“Signor Dildo (You ladies all of merry England)” (1673)
In November 1673, Mary of Modena arrived in London for her royal wedding to King Charles II’s brother, James, the Duke of York. Parliament objected to the match because Mary was an Italian Catholic. Despite his friendship with the king, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, one of the English Restoration period’s most popular satirists, frequently ridiculed the licentious court. Wilmot and his friends responded to Mary of Modena’s arrival with “Signior Dildo,” a satirical poem on the trade advantages of the diplomatic marriage.
Wilmot used the poem to comment that the women of England would be more than acceptable to the importation of dildos, referred to as “the Italian device” in Restoration England. Using personification to turn the device into an Italian nobleman who fascinated the women of the royal court, Wilmot and his friends sent a clear message: Charles II’s mistresses were more captivated by the nobleman, making a mockery of the king. With the release of “Signior Dildo” and “In the Isle of Britain,” which also criticized the king’s extramarital affairs, the furious Charles II banished Wilmot from the court, and their relationship never recovered before the poet’s death in 1680.
The Carnal Prayer Mat (1693)
Continuously banned since its publication in 1693, The Carnal Prayer Mat, attributed to playwright Li Yu, is no more graphic than erotica today, but its connection of religion and lust shocked seventeenth-century Chinese society. The author tells the story of the lustful scholar Weiyangsheng, who has multiple affairs with married women after surgically enhancing the size of his penis. One of the scorned husbands elopes with Weiyangsheng’s wife, Yuxiang, selling her into prostitution. When she reunites with her husband, Yuxiang is so ashamed that she commits suicide. Realizing his mistakes, Weiyangsheng castrates himself, devoting himself to religious prayer and seeking enlightenment.
Scholars treat The Carnal Prayer Mat as an allegory that satirizes popular Confucian works on reaching enlightenment. While the author does not judge the characters for their actions, there is a moral to the story that focuses on moderation in sex; overindulging in sexual activity can lead to one’s downfall. The novel satirizes late Ming and early Qing dynasty caizi jiaren literature, in which a scholar falls in love with a beautiful woman. While caizi jiaren texts focus on spiritual love, The Carnal Prayer Mat emphasizes sex as a fundamental aspect of relationships.