I've been a de Sade fan since long before I should have known who he was. I dare say, if I meander any direction in the land of S&M, it's toward the S portion, and I utterly love his Voltairian wit and cynicism. I doubted that I could ever like anyone who took it from another angle in that respect.
However, my boyrfriend told me I really ought to read de Sade's German antithesis, Sacher-Masoch (the man who put the M is S&M), so I gave it a shot, somewhat skeptical as to what merits I would find in his most famous work, Venus in Furs. It's a good thing I kinda like being proven wrong sometimes, because I LOVED Sacher-Masoch. His writing is far more poetic than de Sade's, and while he does make his primary male characters subservient imbeciles, he empowers his females to such a point that I'm compelled to group him with the early feminists. (I'm also likin' the prevalence of red-heads in this work - gotta support my fellow female daywalkers.)
Because I'm sure you're curious as to what this book is actually about, the plot runs something as follows: An unknown narrator, possibly Sacher-Masoch himself, dreams of a visit from the goddess Venus, draped in furs. Upon awaking, the narrator tells his friend, Severin, of the strange vision. Severin, it appears, has experienced something similar in real life, and hands over a manuscript, Memoirs of a Suprasensual Man, in which he details his time with an earthly Venus, Wanda von Dunajew. After meeting her in a garden and becoming entranced with her beauty and potential cruelty, he signs a contract to be her slave for a period of a year, and the pair set off for Italy with whips and furs and all the necessary accoutrements of a happy little sadomasochistic lifestyle.
One thing I love, though, is that Wanda is not purely cruel; in fact, Severin is the one her coerces her into mistreating him, and at first she is quite reluctant to do so. Indeed, she exhibits a tendency to fluctuate between the brutality that Severin craves and the affection that she wishes to bestow upon him. Instead of presenting her as merely a cold-hearted dom, Sacher-Masoch has made her someone I can truly identify with, and for that I am impressed.
As to how this is relevant to a music blog, if you've ever heard the absolutely wonderful "Venus In Furs" by The Velvet Underground, that's where it comes from. And if you haven't heard it, crack out your favourite cat o' nine tails and have a listen. It's a classic, baby.
The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs [mp3]
However, my boyrfriend told me I really ought to read de Sade's German antithesis, Sacher-Masoch (the man who put the M is S&M), so I gave it a shot, somewhat skeptical as to what merits I would find in his most famous work, Venus in Furs. It's a good thing I kinda like being proven wrong sometimes, because I LOVED Sacher-Masoch. His writing is far more poetic than de Sade's, and while he does make his primary male characters subservient imbeciles, he empowers his females to such a point that I'm compelled to group him with the early feminists. (I'm also likin' the prevalence of red-heads in this work - gotta support my fellow female daywalkers.)
Because I'm sure you're curious as to what this book is actually about, the plot runs something as follows: An unknown narrator, possibly Sacher-Masoch himself, dreams of a visit from the goddess Venus, draped in furs. Upon awaking, the narrator tells his friend, Severin, of the strange vision. Severin, it appears, has experienced something similar in real life, and hands over a manuscript, Memoirs of a Suprasensual Man, in which he details his time with an earthly Venus, Wanda von Dunajew. After meeting her in a garden and becoming entranced with her beauty and potential cruelty, he signs a contract to be her slave for a period of a year, and the pair set off for Italy with whips and furs and all the necessary accoutrements of a happy little sadomasochistic lifestyle.
One thing I love, though, is that Wanda is not purely cruel; in fact, Severin is the one her coerces her into mistreating him, and at first she is quite reluctant to do so. Indeed, she exhibits a tendency to fluctuate between the brutality that Severin craves and the affection that she wishes to bestow upon him. Instead of presenting her as merely a cold-hearted dom, Sacher-Masoch has made her someone I can truly identify with, and for that I am impressed.
As to how this is relevant to a music blog, if you've ever heard the absolutely wonderful "Venus In Furs" by The Velvet Underground, that's where it comes from. And if you haven't heard it, crack out your favourite cat o' nine tails and have a listen. It's a classic, baby.
The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs [mp3]
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