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The Correct Sadist
The harshness and poetic beauty of sadism and masochism are captured in these psychic dramas that explore pain and bondage as ultimate freedoms.
- GenresBDSM
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 6, 2016
This is going to be a thin, navel gaze-y review. So if you're looking for substance, the other reviews may serve you better.
The language is very much DeSadean, having you sift through pages and pages of grandiose filler to hit a gem here and there. Heads up- they're in the beginning and the end- sandwiching over the top scenarios of masochism, cross-dressing, and a little pee-drinking. It gets a few points for using the word 'coprophagy,' it makes the act of consuming waste sound much fancier than it is.
I'd benefit from a little research into the Downtown scene. I'd enjoy this more if I understood the non-kink history, rather than rely on the Pro Domme context alone. I know her intellectual pursuits are reflected here, but I want to know how much of the greater art / alternative scene is in there, too.
Anyway, the navel-gazing:
I picked this up around 2009 or 2010, dropping $50 I didn't have.This edition was rare, with illustrations by Genesis P Orridge, and as a total fanboi, needed to have this in my possession. It ended up sitting in its plastic cover for years until last month. Turns out the illustrations aren't that cool, but whatever.
If I had a copy before 2006, I'd have taken it at face value and left it on the shelf next to my copy of Justine. It's romantic, but a bit much. However, underneath the layers of wordplay, you'll find some true tenets of Pro Domming. I didn't expect it to be so familiar.
In 2006, I developed close ties to professional S&M and was quickly introduced to nearly everything in the book, and the cookie-cutter sessions that followed to the letter. Most clients didn't know what they wanted, so they experienced what they thought would happen. Undressing, a diatribe against the client's existence, a firm grip on the penis, maybe some rope, maybe some spit, and it always ended with a foot massage. Sellers doesn't really differentiate between clients, either. There are distinct activities, but clients are portrayed as a sea of nameless faces in gimp masks.
The understood rules within the house I was working around seemed completely arbitrary, so I gave them little credence during my short exposure time. Here, the "proper" colored garments are mentioned- the "Superior" is never seen in white because it's a color meant for submissive parties. No matter the activity, she creates a scenario where she's bored and doing it is a pain in the ass, yet orders her clients to beg for it, as a successful Superior does. The Superior, never, ever, EVER, has sex with her client, as it puts her on the same level as them, and that kills the whole thing. The cross-dressing parts were on point, which was a kick to the teeth. I pretty much buried those memories until I got to those chapters.
While I can't prove that this was the house owner / head mistress' manual, I take this was the general sentiment around the time she was working. I've been out of that end of things for a decade, so I can't speak to anything outside of the attitudes of the people I worked with at the time. The 'Mistress' title was taken seriously enough that sessions weren't so much work as payment for being awesome. The young women who worked out of bigger dungeons were considered lower on the food chain despite the fact that they did nearly the same things to make the same rent. Despite it coming under the sex work umbrella, they were above it all as sex was considered cheap. Of course, there was the legality around it, as well as desire to do it at all, but the way they talked about it, you'd think they didn't even do it outside of work.
Anyway, the book kind of sucked in that respect. I didn't expect parts of my personal experience to be validated, even in fiction. However, it has its bright spots. I had a deep understanding of where the Superior was coming from and it was nice to feel like I had a sense of expertise in some field. When you're in that head space (and hopefully stable enough to leave it at the door), it's great! Wielding that kind of power is fun, and it's cool to get paid to do something you love. Why not get flowery?
It's a part of that underground fabric, in my case, covering my work life and adoration of Gen P. My little rare copy now has its place, snuggled against my barely touched copy of Justine. My little histories that'll probably be buried again.
The language is very much DeSadean, having you sift through pages and pages of grandiose filler to hit a gem here and there. Heads up- they're in the beginning and the end- sandwiching over the top scenarios of masochism, cross-dressing, and a little pee-drinking. It gets a few points for using the word 'coprophagy,' it makes the act of consuming waste sound much fancier than it is.
I'd benefit from a little research into the Downtown scene. I'd enjoy this more if I understood the non-kink history, rather than rely on the Pro Domme context alone. I know her intellectual pursuits are reflected here, but I want to know how much of the greater art / alternative scene is in there, too.
Anyway, the navel-gazing:
I picked this up around 2009 or 2010, dropping $50 I didn't have.This edition was rare, with illustrations by Genesis P Orridge, and as a total fanboi, needed to have this in my possession. It ended up sitting in its plastic cover for years until last month. Turns out the illustrations aren't that cool, but whatever.
If I had a copy before 2006, I'd have taken it at face value and left it on the shelf next to my copy of Justine. It's romantic, but a bit much. However, underneath the layers of wordplay, you'll find some true tenets of Pro Domming. I didn't expect it to be so familiar.
In 2006, I developed close ties to professional S&M and was quickly introduced to nearly everything in the book, and the cookie-cutter sessions that followed to the letter. Most clients didn't know what they wanted, so they experienced what they thought would happen. Undressing, a diatribe against the client's existence, a firm grip on the penis, maybe some rope, maybe some spit, and it always ended with a foot massage. Sellers doesn't really differentiate between clients, either. There are distinct activities, but clients are portrayed as a sea of nameless faces in gimp masks.
The understood rules within the house I was working around seemed completely arbitrary, so I gave them little credence during my short exposure time. Here, the "proper" colored garments are mentioned- the "Superior" is never seen in white because it's a color meant for submissive parties. No matter the activity, she creates a scenario where she's bored and doing it is a pain in the ass, yet orders her clients to beg for it, as a successful Superior does. The Superior, never, ever, EVER, has sex with her client, as it puts her on the same level as them, and that kills the whole thing. The cross-dressing parts were on point, which was a kick to the teeth. I pretty much buried those memories until I got to those chapters.
While I can't prove that this was the house owner / head mistress' manual, I take this was the general sentiment around the time she was working. I've been out of that end of things for a decade, so I can't speak to anything outside of the attitudes of the people I worked with at the time. The 'Mistress' title was taken seriously enough that sessions weren't so much work as payment for being awesome. The young women who worked out of bigger dungeons were considered lower on the food chain despite the fact that they did nearly the same things to make the same rent. Despite it coming under the sex work umbrella, they were above it all as sex was considered cheap. Of course, there was the legality around it, as well as desire to do it at all, but the way they talked about it, you'd think they didn't even do it outside of work.
Anyway, the book kind of sucked in that respect. I didn't expect parts of my personal experience to be validated, even in fiction. However, it has its bright spots. I had a deep understanding of where the Superior was coming from and it was nice to feel like I had a sense of expertise in some field. When you're in that head space (and hopefully stable enough to leave it at the door), it's great! Wielding that kind of power is fun, and it's cool to get paid to do something you love. Why not get flowery?
It's a part of that underground fabric, in my case, covering my work life and adoration of Gen P. My little rare copy now has its place, snuggled against my barely touched copy of Justine. My little histories that'll probably be buried again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2020
Il libro chiarisce molti aspetti della pratica BDSM di cui putroppo ne viene fornita sempre un'immagine distorta dai media mainstream. A farlo è Terence Sellers, una Padrona di professione.
La prima e l'ultima parte sono un viaggio interiore dell'autrice in cui lei descrive il perché è diventata Padrona e il perché ha cessato di esserlo ad un certo punto della sua vita.
La parte centrale è una sorta di "dizionario" delle pratiche interne al BDSM in cui vengono analizzati molto nel dettaglio anche gli aspetti psicologici oltre che quelli pratici.
Il libro è sia una autobriografia sia un "manuale per aspiranti Padrone".
La postfazione di Helena Velena aggiunge un altro punto di vista all'orgomento anche se, a mio parere, a volte è un po' distaccato dallo scritto della Sellers.
La prima e l'ultima parte sono un viaggio interiore dell'autrice in cui lei descrive il perché è diventata Padrona e il perché ha cessato di esserlo ad un certo punto della sua vita.
La parte centrale è una sorta di "dizionario" delle pratiche interne al BDSM in cui vengono analizzati molto nel dettaglio anche gli aspetti psicologici oltre che quelli pratici.
Il libro è sia una autobriografia sia un "manuale per aspiranti Padrone".
La postfazione di Helena Velena aggiunge un altro punto di vista all'orgomento anche se, a mio parere, a volte è un po' distaccato dallo scritto della Sellers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews