The Misanthrope’s Corner

NR’s anti-porn issue breathed new life into an old idea I’ve been mulling over for a long time, so here it is: The Blue Lagoon Syndrome.

Everyone has seen the 1980 movie with Brooke Shields, but few remember the 1949 British version starring Jean Simmons, and hardly anyone has read the 1908 novel on which the movies were based. But taken together, along with the sniggering 1991 spin-off, Return to the Blue Lagoon, they offer a case study of our era’s defining paradox: Sex isn’t sexy.

About the Author

Florence King

Florence King was a contributing editor of National Review.

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NR’s anti-porn issue breathed new life into an old idea I’ve been mulling over for a long time, so here it is: The Blue Lagoon Syndrome.

Everyone has seen the 1980 movie with Brooke Shields, but few remember the 1949 British version starring Jean Simmons, and hardly anyone has read the 1908 novel on which the movies were based. But taken together, along with the sniggering 1991 spin-off, Return to the Blue Lagoon, they offer a case study of our era’s defining paradox: Sex isn’t sexy.