Of Mice and Molecules...

Multifarious cogitations

The Literary Phenomenon of Sex Rage

8/8/2018

 
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I never really thought about it, but they strongly imply that Gaston is illiterate, don't they?
Short post today on a trend I see in literature, movies and theater that I have never heard anyone comment on. There is a decent-sized sample of literature where, for lack of a better term, the plot is driven by what I'm calling "Sex Rage (TM)", essentially the actions stemming from the failure of the protagonist to get laid or have their emotional/intimacy needs met by their romantic interest. 
Here is the entire plot of a Sex Rage-based story: Dude likes girl. Maybe it's a doomed long shot or a missed slam-dunk opportunity. However the setup, the protagonist's love is unrequited, the response inadequate, or they are otherwise friend-zoned. Dude flips out and shits on everything. Sometimes there's a clean-up. sometimes it ends bad for everyone. 

I think Sex Rage is highly relatable to the average person (who among us hasn't contemplated going nuclear over a broken heart?), and is an underutilized plot device; further, I'm having trouble thinking of a Sex Rage-driven story that isn't well regarded (this is a big statement, obviously, so I'm not going all-in on it).

Let's go through a few:

Example: Phantom of the Opera. Horny disfigured man grooms young singer. Makes move and fails. Blows up theater (book version) and/or flees angry mob (Broadway version).

Example: Original Star Wars trilogy. People take incredible risks to get laid. Han Solo goes so far as to blow up the second Death Star to (successfully) get into Leia's pants, while Luke is cuckolded by societal standards on incest and considers embracing the dark side. The second trilogy also tried a Sex Rage thing, but failed miserably because Anakin was having sex with Natalie Portman, breaking the one fundamental rule of a Sex Rage plot.

Example: Beauty and the Beast. In this example, Gaston suffers from Sex Rage; rather than moving on to another villager, he shits on BaTB's relationship just to be a bitch. 

Thus far, the only examples of Sex Rage I've identified have mainly been men, although I think that Annie from Misery might also count as a Rager. To this end, Hamlet is a masterpiece because multiple characters may be suffering from Sex Rage.

Aspiring writers, you're welcome. 
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