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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Finishing up this book, I've had a bit of mixed feelings about it. All in a all, I think I'm just generally not really into reading erotica. I'd rather do it myself than read about it
dark
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Yeah. I read it.
Actually, it took me more than a year to get through it. It's not the most page turning of reads, but I don't think it was written to be so. The prose is nice, although I think this is less a book of erotic fiction than a book of explicit stories about failed or unhealthy relationships.
Actually, it took me more than a year to get through it. It's not the most page turning of reads, but I don't think it was written to be so. The prose is nice, although I think this is less a book of erotic fiction than a book of explicit stories about failed or unhealthy relationships.
Delta of Venus is a collection of erotic short stories written by Nin for a 'book collector' who desired custom erotic writings. In the introduction, which is an excerpt from Nin's diary, she mentions how she worked with a collective of other writers who all produced erotica because it was quick and they needed the money. However, she says that they all hated the collector because he would ask them to remove the poetry from their writing and only include explicit sex. Nin sent the collector the following letter:
The first of its kind, Nin's erotica is the first to be written from the perspective of a woman. In the postscript she even notes how in the less poetic stories, her feminine voice still shines through. With her own education in psychoanalysis and the French psychoanalysis movement of the 50s having been well established by the time of this book, Nin very clearly tries to take back the more masculine interpretations of sex that psychoanalysis was providing. From this perspective, Delta of Venus is important from both a feminist perspective and a psychoanalytic one. Just as Freud was important for creating a language of sexuality that could be modified and built upon, Nin has created a space for female sexuality; a space that was especially necessary in a field dominated by men and male bias.
Unfortunately, the stories themselves are a bit uninteresting and repetitive. I believe that if you were to read Elena, my favorite story in the collection, you would be able to get a sufficient understanding of Nin's voice and perspective on sexuality. That said, this book is a piece of revolutionary history, and for that deserves to be appreciated.
Dear Collector: we hate you. Sex loses all its power and magic when it becomes explicit, mechanical, overdone, when it becomes a mechanistic obsession. It becomes a bore. You have taught us more than anyone I know how wrong it is not to mix it with emotion, hunger, desire, lust, whims...You do not know what you are missing by your microscopic examination of sexual activity to the exclusion of aspects which are the fuel that ignites it...You are shrinking your world of sensations. You are withering it, starving it, draining its blood."
The first of its kind, Nin's erotica is the first to be written from the perspective of a woman. In the postscript she even notes how in the less poetic stories, her feminine voice still shines through. With her own education in psychoanalysis and the French psychoanalysis movement of the 50s having been well established by the time of this book, Nin very clearly tries to take back the more masculine interpretations of sex that psychoanalysis was providing. From this perspective, Delta of Venus is important from both a feminist perspective and a psychoanalytic one. Just as Freud was important for creating a language of sexuality that could be modified and built upon, Nin has created a space for female sexuality; a space that was especially necessary in a field dominated by men and male bias.
Unfortunately, the stories themselves are a bit uninteresting and repetitive. I believe that if you were to read Elena, my favorite story in the collection, you would be able to get a sufficient understanding of Nin's voice and perspective on sexuality. That said, this book is a piece of revolutionary history, and for that deserves to be appreciated.
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3140796.html
Classic erotica short stories, varying quite a lot in length, subject matter and (frankly) appeal. The story of "Elena" takes up more than a quarter of the book; I actually found the following story, "The Basque and Bijou", the most interesting as the two named characters try various things to different degrees of satisfaction. A lot of erotica is single-themed to the point of monotony; this certainly isn't.
Classic erotica short stories, varying quite a lot in length, subject matter and (frankly) appeal. The story of "Elena" takes up more than a quarter of the book; I actually found the following story, "The Basque and Bijou", the most interesting as the two named characters try various things to different degrees of satisfaction. A lot of erotica is single-themed to the point of monotony; this certainly isn't.
This is what "Fifty Shades" wishes it could be. Erotic but with a sense of "lit-er-a-ture, dahling" if you know what I mean. The stories are loosely connected and all are steamy. Some with a little more "ickiness" as one Goodreads reviewer put it but I'm guessing that that particular reviewer hasn't had the innumerable English classes that I had to sit through.
A great read. Probably best read where your significant other is readily available.
A great read. Probably best read where your significant other is readily available.
Trying hard to contextualise this book as Anaïs writing for one secretive collector (whom she hated) in order to pay the bills when she needed. Call me a prude all you want, the abuse of young girls and boys is not erotica. It’s a no from me.
