Shakespeare References in The Office Party

I was quite surprised when I found Shakespeare references in Little Girl Lust, but perhaps even more surprised to find a couple of references in a second porn novel, The Office Party. The Office Party isn’t the usual fare, but is about a woman who would like to have sex with dogs and then has sex with dogs. There are two Shakespeare references in this book, and the first is to Hamlet. But, no, it is not to the “dog will have his day” line. A missed opportunity there. Instead the reference is to the most famous speech of the play. Jon Larson writes, “Sounds groovy – but can I ever take that huge thing up my but – that, my luv, is the question – to fuck my asshole or not to fuck my asshole!” (p. 72). And yes, “but” is spelled with one T. These books aren’t carefully edited. The entire book is told in the third person, except half of one page, which is suddenly from the main woman’s perspective. Anyway, the second reference is to Romeo And Juliet. At the office party, Dennis – the boss – is attracted to Diane, while Dennis’ girlfriend is fooling around with Diane’s husband. Jon Larson has Dennis say to Diane, “A husband and wife coming to a party like this, and no getting uptight when a Romeo like me plays with his pretty wife!” (p. 99). I’m pretty sure he meant to write “not getting uptight,” not “no getting uptight.” But he could have meant “no getting uptight,” I suppose.

The Office Party was published in 1978 by Casino Books.