« Mission Impossible | Main | My Father's War »

Weiner’s Complaint

By Bernard Avishai

First thanks the author for allowing us to reprint this piece which was originally posted at Bernard Avishai Dot Com.

Not long after Philip Roth published Portnoy's Complaint, Jacqueline Susann went on the Johnny Carson show. Susann, we remember, had become famous for her pulp novel Valley of the Dolls, which triangulated, in what seemed an all-American way, ambition, sex and barbiturates. Everybody was a "user" in more ways than one. By 1969, the year Portnoy's Complaint was published, the paperback version of Valley of the Dolls had been as inescapable in the supermarket as the Coca Cola trademark.

Carson asked Susann if she had ever met Roth. No, she said, but that she would like to. Then she famously added, with the coyness of a Mickey Mouse Club graduate: "Of course, I would not like to shake his hand." (Ed McMahon, we may assume, chortled knowingly.)

I thought of Susann's response to Portnoy, listening to the chatter about Anthony Weiner this past couple of weeks, in part because I've just finished a little book about Portnoy, but mostly because Susann's mockery seemed so iconic--and, sadly, still does. She did not do Roth any real damage, no more than, say, Ann Coulter's recent mockery of Cong. Weiner much mattered. (“After all, it wasn't as if André Malraux said it to François Mauriac,” Roth would later tell his friends.)

Rather, it was the way Susann epitomized America's endless ambivalence towards sexual desire--on the one hand, the assumption that desire was everywhere, the nuclear energy fueling ambition, and, on the other hand, condescension toward people in whom sexuality is discovered or, worse, just let things rip. Portnoy feels this ambivalence himself, of course, which is what turns his complaint into a syndrome.

"Anthony Weiner," in this sense, has become a useful fiction for Americans, not the least for Anthony Weiner. Our hero wants, and WANTS, and wants!. He fantasizes, risks, hides and lies. This cannot end well, and not simply because with Facebook "friends" you don't need enemies. This is America: desire is bound to bring one to the ultimate sin, the loss of self-possession, the ultimate bourgeois possession.

Our hero also wants the happiness that comes with responsibility, you see, wants discipline, the training of the senses. He is a good Jewish boy, finally, good enough to make himself almost preemptively ludicrous, homing in on any word of sexual encouragement or admiration, but never "doing anything." Now he is going to his Spielvogel to learn how to become a "better husband and healthier person." He will, one may suppose, eventually join a panel on addiction with Tiger Woods and John Edwards on the Oprah channel. Then he will be forgiven.

You'd think that, forty years after Portnoy's Complaint, we'd all be wiser about such things. You'd think we would at least apply to public life some of the subtlety we expect from fiction. Or, if you missed it, just listen to Rick Hertzberg's wonderful comments about the scandal in his New Yorker podcast. Politicians are not people who think they can get away with everything, Rick says. They are people who, doing what everybody does, should be, well, politic enough to know they get away with nothing. When a politician lies publicly about secret lusts, it is not out of fear of public retribution, but mainly to deceive the spouse. Unadulterated sexuality by itself is no crime in America. It can be mandatory. Who would give a thought to the hot air between Coulter's hardcovers if she looked like Betty Friedan?

As for the spouse, who if not the Portnoy generation would know something that endows all these scandals--to mention only those on the left, Clinton, Edwards, DSK, Weiner--with what might be called a pattern. "It was routine and understood," Rick said about the Victorians, "that these powerful men had an appropriate wife; and then, for release, went to the brothel. What's striking about all these [recent] cases is that, yes, it is the wife that is the proper, accomplished, admirable person, his equal. And then he wants something a little more yielding."

Pathetic? Of course. What if not a man's desire for something more or less perfectly self-possessed and infinitely yielding is pathetic? Which is why we have novels and satires--or had them before they were eclipsed by cable news and other reality shows. "I once cored an apple," Portnoy told Spielvogel, "and ran off to the woods to fall upon the orifice of the fruit, pretending that the cool and mealy hole was actually between the legs of that mythical being who always called me Big Boy when she pleaded for what no girl in all recorded history ever got…” Like.

From June, 2011

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.firstofthemonth.org/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/88

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Weiner’s Complaint:

» Darian Borchardt from Darian Borchardt
Hey, thanks for the article.Much thanks again. Want more. [Read More]

Tracked on November 15, 2011 08:15 PM

» kortingscode from kortingscode
De nieuwste kortingscodes vindt je bij bespaarcodes! [Read More]

Tracked on December 20, 2011 11:23 PM

» Matias Kinsley from Matias Kinsley
A big thank you for your blog article.Thanks Again. Great. [Read More]

Tracked on January 7, 2012 02:42 AM

» Julia Holm from Julia Holm
Very informative post.Really thank you! Keep writing. [Read More]

Tracked on March 8, 2012 04:42 PM

» Reed Rivero from Reed Rivero
Muchos Gracias for your blog article.Thanks Again. Fantastic. [Read More]

Tracked on March 12, 2012 04:11 PM

» Useful Link from Useful Link
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on October 21, 2012 10:21 AM

» sms forwarder from sms forwarder
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on October 29, 2012 11:22 AM

» www.michaelkors-vip.net from www.michaelkors-vip.net
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 4, 2013 06:27 PM

» actie code from actie code
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 10, 2013 11:50 AM

» michael kors outlet online from michael kors outlet online
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 17, 2013 02:55 AM

» Ghd IV mini styler from Ghd IV mini styler
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 17, 2013 09:09 AM

» www.getdumpsterrentals.com/vermont/dumpster-rentals-in-wilder-vt from www.getdumpsterrentals.com/vermont/dumpster-rentals-in-wilder-vt
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 17, 2013 07:46 PM

» http://www.getdumpsterrentals.com/illinois/dumpster-rentals-in-west-union-il/ from http://www.getdumpsterrentals.com/illinois/dumpster-rentals-in-west-union-il/
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on January 28, 2013 09:48 PM

» coupon from coupon
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on February 7, 2013 03:09 PM

» Full Posting from Full Posting
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on February 8, 2013 02:16 PM

» mac makeup wholesale from mac makeup wholesale
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on February 22, 2013 06:28 PM

» louis vuitton bags outlet from louis vuitton bags outlet
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on February 28, 2013 11:27 AM

» payday loans from payday loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on March 5, 2013 04:13 PM

» instant cash loans from instant cash loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on March 23, 2013 05:15 AM

» cheap loans from cheap loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on March 24, 2013 07:10 AM

» βαλιτσες ταξιδιου μεγαλες from βαλιτσες ταξιδιου μεγαλες
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on March 29, 2013 10:22 AM

» bad credit loans from bad credit loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 3, 2013 03:42 AM

» instant cash loans from instant cash loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 4, 2013 12:52 PM

» http://newonlinecasinogamestoplay.co.uk from online casino no deposit bonus codes
uk online casino [Read More]

Tracked on April 4, 2013 09:31 PM

» jeremy scott paris from jeremy scott paris
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was ha... [Read More]

Tracked on April 9, 2013 11:36 AM

» SuekjRVo from SuekjRVo
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 10, 2013 01:15 PM

» chanel outlet from chanel outlet
Very good – I should definitely pronounce, impressed together with your website. I had no trouble navigating by means of all tabs and related info ended up being truly straightforward to do to access. I lately discovered what I hoped for before you k... [Read More]

Tracked on April 11, 2013 02:21 AM

» flyknit trainer nike from flyknit trainer nike
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the ... [Read More]

Tracked on April 13, 2013 03:51 AM

» nike lunar flyknit from nike lunar flyknit
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without pee... [Read More]

Tracked on April 13, 2013 05:52 AM

» seo tools from seo tools
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 13, 2013 07:13 PM

» burberry bags from burberry bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 13, 2013 09:01 PM

» red bottom shoes from red bottom shoes
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 14, 2013 04:58 AM

» celine bags from celine bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 14, 2013 10:02 AM

» mulberry bags from mulberry bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 15, 2013 03:13 AM

» hermes bags from hermes bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 16, 2013 09:24 PM

» miu miu from miu miu
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 17, 2013 11:13 PM

» wow gold from wow gold
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 19, 2013 09:55 PM

» cheap new balance 574 from cheap new balance 574
It began with a dream: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” In fact, the whole story is like a dream, or rather a nightmare. Because the heroine always had too many imaginations, about how would her life be if something happened or didn... [Read More]

Tracked on April 20, 2013 05:35 PM

» lous vuitton pas cher from lous vuitton pas cher
agjavot agjavot pdv1 agjavot agjavot [Read More]

Tracked on April 25, 2013 09:31 AM

» sac louis vuitton from sac louis vuitton
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 26, 2013 12:13 AM

» the tao of badass from the tao of badass
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on April 29, 2013 12:14 AM

» cheap new balance from cheap new balance
It occurred to me that plants can be something really mysterious and as alive as a jumping fish. Beeches with white arms embracing above our head, squat oaks and tortured elms straggled cheek by jowl of the beeches. Nettles choked the terrace, ivy held... [Read More]

Tracked on April 29, 2013 09:25 AM

» longchamp le pliage from longchamp le pliage
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was ha... [Read More]

Tracked on May 2, 2013 10:17 AM

» Payday Loans from Payday Loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 3, 2013 02:59 AM

» online casino from online casino
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 4, 2013 12:27 PM

» lebron 10 from lebron 10
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 6, 2013 08:55 AM

» Payday Loans from Payday Loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 6, 2013 08:15 PM

» diablo 3 gold from diablo 3 gold
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 8, 2013 02:42 AM

» Cheap 11200mah Power Ba from Cheap 11200mah Power Ba
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 8, 2013 02:48 PM

» paleo bread from paleo bread
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 9, 2013 01:04 PM

» mac cosmetics wholesale from mac cosmetics wholesale
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 10, 2013 09:13 PM

» hermes bags from hermes bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 12, 2013 02:15 AM

» coach bags from coach bags
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 12, 2013 02:16 AM

» hermes kelly bag price from hermes kelly bag price
Are you accustomed to luxury brands? The actual number of luxury brands how can you burst out within one second? Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, hermes handbags Hermes, Gucci etc. Among these brands, L... [Read More]

Tracked on May 13, 2013 10:23 AM

» burberry outlet from burberry outlet
Real knowledge, like everything else of value, is not to be obtained easily, [Read More]

Tracked on May 14, 2013 11:28 PM

» play online casino from play online casino
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 16, 2013 07:58 PM

» pig from pig
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 17, 2013 08:58 AM

» biomass gainesville from biomass gainesville
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 19, 2013 12:45 PM

» Christian Louboutin Shoes from Christian Louboutin Shoes
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 20, 2013 01:38 PM

» cheap designer bags from cheap designer bags
First of the Month discount designer bags [Read More]

Tracked on May 22, 2013 03:34 AM

» cialis from cialis
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 23, 2013 05:28 PM

» payday loans from payday loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 23, 2013 08:30 PM

» Cheap NFL Jerseys from Cheap NFL Jerseys
Some of Al his profession highlights contain: [Read More]

Tracked on May 23, 2013 11:05 PM

» discount christian louboutin from discount christian louboutin
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 28, 2013 07:06 PM

» %anchor_text% from %anchor_text%
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 29, 2013 05:21 PM

» green coffee ultra from green coffee ultra
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on May 30, 2013 08:58 PM

» Birkin Handbag Hermes from Birkin Handbag Hermes
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 1, 2013 10:07 AM

» Read the Full Posting from Read the Full Posting
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 4, 2013 03:06 PM

» grape 5s for sale from grape 5s for sale
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 5, 2013 04:22 AM

» green coffee bean extract from green coffee bean extract
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 6, 2013 11:42 PM

» louis vuitton outlet from louis vuitton outlet
How might someone take advantage of this solution however create from the redundancy of a SAN? Could you create only two of the and leverage VMWare and/or House windows capabilities to replicate data throughout the a couple of inside near real-time? [Read More]

Tracked on June 9, 2013 01:35 PM

» Clicking Here from Clicking Here
Joomla Software vs Dreamweaver Software which one is the best? [Read More]

Tracked on June 11, 2013 10:05 AM

» spotlightmywork.com from spotlightmywork.com
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 12, 2013 12:13 AM

» buy wow gold from buy wow gold
i love this website a lot! [Read More]

Tracked on June 12, 2013 02:42 AM

» payday loans from payday loans
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 12, 2013 11:04 AM

» asics kayano 17 from asics kayano 17
It occurred to me that plants can be something really mysterious and as alive as a jumping fish. Beeches with white arms embracing above our head, squat oaks and tortured elms straggled cheek by jowl of the beeches. Nettles choked the terrace, ivy held... [Read More]

Tracked on June 16, 2013 06:29 AM

» buy viagra online from buy viagra online
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 16, 2013 04:33 PM

» zapatillas asics running from zapatillas asics running
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listen... [Read More]

Tracked on June 17, 2013 12:06 AM

» online betting sites from online betting sites
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 18, 2013 11:48 PM

» does phen375 work from does phen375 work
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 19, 2013 07:45 PM

» simply click the following page from simply click the following page
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 23, 2013 02:14 PM

» oakley discount from oakley discount
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on June 24, 2013 02:53 PM

» louis vuitton kaufen online from louis vuitton kaufen online
Until eventually fall/winter 2011 fashion present successfully ended, it's still popular and getting increasingly.. [Read More]

Tracked on June 28, 2013 03:41 PM

» bingo sites from bingo sites
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on July 1, 2013 10:26 AM

» windows 7 key from windows 7 key
Larin Lane XXX [Read More]

Tracked on July 1, 2013 10:44 AM

» Windows 7 Keys from Windows 7 Keys
Hey,great post! do you want to find some hot pdf ebooks downloads? [Read More]

Tracked on July 3, 2013 04:49 AM

» louis vuitton online shop duitsland from louis vuitton online shop duitsland
Such as Fourcault method, this ended in glass with a a great deal more even thickness, and made grinding and polishing easier plus much more economical.. [Read More]

Tracked on July 4, 2013 02:44 AM

» louis vuitton outlet from louis vuitton outlet
Thanks for the excellent infographic. I actually appears to be a lot of time was directly into this specific venture. The majority of us out and about in cyberland we appreciate you your time and efforts. [Read More]

Tracked on July 4, 2013 12:33 PM

» Gafas De Sol from Gafas De Sol
Adjustable length is great for packing them in your ski pack and being able to make them different lengths for when you are hiking up and skiing down. The best adjustable ones are the ones that have probes. For the backcountry, this is a two-in-one tha... [Read More]

Tracked on July 5, 2013 09:11 AM

» www.faceonline.pl from www.faceonline.pl
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on July 6, 2013 01:36 AM

» Air Max 90 from Air Max 90
First of the Month [Read More]

Tracked on July 6, 2013 04:53 AM

» MBT SHOES FOR WOMEN from MBT SHOES FOR WOMEN
First of the Month [Read More]