Sex and Sorcery Literature?

[Gordon C. Landis]

So, I picked up Dark Ladies (Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife and Our Lady of Darkness in one volume) the other day.  I've read both, years and years ago, and I'm looking forward to what I make of 'em today.  But the mere purchase (very reasonable at a used bookstore in Berkeley) lead to a few thoughts, primary among them - is there a specific category/set of literature inspirations for Sex and Sorcery, as was the case for the other supplements?  If so - Ron, care to give us a few examples?

I'm also interested in the survey the "Testimonials" you mention sprang from - any chance (after the book is out, of course) you could reveal more about it?

And . . . from what I remember of Conjure Wife, I'm forming the first idea for regular-old, modern-occult based Sorcerer that actually intrigues me.  Doubtless Sex and Sorcery will give some focus to my thoughts.  I suspect I'm thinking gender-issues writ MUCH larger than Sex (man, it's going to be fun refering to an RPG supplement as "Sex"), as described thus far, really encourages - but hell, I can be ambitous.  Sue me.

Obviously looking forward to the supplement,

Gordon

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Gordon,

I was just editing the Preface to the supplement text, in which I admit that the literary sources for it are a lot less focused than in the previous two supplements. I've got a lot of myth, literature, and cinema all mixed around, more like the core book than either of the supplements. Also, since there are two mini-settings embedded in individual chapters, they carry a literature-canon apiece, which confuses things even more.

But, to attempt to answer the question, here goes.

Overall, the third supplement is based on looking across different sources of stories, again, including mythology, literature/theater, and cinema. I'd include music except that it's problematic to quote. A lot of masculinist/feminist work is hinted at, including Simone de Beauvoir, Robert Bly, etc, but the most fundamental concepts that underlie this comparison come from hard-core sociobiology, specifically E.O. Wilson's 1975 book of the same name. That influence becomes very explicit in the Azk'Arn setting, which is all insect-y in societal terms and full of reproductive sorcery.

The mini-setting in Chapter 4 is influenced mainly by the Judge Dee novels by Robert van Gulik (also cited in Sorcerer & Sword), Shaw Bros movies like The Five Deadly Venoms, the novels Rajan and Koren by Tim Lukeman, and most especially the Korean legend of Won Hyo, a significant figure in Zen Buddhist mythology. I realize this is a horrid mishmash of pan-Asian influences, for which I hang my head.

The Azk'Arn setting is further influenced by Heavy-Metal-style fantasy, Michael Moorcock's Melnibone, and H. R. Giger, with a dose of Jessica Amanda Salmonson and The Bride with White Hair (so more Asian-esque stuff there, too).

Best,
Ron

P.S. It's interesting that to you, "gender" is the big category with "sex" being a small part of it (presumably you're thinking "copulation"), whereas to me, "sex" is the big category (meaning any form of genetic combination with all associated features and activities) and "gender" being a small part of it.

[Gordon C. Landis]

Fascinating set of influences, a decent number of which I'm unfamiliar with.  Should be good stuff!

P.S. It's interesting that to you, "gender" is the big category with "sex" being a small part of it (presumably you're thinking "copulation"), whereas to me, "sex" is the big category (meaning any form of genetic combination with all associated features and activities) and "gender" being a small part of it.

Erm . . . didn't mean to associate the "writ large" part with gender as oppposed to sex, just that "the issues" (sex/gender/whatever) would be overt and direct in the setting, whereas Sex seems more pitched to building the issues into the fabric of a story - with an option for overt PLAYER impact (your only male players as x, females as y), as opposed to direct in-game sexual issues focus (oh, in x setting all women do sorcery as demon-y coven-based stuff, whereas all men have abstract, psychological demons).

Sex vs. gender - some folks do the copulation vs. role thing, others take a biology vs. personality approach, and etc.  I don't have a particular personal and/or rigorous opinion on this one.

Gordon