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The Erotic Reader
Book by Anonymous
282 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
About the author
Anonymous
3,454 followersBooks can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 24, 2026
"Pauline the Prima Donna" (1868) by Anonymous (Devrient, putatively): 4 stars
- few texts reward historical analysis more richly than erotica. a shame, therefore, that so few texts likewise discourage the same. the "purpose" of perusing these pages is, of course, different. zum beispiel, here we have a compendium of (very) historical erotica selections, none of which are ever referenced as historical artifacts, provided any contextual support, or even presented as anything other than loin-inflaming stories plain and simple, divorced from origin or target.
it is not hard, however, to understand why. and actually, it is quite the compliment paid to these pieces of century-and-a-half-old literature that they are simply presented, with the assumption that they will inevitably DO for the modern reader what it was intended for the biedermeier reader, necessitating neither handrail nor justification. indeed, one can hardly say the same for most contemporary editions of C19 literature; good luck picking up any hawthorne or sarah orne jewett and not finding prefatory material.
and yet, in this story at least, the backstory is just as stimulating as the main story. this is, from what I can gather, an excerpt from a fin-de-siecle translation of a mid-century german “memoir,” supposedly written by an actual notable of the Germanophone stage, but in no conceivable way actually penned by her, (d)evolving, as it does, into a picaresque compendium of sexual excesses and escapades across the mid-C19, central european jet set. that any search of said actress’s name (wilhelmine schröder-devrient, liver of a full life and achiever of no little artistic achievement) invariably produces this “memoir” is as clear a case study of crime against the dead as you’re likely to find.
and the thing itself is actually fairly well done, concerned with (as much historical erotica, back especially to the ancien regime) carnal subterfuge and hidden identities and the dynamics of pillow-talk politics.
"The Amatory Experiences of a Surgeon" (1881) by Anonymous (James Campbell Reddie): 3 stars
- and here's one much more obviously of historical interest (despite Reddie's "amateur" experiences as a surgeon), in that it details (what must be popular perception and knowledge of) the psychological effects of repressed feminine sexuality, as well as Victorian birth control options. regarding the erotica itself, much more pedestrian than the former, as the sex features no corresponding narrative drive (smart titilators know to maintain a narrative within the steam, as did our anonymous author above) and the "stakes" of the setup recede in the face of just getting theirs).
- few texts reward historical analysis more richly than erotica. a shame, therefore, that so few texts likewise discourage the same. the "purpose" of perusing these pages is, of course, different. zum beispiel, here we have a compendium of (very) historical erotica selections, none of which are ever referenced as historical artifacts, provided any contextual support, or even presented as anything other than loin-inflaming stories plain and simple, divorced from origin or target.
it is not hard, however, to understand why. and actually, it is quite the compliment paid to these pieces of century-and-a-half-old literature that they are simply presented, with the assumption that they will inevitably DO for the modern reader what it was intended for the biedermeier reader, necessitating neither handrail nor justification. indeed, one can hardly say the same for most contemporary editions of C19 literature; good luck picking up any hawthorne or sarah orne jewett and not finding prefatory material.
and yet, in this story at least, the backstory is just as stimulating as the main story. this is, from what I can gather, an excerpt from a fin-de-siecle translation of a mid-century german “memoir,” supposedly written by an actual notable of the Germanophone stage, but in no conceivable way actually penned by her, (d)evolving, as it does, into a picaresque compendium of sexual excesses and escapades across the mid-C19, central european jet set. that any search of said actress’s name (wilhelmine schröder-devrient, liver of a full life and achiever of no little artistic achievement) invariably produces this “memoir” is as clear a case study of crime against the dead as you’re likely to find.
and the thing itself is actually fairly well done, concerned with (as much historical erotica, back especially to the ancien regime) carnal subterfuge and hidden identities and the dynamics of pillow-talk politics.
"The Amatory Experiences of a Surgeon" (1881) by Anonymous (James Campbell Reddie): 3 stars
- and here's one much more obviously of historical interest (despite Reddie's "amateur" experiences as a surgeon), in that it details (what must be popular perception and knowledge of) the psychological effects of repressed feminine sexuality, as well as Victorian birth control options. regarding the erotica itself, much more pedestrian than the former, as the sex features no corresponding narrative drive (smart titilators know to maintain a narrative within the steam, as did our anonymous author above) and the "stakes" of the setup recede in the face of just getting theirs).
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review