In Wallace Stegner's book "Angle of Repose," the author expresses disdain for the phrase "having sex." He believes it reduces an intimate act to a mechanical process, stripping away the deeper emotional and physical connections that come with making love or the raw enjoyment of sex. This critique highlights the importance of language in shaping our understanding of personal relationships and intimacy.

Stegner's choice of words emphasizes the complexity of sexual experiences, suggesting that they encompass a range of feelings and meanings beyond mere physicality. By contrasting the mechanical nature of "having sex" with the richness of making love and the excitement of fucking, he invites readers to reconsider how they perceive and talk about sexual relationships.