Vinnie Tesla likes Victorian Lit
vinnie_tesla put up this post during his circletpress author chat. Clearly he's a fan of Victorian erotica and he asked others what they had to say.
Can't say I've been a fan Victorian literature up until this point.
Back in my 20's, when I was still wrestling with the idea of whether it was possible to be kinky and a feminist, I read every erotic novel I could lay hands on. Some of the easiest to procure were old, paperback reprints of The Pearl, A Man With A Maid, etc. (Or &c. to use the Victorian equivalent.)
At the time, i was reeeely sensitive to the issue of consent, and the rape scenes were most squicksome. I found A Man With A Maid particularly disturbing in this respect. Now that I'm older it's easier to appreciate the blurring of consent in the context of erotic writing. It's a theme that I play with a fair bit.
However, back then I found myself not only unable to relate to many of the sexual behaviors and language, but found it all more than a little ridiculous.
The Intimate Memoir of Dame Jenny Everleigh was far better. For years I wondered why I liked this so much -- indeed, why it seemed to me so wonderfully lighthearted sex-positive. Then I found out it was written in the 80s by a guy named Jerry Yulsman.
I tried to imitate this once in a story of my own, but never got it finished. Now, after reading about Vinnie's fondness for the old Victorian stuff, I find myself relaxing. Maybe if I picked The Pearl up again, it wouldn't be so bad.
And maybe, just maybe, it's time to work on that story some more. :)