Seated Vintage Nude with green drapes

Erotic Victorian Novels, Part II

Venus in Furs

Ritter von Leopold Sacher-Masoch, 1870

This famous erotic and somewhat autobiographical work is actually the origin of the term masochism (for those who wonder, we can thank the Marquis de Sade for “sadism”). The protagonist, Severin, is infatuated by a beautiful woman and offers himself as her slave. Obsessed with his total submission to her, he urges the woman, Wanda, to humiliate and degrade him more and more cruelly as the story goes on. The book is focused on fetish and S&M, and remains very popular.

It’s more of a literary drama than the usual explicit offering. You can read the book on-line. Roman Polanski adopted Venus in Furs for the silver screen in 2012.

The Autobiography of a Flea

Anonymous, 1887 or 1888

A work of social satire with a wafer thin plot containing many erotic scenes as witnessed by a flea (hitching a ride on a young woman) traveling from home to home and peeping at the sexual activities of the residents. What does the flea see? Quite a lot, including explicit intimacy, group encounters, lusty priests, seduction of the innocent, deflowering, incest, corporal punishment, and bukkake. Many of the characters are caricature types that would have been recognized by 19th century readers.

The Lustful Turk

Anonymous, 1828

Another slight cheat since this one’s pre-Victorian, but the popular and notorious novel remained in print even into the 20th century. Given the 19th century appetite for exotic places and cultures (and more than a touch of xenophobia), the Lustful Turk satisfied readers on several levels. An English lady writes letters to her friends back home about her capture by Turks and forcible ravishment, after which she wholeheartedly embraces a variety of explicit, erotic encounters with men and women in the Sultan’s harem. The book is so popular it was even made into a sexploitation film in 1968.

Erotic Victorian Novels - Many Available to Read on the Internet

The Pearl

William Lazenby, 1879-1880

This first entry is a slight cheat: The Pearl was not actually a book, but a magazine published briefly in 18 volumes and two Christmas Annuals until the publishers were threatened with prosecution for distributing obscene literature.

The Pearl contained pornographic stories—many were serialized and included such classics as Lady Pokingham or They All Do It and Sub-Umbra or Sport Among the She-Noodles—plus dirty jokes, limericks, and humorous song and poem parodies. The magazine’s primary focus was humor; the stories were often satirical in nature, though still very explicit. You can read The Pearl on-line.

The Romance of Lust

Anonymous, 1873-1876

This verbose, first person narrative follows the fictional Charlie Roberts from his young sexual awakening all through his maturation and development. The Romance of Lust chiefly noted not for the perversity of the acts themselves, which include orgies and incest. All four volumes are available on-line.

The Sins of the Cities of the Plain

The Lives

Also known as The Recollections of a Maryanne, The Sins of the Cities of the Plain is a pioneering work of gay erotic fiction chronicling the experiences of a rent-boy—a “Maryanne” (19th Century slang for a homosexual). Some of the characters are drawn from actual people, such as the transvestites Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park. The author’s name is certainly a pseudonym. Intimate encounters include cross-dressing and orgies.

This book gives a fascinating glimpse into the hidden world of upper and lower class gay Victorians. Unfortunately, it cannot be found online.The Nunnery Tales

Anonymous, 1866

This book is also known as Cruising Under False Colors, A Tale of Love and Lust. It features plenty of sacrilege flavored action with bawdy nuns and salacious priests among the fictional characters. It also includes raunchy humor, possibly exaggerated explicit intimacy, and lesbian encounters (no surprise as the story takes place in a convent), erotic flagellation and spankings, group encounters, incest, and a little cross-dressing.

Interestingly, it may have been adapted from a much older 17th century French work and has been reprinted often. You can read the book on-line.