultimately, Stead's mission proved politically deleterious to the very women he professed to help.

Journal: Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published: 2012-07-01
DOI: 10.1080/02773945.2012.704120
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality voice and style

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