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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well this was absolutely fascinating. A series of essays and collected recollections of a Mary Ann, or young male Prostitute in Victorian London. Very very valuable piece of gay history, which was what I read it for, but it was also extremely and surprisingly sexy? There were moments of it I found genuinely erotic (hello Cow Udder girl!!) despite the absurdity. There were also parts of it that are dated/racist and others that weren’t my cup of tea—coercion for example—(pedastry, however…), but the entire thing was well Written and titillating and informative even if I wasn’t INTO it into it. I’ve been writing a lot of Victorian erotica so I wanted to see the language gay men were using at the time and I was not dissapointed on that front in the least. Incredibly informative, and also a brilliant insight into what criminalized sex looked like in a deeply repressed society. Goes to show that sometimes control and censorship lead to even more dramatic backswings in reaction, and by repressing sexuality publicaly, truly boundary-obliterating sex cultures flourish privately. Not for the faint of heart, there’s every possible topic your average kid with pronouns on twitter would dox someone for in here. Pedophilia, bestiality, rape, caning, cross dressing, you name it. (Except scat and water sports! Curiously absent).
Pretty much every kind of sexual act (and "perversity) that one could imagine. The book was referenced in a historical text on homosexuality (Sodom on the Thames) and is incredibly interesting in its historical significance, speaking, perhaps, first-hand about actual events taking place in the early and mid-19th century. Real people, schools, brothels, and court cases are mentioned and/or implied, and the book closes with a brief account of (in)famous ancient Romans.
dark
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
Reviewing The Sins of the Cities of the Plain is actually insanely difficult. Quite simply, this is Victorian porn, and it's honestly not particularly good porn either. This book is absolutely bonkers, but the prose is simplistic and rather bland. - However, it's a deeply fascinating text, and while there's not much to be said in the way of plot, there's plenty to be said about its history, origin of publishing, and readership.
Originally, this novel existed only as something that was privately printed, and distributed amongst a tiny bespoke and tight-knit circle. Today, it stands as one of the most candid and brutally honest works on homosexuality in Victorian London, and offers such a beautifully insightful look into just how unrepressed and unhinged people of the Victorian era could be when they so desired. As readers, this novel is our chance to gaze upon a buried piece of history.
Originally, this novel existed only as something that was privately printed, and distributed amongst a tiny bespoke and tight-knit circle. Today, it stands as one of the most candid and brutally honest works on homosexuality in Victorian London, and offers such a beautifully insightful look into just how unrepressed and unhinged people of the Victorian era could be when they so desired. As readers, this novel is our chance to gaze upon a buried piece of history.
"The pain soon became dulled, and then was succeeded by a beautiful glow; such a lovely sensation - it is almost impossible to describe - pervaded my whole frame, and they must have seen it indicated in my face, for, throwing aside their rods, they let me loose, and embraced my with tears in their eyes."
To look at this novel through a modern lens is to see how horrific it really is. It's disgusting and wasn't in any way an enjoyable, enthralling or sensual experience. But is this story of a Victorian escort actually meant to tantalize us? Is it even meant to be enjoyable? Isn't there a vast and vital difference between enjoyment and appreciation? Personally, I think so. I appreciate that this unsettling and sickening account exists to open our eyes to a clandestine underworld so commonly brushed aside. I just didn't enjoy it.
Ultimately, this doesn't seem like the kind of novel that's meant to actually be enjoyed. You're not supposed to fly through these pages and have a blast, or experience some kind of gorgeous prose. You're simply meant to absorb a core part of queer literary history, to visit a text of years past, and to cast some light over lives forgotten. Regardless of how entertaining (or not) your time with this story is, it's clearly, an important piece of literature. And, as a bonus, it's a total riot to learn the crazy nicknames the Victorians gave to their genitals.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A bit pornographic but overall very informational. Also I guess some of the anecdotes were exaggerated for effect but it was enlightening.
challenging
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
traumatizing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't know quite how to rate this book or if there was a point in my trying seeing as I did read it for school. And, more to the point, because it is Victorian pornography. Do I compare it to other books I read? Do I compare it to erotica, contemporary and past? Do I compare it to other Victorian pornographic novels? I just don't know, and I'm not sure that there is much to be had out of trying. It is, of course, ridiculous. It is also fascinating, and thinking about it in terms of its publication and original readership--thinking about who was reading it and when and where--is another aspect of the text entirely (that its original readers probably did not care so much about). I read this on the boat from Igoumenitsa to Ancona and fully appreciated the discretion of possessing an e-reader for the first time. It is meant to be titillating so of course it is in some respects, but it is also comical (intentionally and unintentionally) and unlikely. It wouldn't be my first recommendation for a book to get off with (though different strokes for different folks, as they say), but if you're curious about just how unrepressed the Victorians could be when they chose, take a gander.