The Story Of O
(REAGE, PAULINE)
ABSTRACT REAGE, PAULINE THE STORY OF O 1954 - Famous erotic novel, written by Anne Desclos under a pseudonym, that is more of a tragic story of rape, sadomasochism and masculine possession of the body, mind and spirit of a woman than anything truly sexy. A woman known only as her lover reduces O to a total sex object. She is taken to his estate, where he obliges on her to bend to his will for sexual activity at any time, without question. Disobedience will result in sexual punishment. Soon, the man is joined be three friends, who he freely allows to also make use of O in any way that they see fit. She is fed and clothed in bondage garments that expose her private parts for regular usage by the men. The title itself is suggestive, O becomes a symbol of the nothing that the poor girl becomes in herself, the orgasm, the shape of her various orifices, an exclamation of pain and pleasure? and more besides. The problem with The Story Of O is that it has so much soul destroying sex that it becomes actually tedious and depersonalised as a read. O is little more than a rape victim. The book actually comes with a very sad alternative ending in which O asks her lover for permission to be released from captivity so that she can kill herself. He grants her the right to do so. In the main text, her torment is maintained indefinitely. In fact, there is a sequel to the book in which she suffers even more, but for this reader, once is enough. Here is sex reduced to existential despair. The men using the girl are often masked, anonymous and mysterious, but ultimately nondescript. For all its eroticism, in a book that makes no use of vulgar expression or swearing at al, the overall effect is slow creeping anguish rather than erotic arousal. One of the greatest erotic works of literature by all rights, inspired by De Sade, but ultimately rather harrowing to read.
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