From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An agony aunt is a columnist at a magazine or newspaper who writes a segment commonly known as an advice column. The image presented was originally of an older woman providing comforting advice and maternal wisdom, hence the name "aunt".

An agony aunt answers readers' queries on personal problems, in particular giving advice about sexual problems. In many cases, the queries, as well as the answers, have been created in the office, and the agony aunt is actually a team of writers. Marjorie Proops's name appeared (with photo) long after she retired. The nominal writer may be a pseudonym, or in effect a brand name; the accompanying picture may bear little resemblance to the actual author.

The term is beginning to fall into disuse, as the scope of personal advice has broadened, to include overtly sexual matters — pioneered by the likes of Dr. Ruth — as well as general lifestyle issues.

Many advice columns are now syndicated and appear in countless newspapers. Such prominent U.S. examples include Dear Abby, Ann Landers, and in a more modern form, Carolyn Hax's "Tell Me About It".

Inevitably the "Agony Aunt" has become the subject of fiction, often satirically or farcically. Versions of the form include:

• An agony aunt who is really a man, and the complications that follow.
• An agony aunt whose own personal problems and issues are more bizarre and a career in media surrounded by self-promoting bizarros. Anna Raeburn herself works as an agony aunt on radio call-in shows, much as the main character of the sitcom does.

Sherlock Holmes often read the "agony column", calling it "always instructive". [1] Another classic example of the agony aunt in fiction appears in Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West.

The Agony Aunts, Dotsie and Sadie, are the chilling elderly enforcers of the Street of Negotiable Affection in author Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of novels.