Porn: Myths for the Twentieth Century

Stoller's self-styled ``ethnographic'' study of heterosexual pornography consists of reprinting transcripts of his interviews with porn actresses, actors, directors and producers. Much of the material has the aura of a hardcore flesh magazine. Affecting a nonjudgmental attitude, he writes in a short concluding chapter that most porn scripts are not ``simply anti-female . . . these stories are often full of freedom--women depicted having a marvelous time.'' Most pornography ``does little good and little harm'' except for child porn, he avers. A UCLA professor of psychiatry, Stoller qualifies his position in his summary analysis, stating that anger or rebellion against one's parents and society underlies most pornography, that it exploits men as well as women and that a desire to degrade or be degraded is an element of pornography. (Dec.)