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Analysis Study Research Paper | English Language and Literature | India | Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023
Sexual Stereotyping and Idea of Pedophilia in Memories of My Melancholy Whores: A Psychoanalytic Study
Dr. Arif Mahammad Chaprasi
Abstract: Pedophilia is a sexual (psychiatric) disorder in which a person experiences sexual feelings towards pre - pubescent children. The term "pedophilia" (ped - uh - fil - ee - uh) is derived from the Greek words for "child" and "love". It is, basically, a universal psycho - social problem, is a psychiatric disorder or a perverse sexual orientation. Although a few number of pedophilia supporting groups argue that having sexual interests in children is merely a sexual orientation or fantasy, but this paper explores further in analyzing different psychological insights of pedophiles, especially in the contexts of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel Memories of My Melancholy Whores (2004). It is evident that, Sexual stereotyping and pedophilia are related concerns (in relation to feminine sensibility) quite evident in Memories. Garcia Marquez writes about the near taboo subject of an elderly man deliberately seeking out of an adolescent girl for sex. The set - up invites an examination of socio - cultural ideas on geriatric sexuality. Generally perceived as asexual, the elderly section of the population is often subjected to age - related stereotyping. Stereotyping occurs when over generalised and preconceived characteristics are attributed to someone or something. Such attributes are rarely positive. Discrimination and prejudice as typical examples of stereotyping against an individual occur on the basis of the narrator's age in Memories. The conflict revolves around the un - named narrator's age and sexuality and invites a psycho - social analysis of how age, gender and sexuality manifest and shape Garc?a M?rquez's narrative. Gerontology as the scientific study of old age, the aging process and the problems of elderly people, encompasses many ideas on what it means to be old. Most of the ideas on old age are social constructs rather than scientific facts. Ageism is understood here as the practice of treating people differently and usually unfairly on the grounds of age only, particularly when they are considered too old to participate in ordinary social or cultural activities such as brothel sex. Accordingly, the following discussion analyses the narrator's own response to his ninetieth birthday. It also considers how he behaves and responds to ageist attitudes displayed towards his sexuality by his acquaintances and colleagues at work on the event of his ninetieth birthday. What are the cultural links between femininity and insanity, and how are they represented? Through the lenses of disciplines such as theatre criticism, feminist theory, and psychiatry, this thesis examines the history of madness as a gendered concept and its depictions in art and literature. Additionally, it will explore the representation of female madness in contemporary dramatic literature as compared to the medical model used during the era in which it was written as well as the social and cultural conditions and expectations of the period. This is prominent in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Memories of My Melancholy Whore and this article delves the concept of affection beyond physical intimacy. However, Memories of My Melancholy Whores (2004), a magical realism novel as well by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, follows an unnamed narrator who treats himself to a night with an adolescent virgin on his ninetieth birthday, and as a result, finds himself falling in love for the first time.
Keywords: Pedophilia, Memories, Sexual stereotyping, Gender, Sexuality, Marquez, Ageism
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023,
Pages: 1627 - 1637