Steven Marcus discusses his book The Other Victorians: A Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England, which explores gender and sexuality in the literature of that period. Marcus argues that labeling the Victorian era as “repressive” is an oversimplification. He addresses how differently the various socioeconomic groups in England defined appropriate sexual behavior during this time, and how expectations of sexual conduct depended greatly on gender. Marcus draws on characters and situations from the works of Charles Dickens and George Eliot as examples.
At the time of this interview, Marcus, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1980-82), was professor of English at Columbia University. He was also one of the Center’s founders and a trustee.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
