Kink in the Time of Sexology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to “Abnormal Sexuality” in Victorian Culture

Abstract

The historical study of sexuality during the Victorian period has been influenced heavily by the development of sexology as a scientific field. The impetus of sexology to delineate and categorize “types” of sexuality and sexual behavior has situated the late nineteenth century as a starting point for studies of contemporary concepts of sexual “abnormality.” However, research into this subject, while drawing on both legal and medical discourses, has overwhelmingly ignored the value of porn in reconstructing the dynamics of Victorian sexuality. Accordingly, this chapter integrates legal, medical, and pornographic discourses of the late nineteenth century to develop a more thorough examination of Victorian sexual experiences that fell outside the limits of prescribed legal and medical “normalcy.”