Plays Well in Groups: A Journey Through the World of Group Sex

Description

From tribal religious rituals to the Playboy mansion, and from ancient Rome to Burning Man, Plays Well in Groups explores the phenomenon of group sex. Author Katherine Frank draws on surveys, ethnographic research, participant interviews, and more to provide explanations for both, participation in group sex and our complex reactions to it, from fascination to fear. This book looks at group sex across cultures—who has it, and why. Group sex is almost always taboo and often criminalized, and yet it persists across cultures throughout history. Plays Well in Groups looks at the symbolism of orgies, as well as contemporary manifestations of group sex in bathhouses and public sex venues, at BDSM and swinging parties, on Craigslist, and in political scandals, Tantra classes, reality television, and more. Frank explores the many reasons people participate in group sex, from arousal to spiritual transcendence, in this bold study of subversive sexuality. Title Page......Page 2 Acknowledgements......Page 5 The Elementary Forms of Group Sex......Page 8 What We Talk about When We Talk about “Orgies”......Page 31 Becoming an Orgiast......Page 76 Disgust, Shame, and Guilt......Page 110 Case Study: The “Dark Orgies” of the Marind-anim......Page 162 From the Coolidge Effect to Cosmic Ecstasy......Page 174 Games People Play......Page 214 Fear and Bonding in Las Vegas (and Beyond)......Page 262 Case Study: A Life Fantastic......Page 313 From Revolutionaries to Rock Stars (and Back Again)......Page 323 Upping the Ante or Over the Edge?......Page 374 What Are You Doing after the Orgy?......Page 422 Appendix A......Page 434 Appendix B......Page 438 Notes......Page 445 Bibliography......Page 446 Index......Page 475