Suburban Literature

The other day I was watching The Ice Storm, and it reminded me that one of our regular readers is teaching the novel in his upcoming Suburban Literature class. I don't remember what else was in the syllabus, but I remember it sounding like a pretty good list.

But one text that probably escaped consideration was Housewives at Play, which is in its own way a meditation on many of the important themes literature raises about the nature of suburban life: the isolation and loneliness imposed on us by the separateness of the suburban households, our inability to know our neighbors, our inability to know ourselves or even maintain a semblance of a unified self under the stress of the numerous roles we play during the course of our lives, the fragility of the family, and the difficulty of finding true and lasting satisfaction (sexual and otherwise) within the confines of the heteronormative social structure. Of course, it's also a classic of lesbian dominatrix comix. I can't reproduce the cover or frontispiece here w/o violating my own 70s PG standard, so here are the first couple pages of the first issue to give the flavor of the art, etc.



















You can imagine where it goes from here. Yes, there. And there. And there.

In later episodes, the plot spirals ludicrously out of control in the nature of a genre text that explores every inch of its limited territory, but at its core the story is about insuppressable desire and the consequences of following that desire. In later episodes, Catherine seeks therapy for her sexual addiction, tries to dissociate herself from friends who encourage her "abnormal" behavior, and is finally forced to separate from her family. In more recent installments, the comic portrays a whole community of women forced into separation from their families. These women still love their husbands and children, but like refugees or prisoners they can only express this love in letters.

So, is this a serious piece of literature? No, it's a genre text, primarily designed to fulfill its generic obligations, but, like all genre texts, it brushes against real life in sometimes illuminating ways. Here's how the artist & creator, "Rebecca" describes the rationale for the text:

I think it first started for me when my kids were small. I would take them (one toddeling, the other in stroller) down to the playground in the section where we lived at the time for sun, air, and playtime. The 3 year old would busy herself in the sandbox while the baby and I sat and watched the world go by. That world of course, was filled with what I now like to reffer to as "hot mom's". You've seen them. Pretty young girls ranging in age from 20's to 40's with diaper bag and stroller in tow, having absolutely no idea (or do they?) how sexy and desireable they look. They wear shorts and baggy pull overs, and every time they bend or stoop to check the baby an opportunity is given to peek down her blouse (at full, swollen breasts) or at the curve of her hips and ass. Their hair is perfumed, silky, and the latest magazine style which compliments perfectly her wardrobe from JCPenney.
Ahem. Well then. Let's face it though, God definately knew what He was doing when he made women. Any woman who won't admit she admires (or is jealous of) how pretty her neighbor/teacher/sister/hairdresser/etc is is just not being honest. I love girls, and I love drawing them. I love depicting them in all sorts of ways that (most likely) would never happen, except in my neighborhood (the one in my mind). I can (and do) have a sex fantasy everywhere from the grocery store, bank, walking in the park, or the fitting room in Kohl's. I spend most of my days horny and wet. If my children only knew what their mom does at home all day..teeheehee. Kisses to you all, my wonderful fans...Rebecca