The Semiotics Of Sex Jeanette Winterson Analysis

Jeanette Winterson is a British writer, she is also a lesbian. Being a lesbian writer has become a common identifier when she would rather be referred to as a writer who is a lesbian. In “The Semiotics of Sex,” Jeanette Winterson tackles the inherent relationship between the artist and their artwork by digging through the biased judgment that encases it. According to Winterson, using sexual preference “to judge the work of the writer” creates a distorted reality about their work of art (173). Therefore, in efforts to fully understand Winterson’s essay, and avoid the inclusion of private preference, we must first explore what it means to live in comfort with ourselves and how one may control it.
Sexuality, for Winterson, creates a “single door” …show more content…
At the same time “the disguises are meant to convince” (173) people disguise themselves behind their appearance. People tend to hide their discomfort. They dive into another world, a world of materialistic wants that are no longer needs, you may already have ten pairs of shoes bit you need just one more because they are different. After all isn’t that what gay culture is? It’s the difference that attracts us. We crave the unusual, therefore emphasizing the fact that people are homophobic for the mere fact of interest. In her essay “Stereotype,” Anne Bogart walks in the opposite direction contending that innovation isn’t the most important thing. Unlike Winterson, Bogart sees the potential in taking a stereotype and transcending it.
In her argument toward sexual freedom, Winterson presents the idea that the “rebellion of art is a daily rebellion against the state of living death routinely called real life” (173). According to the Oxford dictionary a routine is “a sequence of actions regularly followed.” That suggests that art itself cannot be part of the routine, it simply breaks it, disengages us from it. The problem, however, is the questionable integrity of art as a “real” career. Is it feasible to pursue the path of an artist, knowing society’s economic …show more content…
I am, currently an NYU undergraduate pursuing a career in the performing arts. Family members often question the profits of my future. How will I be able to obtain a consistent job, and have a set income, and provide for myself, and establish this sense of security that only money can bring but that art does not always supply? I have yet to find the answer that they want to hear. This infatuation that people have with money stems out of this primitive longing for security, stability, happiness. Apparently, those who have money lead a happier life, or so I’ve heard. I have on the other hand experienced the other side of the spectrum and I’ve turned out alright. On the