“I write from the realms of the ugly, for the ugly”, states Virginie Despentes in the opening line of
King Kong théorie(2006;
King Kong Theory, 2009 and 2020; Despentes 2020, 13). With its frank, confrontational tone and emphasis on Despentes’s first-person perspective, this line sets the scene for the text to come.
King Kong théorieis a generically hybrid work that mobilises Despentes’s own experience as a springboard for reflection on topics such as gender, sex work, pornography, rape, and masculinity. It provides an “origin story” for Despentes herself, as well as making a polemical intervention into feminist discourse. Prior to the publication of
King Kong théorie, Despentes was best known for her scandalous debut novel
Baise-moi(1994;
Rape Me, 2003) and for the…
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Citation: Pugh, Alexandra. "King Kong Théorie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 November 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40823, accessed 24 April 2024.]
