Both Ensler's Vagina Monologues and Diderot's Indiscreet Jewels are meant to be comedic, and deal with the same subject matter. However the Vagina monologues is meant to be more informative on the subject; it tries to bring a subject that has been in the dark in to the light. This work wants people to know it is okay to talk about these things; the more inform people are and call body parts by their proper name the better. Diderot’s Indiscreet Jewels is silly and meant to arouse the thoughts of the reader while exploring the subject. People at the time probably did not take away much after reading it since the subject itself was considered to be vulgar. The women in the story would have been probably deemed as prostitutes. Diderot probably made the characters in the story foreign in order to make the subject/story more acceptable.

The gender of each writer influences the text of each of the writing. They invite different types of reader. Diderot’s is more inviting to men while the Vagina Monologue is more inviting to women. Diderot’s is more about male fantasies. He is more playful with his words. He down plays the situation by making things in a way more child like. Parents might tell a child their genitals are called jewels. He does not use actual terminology. Ensler on the other hand wants people to use the correct terminology.

These two works would probably not be acceptable in other centuries and cultures because of the subject matter. Sexuality, especially when concerning women's sexuality has always been a taboo since the beginning of time. Most people do not like to talk about this subject. Most of the changes in the way people view this subject did not occurred until the 20th century. That is a long time if one thinks about how long human have been around. The sexual revolution that occurred around the 1960s and 1970s changed many previous notions people had before. During this time birth control pills were accepted as a contraceptive, people began to experiment, and write books on the subject. Although we have made progress since then it is still a sensitive subject. Even though we are in the 21st century, a society that prides itself in being modern and more knowledgeable than past centuries, talking about a woman’s genitals still makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I remember when the play on the Vagina Monologues started playing a few years ago some people were very offended by it and it caused a lot of controversies while others found the play to be very informative; it is meant to change the viewers perspective about the situation and make them think about a subject not often talked about openly. However, if any of the texts were to be accepted it would be Diderot's. His work is based on fiction, and is mostly aimed at a male reader while the Vagina Monologues is non fiction.

On "The Indiscreet Jewels", "Vagina Monologues" and "Penis Monologues"

“The Indiscreet Jewels” by Denis Diderot is a novel that portrays Louis XV as a sultan who owns a magic ring that makes women's genital or jewel talk. It's a novel of ideas in which “jewels” function as the vehicle of philosophy to enlighten society.
Louis XV was king of France between 1715 and 1774, and it was well-known for having various mistresses and was frequently influenced by them. It's said that he had ninety illegitimate children, product of all his sexual encounters with his mistresses. Louis XV's poor leadership and lack of reforms contributed to the crisis that led to the French Revolution in 1789.
“The Indiscreet Jewels” was written as a satire to the king and his womanizer powers. Diderot is most remembered as being the editor and one of the main contributors of “The Encyclopedia”. What started as a merely translation of “The Chambers Cyclopedia”, ended up being an open door to the “world of knowledge”; where not only technology articles, but also ethic,philosophic as well as aesthetic topics can be found. This type of writing was seen as an attack to the Catholic Church, whose norms still ruled the society on that time, because writings like this would open the eyes of the society and create many questions and doubts. This would negatively affect not only the Catholic Church but also the Crown since an ignorant society is much easier to rule.
As Diderot tries to reveal the secrets about the “knowledge world” in “The Encyclopedia”, in “The Indiscreet Jewels”, he tries to do the same; to expose to the general public the more deepest secrets of a woman's feelings and thoughts about desire and sexuality; topics that were taboo in Diderot's years. I think that more than being a satire about the King of France, the real purpose of this novel is to make out of a topic like sexuality something more open to discussion for the people. But a “Vagina Monologue” couldn't be created in that time, so Diderot had to find ways to present his novels to the public without being exposed to sanctions and even jail time for his open mind. Here is were “The Indiscreet Jewels” and “Vagina Monologues” share their first similitude. Although at first instance, both could be seen as mere satires, they have a hidden purpose which is to make of a topic-the women's genitalia-a more open topic of discussion. Both “The Indiscreet Jewels” and “Vagina Monologues” are written differently to target differently public too; “Vagina Monologues” is a play written in 1996; “The indiscreet Jewels” is a novel written in 1748. “Vagina Monologues” seems to be more directed to the female public, whereas “The Indiscreet Jewel” to the general public. “Vagina Monologues” uses the monologues to inform women about their own sexuality, and through knowledge, empower them and remove them from the world of hypocrisy and taboo were “talking about sexuality, intercourse, masturbation, orgasm” have been hidden in.
In “Vagina Monologues” ”every monologue somehow relates to the vagina, be it through sex, love, rape, menstruation, mutilation, masturbation, birth, orgasm, the variety of names for the vagina, or simply as a physical aspect of the body. A recurring theme throughout the piece is the vagina as a tool of female empowerment, and the ultimate embodiment of individuality” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vagina_Monologues). “Vagina Monologues” was a boom when the first play open in New York, because even though we are in the 21 Century, talking about women's intimate parts appears to be counterproductive and improper for some. Since the first play back in 1996, “Vagina Monologues” have developed to V-Day, “a global movement to stop violence against women and girls (...) through a series of events that generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery” (http://newsite.vday.org/about/more-about). On the other hand, “The indiscreet Jewels” remains as one of the most scandalous, attractive and provocative works of Diderot.

Although “Penis Monologues” is an enjoyable reading, I think his purpose differs from that one of “Vagina Monologues”. It's presented, once again, as satire, but contrary to “Vagina Monologues”, it doesn't develop further than that. I don't see any valid information, knowledge that can lead men to better know their bodies or give them more confidence to openly discuss man sexuality with others. It's just a series of jokes about intercourse, or, in the words of Peace “When privates meet”, circumcision and masturbation. Maybe it is presented this way because sexual taboo is not that much about men genitalia but rather women's. After all, men seem to understand something better when is introduced to them as a joke. :)


Internet Sources used:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567404/louis_xv.html
http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/diderotbio.html
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_bijoux_indiscrets)

Past or present, the issues are the same!

Historical writings seem to have two sides to them. They show us a clear picture of the past and what its societal norms used to be, and they also mirror our current culture and mores. Most of the time it is amazing when we realise that issues then are much the issues now. Whereas interpretations are different from one time period to the next, they still cause people to think about humans and how we function. This is what my impression was, when I read the two excerpts, the "Vagina Monologues" by Ensler and the "Penis Monologues" by Peace.
It is interesting to show that womens' anatomy is not talked about in our current society, as much as mens', as per these writings. In Diderot's "Indiscreet Jewels" two issues were brought forth. One, that whether women were discreet or not, about having multiple sexual partners, they never openly told anyone about them. Also that their "jewels" were not mentioned in society. Putting the two untalked-about issues together in the idea that the woman's vagina talked about that woman's lovers was a very satirical look at society's conventions. It ridiculed the idea of hidden adolatry and hypocracy. It fits in with the background of Diderot being a reformer and philosophe in eighteenth century France.
Contemporary writings such as the two monologues in the excerpt seem less sarcastic or satirical and more funny and open. They serve the same purpose to show that women's anatomies are not talked about openly as compared to mens'. Perhaps this shows a side of society that wants to keep the female body as a hidden, mystical being to pique the curiosity of men. Ensler writes "I guess it is that if we talk about something then we demystify it". That seems to be very true of the whole idea behind why men's anatomies are discussed more openly. Peace had a hilarious outlook on men's circumcision and their penises. He clearly talked about how good it felt for men to have an erection even if societal norms forbade that in public. He also mentioned how terrifying it was for a man to think of circumcision being performed on him. Both monologues can be used by contemporary families to teach their children about their respective anatomies and how to be comfortable with biological changes that occur over their lifespan.
Overall the two excerpts offered interesting viewpoints on male and female bodies as discussed in society.