Venus in Furs (annotated)
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Product Description
Product Description
'Venus in Furs' describes the obsessions of Severin von Kusiemski, a European nobleman who desires to be enslaved to a woman. Severin finds his ideal of voluptuous cruelty in the merciless Wanda von Dunajew. This is a passionate and powerful portrayal of one man's struggle to enlighten and instruct himself and others in the realm of desire. Published in 1870, the novel gained notoriety and a degree of immortality for its author when the word "masochism" - derived from his name - entered the vocabulary of psychiatry. This remains a classic literary statement on sexual submission and control.
About the Author
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895) was born in the Galician city of Lemberg. A novelist and poet, he is also known for his 'Stories of the Russian Court'. Joachim Neugroschel has translated Hermann Hess's 'Siddhartha' and Thomas Mann's 'Death in Venice' for Penguin Classics. He has won three PEN translation awards and a French-American translation prize. Larry Wolff is Professor of History at Boston College.
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I had a charming guest. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I had a charming guest. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Those interested in abnormal psychology will find this a "must" book. It is a tribute to the open-mindedness of modern publishing that such an extreme text which was for so long out of print and unavailable in English, is here offered to the reader at a knock-down price. Even the most casual reader cannot avoid being at once fascinated and repelled by the graphic descriptions of morbid yearnings never satisfied despite beatings, humiliations and tortures to soul and body. The painting about which Sacher-Masoch dreamed so vividly and to which frequent reference is made throughout the text is officially titled "Venus with a Mirror" by Titian, and perhaps it would have been preferable if the front cover image more nearly reflected this source of the author's inspiration. Might I suggest that the prospective book-buyer would be well advised to read in addition or instead, the arguably more accomplished books by Madame de Morville, titled La Dominatrice, Slaves of Isis, and The Chateau, to name but three.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This 19th Century classic seems to be considered the beginning of sexual exploration within the mainstream, indeed it is considered that its author Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch gave his name to masochism (although not consciously).
The story is told through a journal of one man: Severin von Kusiemski, a man of good standing within the community but who harbours a deep routed desire to become the slave of a goddess wearing fur. His choice coining her the Venus in Furs is no coincidence for he worships at statues of Venus herself and when he stumbles upon Wanda von Dunajew he feels his search is at an end.
Wanda is for me the far more fascinating of the two characters and arguable would have been a far more interesting character to use as the point of view for this novel. She has depth through the need to explore a chilling dark side that before Severin she was unaware of but you get the feeling that whole time this dark side is a façade, a front that doesn't truly exist and in fact it is her submitting to Severin in her quest to make him happy. This paradox explodes wonderfully towards the end of the book and (for me) you truly see how unprepared Severin is for the path he has chosen, Wanda concocts one last punishment for Severin but again you can clearly see the great love that has gone into doing just that - a women unhappy in her role but seemingly unwilling not to continue for fear of losing the man she loves, until finally he pushes her too far.
I felt the pace of the book was off, we fall far too quickly into the depraved relationship without enough of the build up work, it's like passing your driving test and hoping into a Ferrari - no satisfaction if you can't prang the Metro first. I also felt that oddly the writing of Severin to be a little stunted as well, if you consider this to be deliberate to show how the author feels so much more for Wanda than for himself it can be explained but even so it can be a little disappointing.
I can honestly say I truly enjoyed this novel and not just for the historically significance of the work, but for the tenderness and care that Sacher-Masoch (some what clumsily at times) attempts to instil in the relationship between the books two chief protagonists. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Are today's books on the same subject far more graphic? I would imagine so. Is this worth the read? Definitely, I doubt many works of this subject matter could come close to Sacher-Masoch's work, no matter how rough round the edges it may be.
The story is told through a journal of one man: Severin von Kusiemski, a man of good standing within the community but who harbours a deep routed desire to become the slave of a goddess wearing fur. His choice coining her the Venus in Furs is no coincidence for he worships at statues of Venus herself and when he stumbles upon Wanda von Dunajew he feels his search is at an end.
Wanda is for me the far more fascinating of the two characters and arguable would have been a far more interesting character to use as the point of view for this novel. She has depth through the need to explore a chilling dark side that before Severin she was unaware of but you get the feeling that whole time this dark side is a façade, a front that doesn't truly exist and in fact it is her submitting to Severin in her quest to make him happy. This paradox explodes wonderfully towards the end of the book and (for me) you truly see how unprepared Severin is for the path he has chosen, Wanda concocts one last punishment for Severin but again you can clearly see the great love that has gone into doing just that - a women unhappy in her role but seemingly unwilling not to continue for fear of losing the man she loves, until finally he pushes her too far.
I felt the pace of the book was off, we fall far too quickly into the depraved relationship without enough of the build up work, it's like passing your driving test and hoping into a Ferrari - no satisfaction if you can't prang the Metro first. I also felt that oddly the writing of Severin to be a little stunted as well, if you consider this to be deliberate to show how the author feels so much more for Wanda than for himself it can be explained but even so it can be a little disappointing.
I can honestly say I truly enjoyed this novel and not just for the historically significance of the work, but for the tenderness and care that Sacher-Masoch (some what clumsily at times) attempts to instil in the relationship between the books two chief protagonists. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Are today's books on the same subject far more graphic? I would imagine so. Is this worth the read? Definitely, I doubt many works of this subject matter could come close to Sacher-Masoch's work, no matter how rough round the edges it may be.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Venus in Furs' is the story of Severin von Kusiemski, a young man who falls passionately in love (or lust?, you decide) with a flame-haired beauty called Wanda von Dunajew. Initially he wants Wanda to be his wife but says that, if she is unable to commit in this way, he will become her slave to do with as she will.
This is a story about sexual obsession, cruelty and humiliation, and although it was written in the late nineteenth century the psychological power of the novel is still pretty shocking. (Just as an aside, if you are reading this for its pornographic content, you might be better looking elsewhere!) It becomes even more fascinating when you read the introduction and find that much of the novel mirrors Sacher-Masoch's life!
An interesting and thought provoking read.
This is a story about sexual obsession, cruelty and humiliation, and although it was written in the late nineteenth century the psychological power of the novel is still pretty shocking. (Just as an aside, if you are reading this for its pornographic content, you might be better looking elsewhere!) It becomes even more fascinating when you read the introduction and find that much of the novel mirrors Sacher-Masoch's life!
An interesting and thought provoking read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Did not live up to my high hopes!
I'm choosey about any erotica and had heard great things about this book. Whilst of interest to an erotica lover and interesting to dip into, I was disappointed and found the book... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Romancelover
Okay as an amuse-bouche
I have not yet met a man who wants me to put on ermine and trample his supine body but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to give it a try. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Vanessa Wu
"In love not given lightly...."
Its difficult to truly describe a book such as this. I originally wanted to read it after learning that we get the word masochism from the author's name, being a creature of... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Lady Lycan
The Original Masochist
'Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather,
Whiplash girl-child in the dark.'
Devotees of the Velvet Underground will be familiar with the claustrophobic intensity of... Read more
Whiplash girl-child in the dark.'
Devotees of the Velvet Underground will be familiar with the claustrophobic intensity of... Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2009 by corvus corax
The start of a genre....
You can guess the subject matter from the authors name, Masoch. Of course the masochism is not as explicit as one might expect due to the times it was written, but the... Read more
Published on 25 April 2008 by grr
Mediocre literature
For those who wish to become possessed with the parodies and ironies involved in eighteenth century literature, this book is sure to stun. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2007 by Ian Caithness
More difficult then erotic
Mid nineteenth century erotic literature. Know your classics, his surname gives it away. The man who gave masochism it's name. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2003 by Gerben Kappert
derivation of the term "masochism"
_Venus in Furs, a Novel: Letters of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and Emilie Mataja_ by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch contains the both the story "Venus in Furs" and a selection... Read more
Published on 25 July 1997
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