and a general riding his horse into battle. Each patron eroticizes the outward signs of his office; each scenario must contain both an "authentic detail" and a "fake detail." For these patrons, the authentic detail guarantees the verisimiltude that is the necessary condition of their pleasure. But pleasure is not possible without the fake detail. The fake detail assures that this is an aesthetic experience, and not merely a real one.
The authentic detail grants enough realness to let the patrons forget themselves in their roles, while the fake detail lends a voluptuousness to the scene that cannot be attained in reality. For example, Irma the madam and Carmen the prostitute discuss a scenario involving St. Theresa:
CARMEN: And what'll the authentic detail be?
IRMA: The ring. He's got it all worked out. The wedding ring. You know that every nun wears a wedding ring, as a bride of God. That's so. That's how he'll know he's dealing with a real nun.
CARMEN: What about the fake detail?
IRMA: It's almost always the same: black lace under the homespun skirt.
The fake detail, however, need not be an incongruously erotic detail, like the black lace under little St. Theresa's skirt. The fake detail is voluptuous by the very fact of its artifice. In the pictures on this page, this beautiful girl is obviously posing for a caning rather than being caned.
