Ask Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman discussion

I host elementary and middle/high school book clubs at our public local library where the participants read the book independently and we meet to discuss the book and then watch the movie adaptation of it. Our teen group just read Stardust and the slightly graphic sex paragraph was a little un-nerving for our 7th graders. We were all curious what motivated you to include it? We spent a bit of time discussing whether it was needed to further the plot. We would love to hear your reasoning for it. The old teens thought it was included so it would not considered a YA book.

From a reader's point of view: The scene provides some character development so that the death of Tertius is more meaningful, it adds to the development of the setting ("this is a kind of world where... happens"), and of course it is the context in which the character dies. If Tertius' consort didn't give him the poisoned wine, then who would? It had to be someone who he trusted, but who didn't know the danger he was in.