What do you think?
Rate this book
The Electrical Eel: or, Gymnotus Electricus
The Electrical Eel: or, Gymnotus electricus. Inscribed to the Honourable Members of the R***l S*****y, by Adam Strong, Naturalist.
The Electric Eel of the title is: 1) the serpent in Genesis, 2) the male member, 3) a participant in many encounters between noted figures in English society. A naughty poem with many individuals denoted by names with asterisks. Divested of all fiction: / Motion makes heat, and heat makes love,/ Creatures below and things above / Are all produced by friction.
Studies of Gymnotus electricus by members of Royal Society and their correspondents had captured the imagination of the British public in unexpected ways. While the investigations of Walsh and Hunter made genuine discoveries into the nature of electricity (which culminated in the invention of Volta's battery), contemporary wits and pamphleteers took advantage of the phallic connotations of the eel and its electrical properties to deride the sexual peregrinations of London society.
The Electric Eel of the title is: 1) the serpent in Genesis, 2) the male member, 3) a participant in many encounters between noted figures in English society. A naughty poem with many individuals denoted by names with asterisks. Divested of all fiction: / Motion makes heat, and heat makes love,/ Creatures below and things above / Are all produced by friction.
Studies of Gymnotus electricus by members of Royal Society and their correspondents had captured the imagination of the British public in unexpected ways. While the investigations of Walsh and Hunter made genuine discoveries into the nature of electricity (which culminated in the invention of Volta's battery), contemporary wits and pamphleteers took advantage of the phallic connotations of the eel and its electrical properties to deride the sexual peregrinations of London society.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1777
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.