Pleasure and Efficacy: Of Pen Names, Cover Versions, and Other Trans Techniques

Grace Lavery's book "Pleasure and Efficacy" explores the skepticism surrounding gender transition in the modern period, arguing that it is possible and should be celebrated. She examines "trans pragmatism" - the ways that trans people resist medicalization and pathologization to achieve pleasure and freedom - and offers a counterhistory of tricks and techniques passed on by women to women.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

A prominent trans scholar and activist delves into the cultural representations of gender transition in the modern era. In her book "Pleasure and Efficacy," Grace Lavery explores the experiences and representations of gender transition across various mediums, including literature, psychoanalysis, and marriage manuals. Lavery examines the skepticism expressed in these works regarding the possibility of changing one's sex, highlighting the ambivalence that has fueled both anti-trans oppression and the civil rights claims made by trans individuals. She examines what she calls "trans pragmatism," the strategies employed by trans people to resist medicalization and pathologization, aiming to achieve pleasure and freedom. Lavery argues that trans pragmatism affirms the validity and reality of transition, emphasizing that it is possible and occurs.

The book is structured around the guiding influences of George Eliot and Sigmund Freud, covering a wide range of modern culture, including poetry, prose, criticism, philosophy, fiction, cinema, pop music, pornography, and memes. Lavery suggests that the cultural history of gender transition inadvertently provides a history of genre transition, as transition involves individuals moving between different genres. She explores the concept of technique and its associations with feminine craftiness, contrasting it with masculine freedom. Lavery argues that techniques of giving and receiving pleasure are essential for the thriving of trans feminism, even as they are suppressed by patriarchal and anti-trans feminist philosophies.

In challenging claims for the impossibility of transition, Lavery offers a counterhistory of tric, highlighting the experiences and contributions of trans individuals and communities throughout history. "Pleasure and Efficacy" is a groundbreaking work that sheds light on the complexities and nuances of gender transition and its cultural representations. It provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing discussions about gender identity, sexuality, and social justice.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 155 x 235 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691243931