Embracing Maternal Eroticism: Queer Experiences of Pleasure in Maggie Nelson’s <i>The Argonauts</i>

Abstract

In her genre-defying poetic/critical memoir The Argonauts (2015), Maggie Nelson explores the interstices of sex, mothering, and language in the age of North American neoliberalism. Nelson reflects on her experiences of familymaking with her partner, artist Harry Dodge, through her journey of conceiving and giving birth to her son Iggy while learning to care for her stepson at the same time. She also provides readers with insight into her creative and academic life as a writer and professor. The book was received with great acclaim and was named as one of the New York Times' "Notable Books" in 2015. It also earned Nelson the 2015 National Book Critics Circle award in the category of "criticism," underscoring the text's fluidity of genre and its wide reach. Shortly after publication of The Argonauts, Nelson was awarded a prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Grant which further established her reputation as a leading writer in North America today. Responding to a question about her relationship to mothering in an interview with The Rumpus, Nelson highlights her interest in thinking about categorisation and relationality, specifically in terms of the maternal. Nelson wonders: Can we talk about the maternal function, whatever that might be, without invariably tethering it to the maternal body? How can we have that conversation without eliding the maternal body? Should we be hanging onto something called "the maternal function," or should we be talking about an "ordinary devotion" that people of all genders can participate in? Should we be talking about forms of devotion and care that exceed and exist apart from the baby/mother/parent model? (Steinke, 2015) Nelson raises questions about the contours of modern care and contemplates the position of biology in maternal and parental practice. This interview response reveals Nelson's interest in the physical aspect of care which also plays a central theme in The Argonauts. The memoir ties together a number of care narratives, including Nelson's meditations on Dodge's process of gender transitioning, caring for her stepson as well as her biological son, and her own partnership with Dodge. This article focuses on Nelson's reflections on her own maternal body and the implications of Nelson's writing on an understanding of the maternal erotic. While in no way is Dodge's