Name: Venus im Pelz
Rating: 3.807692307692307 (13 reviews)

Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

"Von Masoch muSS gesagt werden, daSS nie jemand mit mehr Dezenz so weit gegangen ist." Gilles Deleuze

mit einer Studie über den Masochismus

Venus im Pelz

a novel ; Letters of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and Emilie Mataja

Venus in furs

This book started off as a good change: obsessed man being submissive over a woman. Venus in Furs is controversial because of it showing the side of a submissive and a weak man alongside introduction to Masochism and the "master x slave" role-playing. Not to mention, alter egos have also been shown in this novel, very new concept. I commend the guts needed to write this book considering thar this was written in 1870. Now this book is much more than what it is famous more: this book is a very layered book with both the main cast being complex people. You see the changes that happens in the characters as story progresses, often taking twisted and dark turns captivating your mind. A twisted eroticism does seem to be the main storyline however this relationship was just an allegory towards the deeper meaning: self respect. The book does imply how self respect is so important and one really needs to grow, cant be stuck there. It shows dramatic interpretations of lack of self respect, humiliation, not willing to change and even if the will comes, its just temporary -> more humiliation.

"Whoever allows himself to be whipped deserves to be whipped."

Aarush Arora

This book started off as a good change: obsessed man being submissive over a woman. Venus in Furs is controversial because of it showing the side of a submissive and a weak man alongside introduction to Masochism and the "master x slave" role-playing. Not to mention, alter egos have also been shown in this novel, very new concept. I commend the guts needed to write this book considering thar this was written in 1870. Now this book is much more than what it is famous more: this book is a very layered book with both the main cast being complex people. You see the changes that happens in the characters as story progresses, often taking twisted and dark turns captivating your mind. A twisted eroticism does seem to be the main storyline however this relationship was just an allegory towards the deeper meaning: self respect. The book does imply how self respect is so important and one really needs to grow, cant be stuck there. It shows dramatic interpretations of lack of self respect, humiliation, not willing to change and even if the will comes, its just temporary -> more humiliation.

"Whoever allows himself to be whipped deserves to be whipped."

jack

i enjoyed this enough. a lot more psychological than i expected (and i am thankful for that). even with the focus of the novella being just two characters, they still felt very flimsy. some interesting insights about the nature of love though!

also, my edition came with two uh... contracts written by von sacher-masoch in his own personal life. crazy to see that he was really about the whole lifestyle to an incredible extent. overall a pretty interesting read.

anastasia

lily_z_z_z

Severin is so infatuated with Wanda that he requests to be treated as her slave and encourages her to treat him in progressively more degrading ways. At first Wanda does not want to, but later embraces the idea; though at the same time, she disdains Severin for allowing her to do so. Severin describes his feelings during these experiences as suprasensuality. Wanda treats him brutally as a servant, and recruits a trio of African women to dominate him. The relationship arrives at a crisis point when Wanda herself meets a man to whom she would like to submit. Severin, humiliated by Wanda's new lover, ceases to desire to submit, stating that men should dominate women until the time when women are equal to men in education and rights. Probably the first book which blatantly addresses the issue of female sexual domination, this is today a classic of the genre and it is the author from whom the word masochism takes its name.

Venus im Pelz mit einer Studie über den Masochismus

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