Literary Veins

Abstract

This article examines the erotic practice of muscle worship through the prism of Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection. Muscle worship is a form of BDSM activity which usually involves the erotic veneration of muscle, preferably that of bodybuilders, by way of activities such as caressing, kissing, licking, and massaging their muscles. The analysis draws primarily on Kristeva's exploration of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's abject oeuvre and on the queer theoretical writings of Adrian Rifkin to make sense of this pursuit. The article traces how muscle worship assumes a similar role to the literary examples explored in Powers of Horror, acting as a means to purge the abject. The sessions, however, are more of the genre of theatre than the novel. This theatrical dimension is investigated at length both in relation to muscle worship and to BDSM more broadly.