Classics – The Erotic Roots of Modern Storytelling
The Classics category goes back to the foundations of erotic literature — where scandal, taboo, and artistic freedom first collided. From Fanny Hill to Justine, from Belle de jour to Daphnis and Chloe, these works are more than historical curiosities. They are laboratories of desire, early experiments in power, body politics, and narrative structure. manther approaches them not as museum pieces but as creative tools: What can modern writers learn from their dramaturgy? Which character archetypes and provocations still resonate today? Classics is where erotic literary history becomes alive — as inspiration, challenge, and craft resource.
Erotic literature rarely fails because authors write too little about bodies. It fails because bodies are not given a dramaturgical role in the text. Then nudity is superficial and not action. This is precisely why it is worthwhile to read D. H. Lawrence as a dramaturg: He constructs eroticism not as a “scene” but as … Continue reading “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” as a dramaturgical lesson
The ancient tale of King Candaules of Lydia, transmitted primarily through the Greek historian Herodotus, is a fascinating study of the destructive power of obsession and the fatal consequences of transgressed boundaries. The Starting Point: Blind Pride Candaules ruled over the prosperous kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor in the 8th century BC. He was … Continue reading The Story of Candaules: From Pride to Doom
Guillaume Apollinaire’s Les Onze Mille Verges ou les Amours d’un Hospodar is considered one of the most provocative and linguistically playful erotic works in French literature. The novel is short but extremely dense, full of grotesque, comical, sadistic, and surreal episodes—a typical example of Apollinaire’s anarchic relationship to eroticism, humor, and the avant-garde. Content and … Continue reading “The Eleven Thousand Rods” by Guillaume Apollinaire (1907)
Hardly any other erotic novel from the 18th century has achieved such a lasting reputation as Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, better known as Fanny Hill. British author John Cleland wrote the text around 1748/49 – at a time when English literature was morally conservative, but spicy material was also circulating in private reading … Continue reading Fanny Hill – A scandalous novel with staying power
In order to analyze Anne-Marie’s role in Pauline Réage’s novel “The Story of O” within the framework of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, we must first examine Campbell’s concept and the specific dynamics of the novel. Campbell’s hero’s journey, as described in “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” is a narrative archetype that describes a hero’s … Continue reading The dramatic function of Anne-Marie in “The Story of O”
Surrealism, an artistic and literary movement that emerged in 1920s Paris, has a deep connection to the works of the Marquis de Sade. This connection is based on a shared admiration for the unconscious, freedom of the mind, and the challenge of bourgeois morality. Shared ideals and themes Influence on surrealist artists and authors De … Continue reading Surrealism and de Sade: A symbiotic relationship
Marquis de Sade, whose name has given rise to the word “sadism”, has had a profound and complex influence on literature and culture as a whole. His works, especially “The 120 Days of Sodom”, “Justine” or “The Philosophy in the Boudoir”, have not only pushed the boundaries of moral and sexual narrative, but have also … Continue reading The influence of de Sade on literature
The “120 Days of Sodom” by Marquis de Sade is a work that has caused controversy since its creation in the 18th century. This book, written by de Sade during his imprisonment in the Bastille, is a radical testimony of violence, sex and power that challenges the boundaries of human morality and ethics in a … Continue reading “The 120 Days of Sodom” – An analysis of the scandal and censorship
“Belle de jour” tells the story of Séverine Serizy, a young, attractive woman from the Parisian bourgeoisie who is emotionally and sexually unfulfilled in her marriage to the wealthy but unemotional doctor Pierre Serizy. Despite her love for Pierre, Séverine longs for experiences that fulfill her secret and unspoken fantasies. When she hears about an … Continue reading “Belle de jour” by Joseph Kessel (1928)
The book The School of Venus, or the ladies delight (French original: L’École des filles) by Jean Millot and Michel L’Ange is an outstanding work of the early 17th century. Originally published in France in 1655, it is considered one of the first explicitly erotic works of French literature. Histoire de la création et de … Continue reading Jean Millot and Michel L’Ange: “The School of Venus, or the ladies delight”
