24.06.2007, 2:08 am
One of the books I've been meaning to pick up is Histoire d'O (1954) which is a very famous French erotic novel by a female author about sadomasochism. The interesting thing about the novel is that after its publication it won acclaim as the recipient of the Prix des Deux Magots, which is apparently like a quirky version of the Prix Goncourt. (I imagine the comparison to be something like the MTV awards as an alternative to the Acadamy Awards, a lot of films considered irrelevant or without artistic merit are cast aside as dog food for the masses) However, the French government also brought charges against those responsible for the novel's publication and dissemination on the basis of obscenities. The fact that it was so despised and adored simultaneously is very fascinating. I'm sure they impacted one another quite a bit.
The novel is about a young woman's journey through her experiences with lifestyle S&M sometime during that era. It is apparently quite graphic. While considered an "erotic" novel I have heard that there is more to it, in terms of symbolism, metaphors, statements on the role of women in a social and cultural context... I am very excited about it. It's very seldom that I'm able to find a novel about human sexuality, let alone a form of sexuality I find compelling, that's more than just jerkoff material.
Furthermore...there was a pornographic film made based on the novel in 1975 which I'm currently downloading. Part of me wants to see it, however, I've also heard that it is horrible. I downloaded a porno a few months ago that I'd heard had an "amazing" story and would really "make you think". It didn't...and it didn't. I was actually quite disappointed. Porn has broken my heart before and I'm not sure I'm ready to have it broken again. Of course when I tell people this is why I watched it, they call me an idiot, but I actually believed my source. :(
I don't know when tf I'll have time to read all this shit. I need to set up one of those cookbook stands next to my laptop and read while I play World of Warcraft. With music on. And the television. On the treadmill. With a feed bag. I need to consume as much SHIT as possible at once.
