When Flesh Becomes Word: An Anthology of Early Eighteenth-Century Libertine Literature

by Bradford K. Mudge (Editor)

When Flesh Becomes Word collects nine different examples of British libertine literature that appeared before 1750. Three of these-- The School of Venus (1680), Venus in the Cloister (1725), and A Dialogue Between a Married Lady and a Maid (1740)--are famous "whore dialogues," dramatic conversations between an older, experienced woman and a younger, inexperienced maid. Previously unavailable in an affordable edition, these dialogues combine sex education, medical folklore, and erotic literature in a decidedly proto-pornographic form. This edition presents other important examples of libertine literature, including bawdy poetry, a salacious medical treatise, an irreverent travelogue, and a criminal biography. The combination of both popular and influential texts presented in this edition provides an accessible introduction to the variety of material available to eighteenth-century readers before the publication of John Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure in 1749.

Genres: Fiction, Anthologies

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Paras2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew that pornographic literature has such a history and there was so much filth published in early modern England :))))
loved it and will now choose it as my whole personality.