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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok so I love Anaïs Nin, and I read this collection of short stories as part of @the.storygraph read the world challenge— let me start by saying that Nin is, as always, provocative.
This collection of short stories is provoking, revolting, horrifying, exciting, tantalizing and queer.
LET IT BE KNOWN, there are several topics that are taboo, and trigger warnings to be aware of:
- sexual assault
- pedophilia
- rape
- bondage
- voyeurism
- bestiality
- necrophilia
- exhibitionism
Okay so if you’re able to read a collection of stories that contain the aforementioned topics at various points— then please, pick up this book. I rated it five stars because it’s thought provoking, poetic, horrific at moments and hilarious at others.
I think that Nin is a master of her craft, and that she empowers people and women especially to own their sexuality in ways that were considered unheard of in her time and are unfortunately still considered taboo in ours.
This collection of short stories is provoking, revolting, horrifying, exciting, tantalizing and queer.
LET IT BE KNOWN, there are several topics that are taboo, and trigger warnings to be aware of:
- sexual assault
- pedophilia
- rape
- bondage
- voyeurism
- bestiality
- necrophilia
- exhibitionism
Okay so if you’re able to read a collection of stories that contain the aforementioned topics at various points— then please, pick up this book. I rated it five stars because it’s thought provoking, poetic, horrific at moments and hilarious at others.
I think that Nin is a master of her craft, and that she empowers people and women especially to own their sexuality in ways that were considered unheard of in her time and are unfortunately still considered taboo in ours.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence
Anaïs Nin pushes what can be defined as erotic with Delta of Venus. Within Delta of Venus there are no limits to the erotic. It all exists outside of societal norms & human morals. The reader is a voyeur within this word, forced to witness heinous acts, making the reader just as a guilty as the person committing the heinous act in the first place.
Delta of Venus becomes less about the act of having sex and more about language and the atmosphere. Nin’s writing coaxes the reader into getting wrapped up in the sensuality of the words and to put aside that what she’s writing about is morally wrong.
I can’t even begin to imagine how this book was received when it was published.
Delta of Venus becomes less about the act of having sex and more about language and the atmosphere. Nin’s writing coaxes the reader into getting wrapped up in the sensuality of the words and to put aside that what she’s writing about is morally wrong.
I can’t even begin to imagine how this book was received when it was published.
dark
emotional
reflective
Nice erotica, with a bit of depth, not just blind stimulation. Stories from another world, with amazing characters and exciting things happening. This is a collection of short stories, loosely linked between them, there are obvious changes of tone and atmosphere, at times they can be puzzling. But all in all it's an enjoyable read, and it manages to keep of the 'vulgar' territory and be more than that.
Definitely one of my favorite pieces of erotica.
Definitely one of my favorite pieces of erotica.
TW: rape, pedophilia, incest, bestiality, racial slurs, sexual harassment and who knows what else
DNF @ 30%
Short review: Yikes.
Long review:
I was meaning to read Anaïs Nin for years, but it turns out I picked the wrong book to do so. You see, she is famous for her published diaries rather than her erotic stories, and I can see why now.
I want to start with a little backstory information about this book: Delta of Venus is a collection of erotica, commisioned in the 40's by a private collector. That I know, because in the prologue of the book, there is a part of Anaïs's aforementioned diaries, in which it is explained that these stories where written intentionally to be absurd. The collector instructed specifically that he wanted 'more sex, less poetry' so Anaïs and a close group of people in need of money (including Henry Miller, her lover at the time) started forming these stories and making it kind of a personal joke between them (but also loathing the fact that they had lost their agency).
Thus, the context might explain some of the trigger warnings. I still can't completely comprehend why somebody would consciously want to put these things in an erotica collection, but I do understand why they were written in the first place. De Sade and Bataille have written equally, if not more, disturbing stories in the past, and their works are considered masterpieces, so I guess I can't really get it, or stomach it for that matter.
But I need to say this: if I was about to read one of the two aforementioned writers I would probably be able to ready myself for the vile things that are to come, but with Delta of Venus I was completely clueless. When I picked this book up I thought I was about to read some vintage 40's erotica, a little kinky, maybe a little fun. Something light. So imagine my utter shock when the very first story was about a man who molests young children (including his own). Naturally, I skipped some parts and made vomiting sounds in the ones that I didn't.
Also there is a very loose version of consent in here, that I guess it is considered kinky in the text, but as a young woman living in the modern 20's, I cannot see it as such.
To give credit where credit is due some of the stories I read were actually what I expected (wanted?) them to be. Mostly unproblematic, a true bohemian sexfest. Also I can understand the slurs used due to the time period Delta of Venus was written, and to Nin's credit she didn't depict any person of colour as inferior. Quite the contrary. At least as far as I read.
In conclusion, I woke up this morning asking myself: do I really want to read 200 pages of explicit, potentially disturbing, erotica and zero character growth (because that was not the point of the commision)? I suppose you can guess my answer.
DNF @ 30%
Short review: Yikes.
Long review:
I was meaning to read Anaïs Nin for years, but it turns out I picked the wrong book to do so. You see, she is famous for her published diaries rather than her erotic stories, and I can see why now.
I want to start with a little backstory information about this book: Delta of Venus is a collection of erotica, commisioned in the 40's by a private collector. That I know, because in the prologue of the book, there is a part of Anaïs's aforementioned diaries, in which it is explained that these stories where written intentionally to be absurd. The collector instructed specifically that he wanted 'more sex, less poetry' so Anaïs and a close group of people in need of money (including Henry Miller, her lover at the time) started forming these stories and making it kind of a personal joke between them (but also loathing the fact that they had lost their agency).
Thus, the context might explain some of the trigger warnings. I still can't completely comprehend why somebody would consciously want to put these things in an erotica collection, but I do understand why they were written in the first place. De Sade and Bataille have written equally, if not more, disturbing stories in the past, and their works are considered masterpieces, so I guess I can't really get it, or stomach it for that matter.
But I need to say this: if I was about to read one of the two aforementioned writers I would probably be able to ready myself for the vile things that are to come, but with Delta of Venus I was completely clueless. When I picked this book up I thought I was about to read some vintage 40's erotica, a little kinky, maybe a little fun. Something light. So imagine my utter shock when the very first story was about a man who molests young children (including his own). Naturally, I skipped some parts and made vomiting sounds in the ones that I didn't.
Also there is a very loose version of consent in here, that I guess it is considered kinky in the text, but as a young woman living in the modern 20's, I cannot see it as such.
To give credit where credit is due some of the stories I read were actually what I expected (wanted?) them to be. Mostly unproblematic, a true bohemian sexfest. Also I can understand the slurs used due to the time period Delta of Venus was written, and to Nin's credit she didn't depict any person of colour as inferior. Quite the contrary. At least as far as I read.
In conclusion, I woke up this morning asking myself: do I really want to read 200 pages of explicit, potentially disturbing, erotica and zero character growth (because that was not the point of the commision)? I suppose you can guess my answer.
emotional
relaxing
tense
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some of the stories were somewhat interesting - although the most interesting stories really strained credibility. Perhaps I'm a prude, or perhaps modern times are somewhat different than the 70-odd years ago these stories were written - but surprise endings of pedophelia and incest really put me off and pedophelia, at least, I think should not be a subject for pornography, any more than snuff porn. The introduction says these stories were written for a patron with very specific requirements, and so perhaps there was some subversion, an attempt to provide exactly what was requested but still defy control.
On the other hand, erotica written by a women from the pre-war "dark ages", when things were much more secret, and much more patriarchal, should be recognized.
On the other hand, erotica written by a women from the pre-war "dark ages", when things were much more secret, and much more patriarchal, should be recognized.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated