Media Journal: Venus in Furs

If submission and bondage are up your alley, then you will probably like this book. Yes, the book is about whips and kinks, there is also some indulgence in the human psyche. For erotica, Venus in Furs is actually very well written and touches the domain of sadomasochism, which is very progressive considering it was published in 1870. To explain the book in a few words it’d be: Severin likes women to treat him like shit while they wear fur.

Our author, Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, took inspiration from his own past of being a slave to his lover. The novel is said to be very near to his own experiences with Baroness Fanny Von Pistor. He agreed to be her slave and renounced all claims on his own life means she could kill him if she so wanted to, and these power positions can be seen in Venus in Furs. The ‘contract’ gives Wanda (or Mistress) the right to torture Severin through various ways; whipping him regularly, kicking him around, starving him, torturing him emotionally, etc. All the while Severin likes it. In fact, he begs her to punish him ("I want to be your dog" he says in one of the scenes). And as long as she wears her furs while doing it, he'll be happy.

As you can imagine, the novel caused a sensation in society. The idea of female dominance was new and quite frankly, an unwelcomed concept to the people. And to see a woman being dominant (being the one with the whip) was shocking to most people. Even Wanda, our protagonist is initially shown feeling hesitant. She is noticeably reluctant to go against the social norms, and it is understandable. She is the one usually dominated, not the other way around. She is creeped out by Severin, to begin with, but I think that could also be because he keeps kissing her feet and telling her to stand on his neck. He is, to put it bluntly, a simp who has a kink for being dominated. He also has a habit of falling in love with statues and treating them as though they were real while dreaming of them in furs. Well, but as the story goes, Wanda eventually overcomes her hesitation, after realizing that she really, really likes being in control.

There are many issues in this book, but I'd rather not dissect them and give it the benefit of doubt by reminding myself that this book was written in 1869. In short, while it has its own moments where I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and amused with the characters I found myself enjoying it much more than I was expecting. All thanks to Sacher-Masoch who wrote so well that you’d find yourself unable to stop reading.

-s