Wendy Doniger, a professor at the University of Chicago and the author of a recent translation of the Kamasutra, spoke on the text's portrayal of sex and gender Thursday at Music Hall as part of the Humanities Without Boundaries lecture series.
Standing at a simple podium at the center of the stage, Doniger addressed an audience of hundreds in an academic, yet humorous tone.
Throughout her discourse, Doniger emphasized that the millennia-old text contains far more than its famed depictions of sexual positions.
\It's not just about sex,"" she said. ""It's about pleasure in the broadest sense.""
She further lamented the stigma the text has attained due to its erotic content.
""Most people will only take a surreptitious look at it in somebody else's house,"" she said.
Doniger said she personally views the text not as lewd, but as enlightening.
""It has much to tell us about ourselves, about our own questions of sex and sexuality,"" she said.
She described at length the text's perspective on gender roles and identity.
""It reveals liberal views on women's education and societal roles,"" she said.
Also, Doniger said the text empowers women by encouraging them to seek power in marriages, particularly when men misbehave.
""[The Kamasutra] suggests the woman should use passive-aggressive behavior to let him know that it's time to hit the road,"" she said.
Doniger said the text goes further, inviting women to be unfaithful to unsatisfactory husbands.
""Over one fifth of the book is about how to commit adultery,"" she said.
Moreover, Doniger noted that the text embraces homosexuality. It labels homosexuals as a ""third sex"" and includes vivid accounts of their sexual practices.
""It is unique in the literature of the period to have any reference to lesbianism at all,"" she said.
Doniger closed by discussing the contrast between sexuality and gender portrayed in the text.
""We have learned that while sex may be the same for people in all times and places, gender certainly is not,"" she said.
The audience responded warmly to Doniger's speech, laughing frequently at her quips and applauding enthusiastically at the conclusion.
Jenny Conrardy, a freshman at UW-Madison, said she was especially impressed by Doniger's command of the material.
""I thought she really knew what she was talking about,"" Conrardy said.
Steve Bichsel, a sophomore at UW-Madison, said he found the lecture informative and compelling.
""I learned that [the Kamasutra] involves a lot more than just sex,"" he said. ""Cultural interpretation has just left the other stuff out.\
