Erotic Fantasies: A Study of the Sexual Imagination

by Phyllis Kronhausen, Eberhard Kronhausen

This pathbreaking compilation, long out of print, is a survey of sexual fantasies from early folklore to the bawdy tales of the prolific Victorians to a very modern version of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Here, among other selections, are vignettes from Poggio, Rabelais, and the “Divine” Aretino, instructive dialogues from the seventeenth-century Whore’s Rhetorick, nineteenth-century flights of invention like Gynecocracy, Prince Cherrytop, and Les Tableaux Vivants, and a “superman” fantasy by Alfred Jarry—excerpts from the entire spectrum of Western erotica.

In their frank and fascinating commentary, the Drs. Kronhausen mine these “mental aphrodisiacs” as a valuable source of psychological and cultural insight. As they point out, it is the element of fantasy that distinguishes human sexuality from that of other species. In a spirit of respect for the play of the human imagination in all its forms, they commend their volume to their fellow professionals and to anyone “with literary interests, a sense of humor, and the moral courage to look at his own unknown psyche and that of his fellow men.”

Genres: Sexuality, Nonfiction

429 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A survey of erotic fantasy and imagination in literature. Though primarily focused on pornographic works from the 1600's through the mid-1900's, it does cover some earlier, more classical literature as well (such as Poggio Bracciolini and Rabelais).

A bit difficult to get through in certain sections just because I am already familiar with much of the included material or thought of better examples along the way. Would probably be much more fascinating and enlightening for someone new to the material.

[isaac doriano x · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kronhausens have compiled a range of erotic literature from across Europe, and through their annotation, explore the scope of our species’ very smutty imagination. This collection includes Italian folklore from the 1500s about the healing power of pussy, sacrilegious inflation fetishes, monster fucking, the original sissification roleplay from the 1920s, and so much more! 


Both the quality of the Kronhausens’ commentary and the texts included vary from passage to passage. I read it (practically) cover to cover and I enjoyed most of my read, though I found some choices of passages repetitive in central ideas or far too lengthy, which created awkward pacing in some chapters. I imagine it would be more enjoyable for some readers to flick through and read only the parts that arouse their interest. I found myself coming back to previous stories to enjoy them again – for their academic value, of course – sometimes skipping stories that suffered from the issues mentioned above.


There was, of course, parts I skipped due to finding the fictional erotic content too grotesque or too violent for my own imagination. The Kronhausens reiterate across chapters about the dangers of limiting the sexual imagination, or limiting free speech, and its PERCEIVED hindrance in furthering medical understanding of human psychology. In turn, how that lack of understanding COULD impact the potential to rehabilitate or prevent the creation of violent assailants. The authors speculate that sexual taboo breeds shame and guilt, and how implementing those mental restrictions on sexual desire MAY lead to a person committing anti-social or violent acts as a form of release, if their sexual taboo is of a sadistic nature. This likelihood MAY BE lessened if a person can satisfy their taboo sexual desire through enjoyment of fictional erotic material. I capitalised those key words as I do not personally find these arguments very convincing in how the Kronhausens presented them (a bit of evidence would’ve been nice) and they are not my own beliefs. Honestly, it felt like the Kronhausens were cheerleading for sexual abusers at times. Their final observations in the ‘Juveniles’ chapter particularly revolted me in how they frame female underage victims as being an active participant or encourager of their own abuse.


It’s so easy to look back at the previous generations as being rigid and sexless due to government censorship, the prevalence of conservative moral outrage, and religious attempts to control secual expression. This was especially true in regards to homosexuality, non-monogamy, premarital sex, anal sex – you know, the fun stuff. ‘Erotic Fantasies,’ for me, was partially a reminder of how lucky we are that these texts were preserved despite their obscenities. We have truly, always, been disgusting.

[Hippo dari Hongkong]

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emang gw cowo apaan
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*cekek yang ngirim*