One might claim that, at first glance, Story of O, which applies heavy eroticism and the virtue of sadomasochism, is vulgar. But what is literature ifOne might claim that, at first glance, Story of O, which applies heavy eroticism and the virtue of sadomasochism, is vulgar. But what is literature if not for stimulation and intercourse between the writer and the material, the material and the reader, the reader and the writer? Literature only becomes cathartic when the influence of sex is present. The very theme of sexual indulgence and surrender in Story of O should not be implemented as socially acceptable nor should it be interpreted as such but rather to internalize it as a form of transcendence from the flesh to the spirit; when one woman undergoes degradation in order to fully capture the purity of her chaste; when her body has to be abused in order to be cleansed. It’s atrocious as well as spiritual in context; to which the transformation to slavery as the price for love is condensed to the core and flourished through provocative prose.
Ironically, despite that the text seems to celebrate the sexual freedom of the lethal practice of bondage and discipline, it remains decent and ambivalent to such practice. In literature, a reader might find himself engrossed with a reality not his but what the characters in the books he reads possess. Story of O is a reality that, to an ordinary mind, wouldn’t be so inviting to relish. Who would want to walk in the shoes of the debased O, whose very name is recognition for abuse, whose duty is to allow men to defile her upon her consent? But on the other hand, there is some kind of primitive urge to be controlled like that, when the body simply becomes the property of another. When it’s said that there is a spiritual significance to this, it was meant symbolically, of course. One gives the same kind of sacrifice of self to religion because the concept of God as creator is also one’s master. Although the sexual connotations in Story of O do not necessarily render it as a religious experience, it might as well signify it. O has learned to offer her body to physical debauchery to discover freedom; to be enslaved for the very name of it.
The paradoxical concept is exhilarating for the reader as he reluctantly follows the exodus of this unknown woman who is only revealed through her feelings of liberation during sexual acts performed on her. Réage’s language is also a foremost factor to appreciate the novel’s depth and subsequent motive. The etymology of the author is highly-furnished with delicate references to the human body. The terms ‘belly’ and ‘womb’ are used instead of the commonly used sully terms today to describe the female organ. As much as the language is old-fashioned and strict, the content is still fiercely sexual especially on some scenes when the flogging, whipping and piercing are finally described. There is a strong force behind Réage’s caliber as she goes beyond the ordinary to account O’s exploits and thoughts. The very beginning of the chapter starts from a simple ride in a taxi and then leads to O and René inside a château where he offers her to elite men for sex and it is chilling but in an uncharacteristic sensual way albeit the reader’s consciousness to it. The chapter progresses to the process of O’s degradation where she was instructed to wear a corset that is accessible to any man inside the château who wants to take her. The men also explained how the acts would be commenced and that she will be either flogged or whipped in a daily basis by an assigned valet. With her permission, the game begins. As readers reach this part, most would definitely stop reading out of disgust or others will continue for the sake of getting aroused themselves. Truly there is unspeakable charm about the way Réage writes that puts readers in either ease or discomfort, depending on the reader’s taste.
There are only four chapters in the novel; each is concise about the specific subjects they tackle and explore. It involves more of O’s accounts on her feelings about these abusive activities being done to her. The reader is also allowed to sympathize, mock and disagree with O’s opinions. There are many instances on the chapters that put the reader in a crucial stance where he should be able to judge O according to his own beliefs and prejudices.
As much as Story of O takes sexual forms into extreme conditions all throughout, the plot takes time to develop and divulge too much on O’s confused state which, without her knowledge, is getting lucid as far as the reader is concerned. O is both in denial and in acceptance with her situation; she acknowledges that she craves abuse to her body but doesn’t tolerate these acts done to her without the assurance that they are gestures of love. At one point she wants to possess Sir Stephen by making him fall in love with her because she finds it only appropriate to do so, even if she has to take the submissive role to the next level. The power struggle between O and Sir Stephen, the comfortable relationship between René and O that slowly decays as both of them begin to fall s in love with other people, the transgression inflicted on O to prove her worth might become too much for the readers because it doesn’t offer the ordinary aphrodisiac that modern erotic novels provide.
Truth of the matter, Story of O does not cater to the pop culture reception because when it was written in its time, it served as a book that challenges conformists to examine and contradict if they must but the novel never loses its purpose or accepts defeat. Réage’s intention is deciphered through reading the novel itself because it is within the pages that one will come in terms of the story’s substance. It is not for light-reading, that much is established, for there lays a provocative and almost vehement manner in the text when the reader will sometimes recognize that the material is trying to delude and pollute his morals, to further seduce him to the world O revolves around. Whether the feat will be accomplished or not depends solely on the reader.
But that doesn’t entirely follow that the novel is obscene with its delivery. The language remains superbly intact with consistencies in crisp interpretation about love and sex as a critical mixture. Réage keeps faithful in her storytelling, giving O an integrity that the reader, if he hasn’t put down the book yet, would respect and appreciate especially at the last chapter when O is paraded in public, naked and wearing an owl mask to cover herself. The highlight of this scene is when strangers gathered around her to amuse themselves, to humiliate her as to satisfy their curiosity of this strange creature given before them. O surrendered to the experience so it could please Sir Stephen. Indeed that in this last scene O attains freedom because of her accordance to slavery. But then Réage adds an alternate ending where O is to return to Roissy and Sir Stephen will leave her, and upon knowing this she wished to be granted death and Sir Stephen complies. Whatever purpose Réage was trying to achieve is still shrouded in mystery but a sequel to the novel followed but was criticized heavily because many believed it doesn’t have the same charm this one possessed (many have also concluded that it wasn’t Réage who wrote it.)
Is Story of O a love story? One can say it is. But love stories are supposed to inspire warmth based on the characters’ experiences and it should also inspire hope that reveals goodness in commitment and relationships. If this is the case then Story of O cannot be a mutual choice for, say, a Nicholas Sparks fan. Story of O gathers shame and lust and mixes them with trust and devotion to harvest the cold, solid proof on love that is attainted through brutal, sexual torture. Suffice to say, the novel never eliminates the value of love but rather infuses less conventional practices to reinforce it. There is definitely an unsatisfactory feeling about the way O seems to be of easy virtue and who easily falls out of love with René whom, according to her dramatic statements, had her only eternal devotion. Not to mention Sir Stephen remains inscrutable about his real feelings for O (did he return her love or did he simply fancied using her?) the relationship René and Jacqueline developed was predictable, as if it was a silly attempt to add more twist that, unfortunately, the reader saw coming. The lesbian practices between O and Jacqueline are too intelligently; perhaps even scholarly, described that it was ignored.
So does ‘love’ participate on these sexual acts? Did the characters really considered it as a factor to their actions? Or were they simply patronizing the idea of love? Is Réage trying to convince the reader, or at the very least, draw a canvas for the reader showing that love and sex, no matter how always intertwined, can be treacherous and warped if sustained and demonstrated by greed? What is it about Réage’s venture on sexuality and the societal obsession with love that transformed the novel into a piece of art that gleams with honesty and courage but still wanted to be struck down by its non-supporters?
Story of O still remains appealing and worthy of praise. It is still understandable if more and more readers would not see a romantic implication (or even consider the very horrific thought) about the characters’ relationships. This is the very reason why some dismiss the novel as a cheap attempt to give a literary edge on a pornographic subject. However it’s still hailed as a tantalizing masterpiece, one that didn’t resolve its conflict or enlighten its message but kept every reader it ensnarls mystified and curious.
Whether the reader considers the erotic quality and sadomasochistic themes of the novel necessary, far-fetched or repetitive is solely up to one’s customs and ideologies. A significant insolence on Réage’s prose might offend a reader or might be seen as a form of great artistry by another.
Moreover, the society continues to reconcile its discriminations when the publication of Story of O is once again encouraged because, at its time, it was once perceived as crude and distasteful. Yet as sophisticated and intense as the novel is with its content and themes, today more readers dismiss it as an attempt to give eroticism a literary edge and not just for pornographic purposes. Erotic literature has evolved since Sade’s and Masoch’s books and Story of O is just one of those timeless tales one will surely not forget or render meaningless. The capturing density of its prose and the author’s magnetic account about its protagonist’s adventures for self-improvement and resignation, combined with a sizzling blend of romance and sex, will be a legacy for readers, critics and writers to come....more
I don't always find my life story within the pages of fiction but there are three occasions when I did, and Alan Moore's graphic novel erotica Lost GiI don't always find my life story within the pages of fiction but there are three occasions when I did, and Alan Moore's graphic novel erotica Lost Girls was one of them.
This was quite a peculiar work as a whole, considering Melinda Gebbie's candy-colored illustrations could easily be a part of a children's book; but I suppose this choice of art style was deliberate because Moore's sensuous writings on sexuality and hedonism were deeply contrasted yet incredibly enhanced by Gebbie's art. It also seemed only appropriate to use such an art style, considering Moore used three of the most famous and well-loved child heroines in fiction: Alice of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass, Wendy of Peter Pan, and Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz. With these recognizable characters, Moore weaved a trinity of intricate expositions; where each of his heroine shares her most heated encounters, most depraved indulgences and most mournful losses in the course of their childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
There have been analyses on the thematic and psychological aspects of Lost Girls that I've read online. One discussed the Freudian concepts of Id, Ego, and Super Ego that these three women represent. Another drew comparisons between Dionysian and Apollonian and its dichotomy present in the characters. But my review will not touch upon that because I can't claim that I have an expert knowledge on such subjects (but I am more than willing to write an academic paper about Lost Girls someday).
Like most of Moore's work, Lost Girls is intellectually stimulating and written with layers of symbols and interpretations which makes it an irresistible literary piece to analyze for someone like me, and an enjoyable if not quite arousing read for a casual reader. The idea that child heroines from stories we grew up in are interpreted and portrayed as sexually engrossing vixens who engage in various roleplays as freely as they wish sounds like a bad fanfiction for deviants and perverts, but Moore's caliber as a writer makes his versions of Alice, Wendy and Dorothy more than just desirable in flesh. He used their sexual escapades as a piercing examination of their damaged or repressed psyches. Therein lies the eroticism of Lost Girls. It not only engages our senses but also our minds and spirits.
The story was set in a hotel where these three women are staying in. The deliberate depiction of the place that somewhat resembles a doll house is yet another symbolic visual that emphasizes Dorothy, Wendy and Alice's youth as readers are taken into their respective accounts of their very early sexual awakenings.
We get to know Dorothy first, in all her fiery, passionate and self-indulgent encounters with suitors and her own kin, and we cannot look away because they are exciting tales of lust and taboo relations. Truly, Dorothy's ready availability and omnisexual inclinations are the most obvious depictions of graphic sex. Her purpose in the narrative is to embody raw and unadulterated sexual energy. Her panels are sunny and wide in length, emphasizing her larger-than-life personality and the warmth of her supposedly normal home life.
Meanwhile, as a grown woman, Wendy's repressed sexuality represent her stifling Victorian upbringing. But long ago, she encountered the boy-prostitute Peter and his sister Tinkerbell when she was only twelve years old and was fascinated by his exploits and he then invited her and her brothers to play with them. While indulging in their afternoon delights, they are stalked by the deviant Hook who forcibly tries to take Wendy for himself but fails. She and Peter drifted away afterwards, and Wendy then learned to suppress her carnal desires, seemingly cold and aloof with her husband who is at least ten years her senior. Wendy's secrets are revealed when she stumbled upon a tryst between two women. One of them was Dorothy, and the other was a woman in her fifties but a shrewd and imposing elegant figure. Her name is Alice Fairchild, and she easily seduced the vibrant Dorothy as she also challenged Wendy to come out of her shell.
Alice was molested by a man she called the White Rabbit, and to recover from the trauma of that abuse, she began to disassociate her sexual core with that of her rational mind, dividing herself into who she is as a person of flesh and the girl she sees in mirrors--her darker reflections. Alice attended an all girls' boarding schools and started engaging with other girls until she met an older woman (who emulates the Queen of Hearts) and under her tutelage, Alice embarked on orgies among several types of women. Her lesbianism might be a by-product of her sexual abuse in the hands of a man, but Alice's orientation and preference towards the fairer sex is a narcissistic release; she loved herself above anything else but could not heal properly because of the trauma of her earlier sexual experience. She began to see men as creatures to fear and be disgusted with, all the while being oppressed by women who have used her in terrifying ways.
Once Alice freed herself from these clutches, she in return and with Dorothy's assistance was able to set Wendy free from her own prison. As a queer woman myself, I related very strongly to Alice. Her sexual exploration was the most intimate and self-centered, and I find myself both heartbroken and aroused by her experiences. Her panels are oval mirrors you can gaze into--an echo to the original Caroll stories--and they reflect nothing but the ugly truth.
It's easy to see why the concept of Id, Ego and Super Ego was written in the analyses among the dynamics of Dorothy, Wendy and Alice. The last few pages of the three of them finally able to embrace and recover from the mistakes of their girlhood were astounding. Once the afterglow spell was broken, the three women have transformed into transcendental beings. Dorothy can go back to enjoying the pleasures of her future encounters with men, Wendy will now be able to fully give herself to someone who deserves her passions, and Alice can continue experimenting without losing portions of herself in the process.
This ending is my own interpretation for Lost Girls remains ambiguous to the very end. Nevertheless, it is a searing look at female consciousness and sexuality, and I highly recommend this because it's also an eye-opener and a decadent story that will surely stimulate your other parts as well.
RECOMMENDED: 10/10 * Exquisitely intellectual despite being visceral in presentation ...more
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