ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a systematic analysis of the way American newspaper advice columns function as public forums for the discussion of human sexuality. Although the questions posed to newspaper advice columnists ranges from matters of etiquette to intimacy, a vast majority of the limited space of these newspaper columns concerns issues that fall under a broader heading of sexuality. The importance of newspaper advice columns as sites of sexuality discourse is contextualized by their appearance within a culture that is severely divided on questions of how, when, and to what extent one may formally speak about sexuality. In America in the twenty-first century, talking about sex in educational contexts is perceived to be almost as risky as having sex. The newspaper advice column sits at a unique juncture between formal and informal discussions of sexuality.
