Pst Pst (1896-1898). Een erotisch weekblad tussen naturalisme en utopie

Abstract

Amsterdam-based Pst Pst (1896-1898) was more than an erotic magazine. It not only tried to excite and provoke its audience with drawings of naked ladies and obscene jests, it also contained elements of two important literary trends: utopianism and naturalism. On the one hand, it was naturalistic in its attempt to uncover morals and sexual practices that were concealed in public discourse. The magazine ridiculed the double standard of Dutch society through jokes and prints about prostitution. On the other hand, it described the manifestations, mainly the nightlife, of the urban bohemian subculture to which it was - both geographically and mentally - connected. Pst Pst tried to dissociate itself from social conventions by creating a small world of its own. It announced mysterious erotic events, placed extravagant fake advertisements and depicted prostitutes as insatiable, merry young girls. Obviously, Pst Pst was not the only publication engaged in the production of erotica, but in this period it was the only erotic magazine, with corresponding characteristics such as a connection with a specific audience and an engagement with current affairs.