Romance of Lust
Encyclopedia
The Romance of Lust, or Early Experiences is a Victorian
erotic novel published anonymously in four volumes during the years 1873–1876 by William Lazenby
. Henry Spencer Ashbee
, bibliophile, bibliographer
, merchant
, and expert on the writer Cervantes
, discusses this novel in one of his bibliographies of erotic literature
. In addition the compilers of British Museum General Catalogue of Printed Books list this book.
is told in first person
, and the protagonist
of the novel is Charlie Roberts. Charlie possesses a large penis
, much virility
, and a seemingly insatiable sexual appetite. The novel begins with “There were three of us
— Mary, Eliza, and myself.” Charlie describes his sexual initiation as an adolescent — as he is “approaching fifteen”. He catalogs his sexual experiences including incest
with his sisters Eliza and Mary, sex with his governesses, and his later sexual exploits with various male and female friends, and acquaintances. Besides incest, the book deals with a variety of sexual activities, including orgies, masturbation
, lesbianism, flagellation
, fellatio
, cunnilingus
, gay sex, anal sex
, and double penetration. Taboo
subjects such as homosexuality
, incest
, and pedophilia
are common themes in the novel
.
, and Edward Sellon
. Sellon is the author of other erotic novels and a book on snake worship
, whereas Potter wrote and had privately printed two books of letters on the Prince of Wales
’ visit to India
in 1875–1876. From examining the text in Letters from India during H. R. H. the Prince of Wales visit in 1875–6, from William S. Potter to his sister, one could make a stronger case for Potter, as there are similarities in writing style between the book of letters and The Romance of Lust. Ashbee asserts that Potter acted as editor to contributions by a number of aficionados.
of the Victorian era
. Steven Marcus
discusses The Romance of Lust in some detail in his book The Other Victorians: a Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England (1966), as does John Alfred Atkins in his historical survey, Sex in Literature (1970-1982).
Marcus’ study is psychological in nature-—relying much on the work of Sigmund Freud
, and he invents a word to describe the sexual activities in this novel, “pornotopia”. Marcus describes “pornotopia” as being like a place where “all men … are always and infinitely potent
; all women fecundate
with lust
and flow inexhaustibly with sap
or juice
or both. Everyone is always ready for everything” (p. 276). Given the libido
s of the characters
, the comment is apt. Because of the often unrealistic description of sexual activities and positions in The Romance of Lust, Marcus uses the word vector to describe the mechanical sex acts. He also speaks of emotional deprivation in conjunction with the work, because the characters do not interact with one another as real, thinking, and feeling persons would do.
. Since then it has been republished by a number of publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Victorian literature
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria . It forms a link and transition between the writers of the romantic period and the very different literature of the 20th century....
erotic novel published anonymously in four volumes during the years 1873–1876 by William Lazenby
William Lazenby
William Lazenby was an English publisher of pornography active in the 1870s and 1880s. He used the aliases Duncan Cameron and Thomas Judd...
. Henry Spencer Ashbee
Henry Spencer Ashbee
Henry Spencer Ashbee was a book collector, writer, and bibliographer, notorious for his massive, clandestine three volume bibliography of erotic literature written under the pseudonym of Pisanus Fraxi.-Life:...
, bibliophile, bibliographer
Bibliographer
"A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition, typography, etc. The result of this endeavor is a bibliography...
, merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, and expert on the writer Cervantes
Cervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
, discusses this novel in one of his bibliographies of erotic literature
Erotic literature
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of human sexual relationships which have the power to or are intended to arouse the reader sexually. Such erotica takes the form of novels, short stories, poetry, true-life memoirs, and sex manuals...
. In addition the compilers of British Museum General Catalogue of Printed Books list this book.
Content
The novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
is told in first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, and the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the novel is Charlie Roberts. Charlie possesses a large penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
, much virility
Virility
Virility refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. It is not applicable to women or to negative characteristics. The Oxford English Dictionary says virile is "marked by strength or force." Virility is commonly associated with vigour, health, sturdiness, and...
, and a seemingly insatiable sexual appetite. The novel begins with “There were three of us
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
— Mary, Eliza, and myself.” Charlie describes his sexual initiation as an adolescent — as he is “approaching fifteen”. He catalogs his sexual experiences including incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
with his sisters Eliza and Mary, sex with his governesses, and his later sexual exploits with various male and female friends, and acquaintances. Besides incest, the book deals with a variety of sexual activities, including orgies, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, lesbianism, flagellation
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
, fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
, cunnilingus
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
, gay sex, anal sex
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
, and double penetration. Taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
subjects such as homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, and pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
are common themes in the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
.
Authorship
Questions of authorship exist for this novel, and there are two likely candidates, William Simpson PotterWilliam Simpson Potter
William Simpson Potter was a minor 19th century English author. From available information, Potter was a friend of Henry Spencer Ashbee, a merchant, bibliographer, bibliophile, authority on the life and works of Cervantes, and collector of erotic materials...
, and Edward Sellon
Edward Sellon
Edward Sellon was an English writer, translator and illustrator of erotic literature.-Family:Edward Sellon was born 6 Jan 1818 in Brighton, England , the only child of Edward Sellon and Laura Willats .Edward, Sr...
. Sellon is the author of other erotic novels and a book on snake worship
Snake worship
The worship of serpent deities is present in several old cultures, particularly in religion and mythology, where snakes were seen as entities of strength and renewal.-Hindu mythology:...
, whereas Potter wrote and had privately printed two books of letters on the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
’ visit to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1875–1876. From examining the text in Letters from India during H. R. H. the Prince of Wales visit in 1875–6, from William S. Potter to his sister, one could make a stronger case for Potter, as there are similarities in writing style between the book of letters and The Romance of Lust. Ashbee asserts that Potter acted as editor to contributions by a number of aficionados.
Scholarly study
Scholarship on this novel is limited, although it is mentioned in passing in a number of historical works on the literatureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. Steven Marcus
Steven Marcus
Steven Marcus is an American academic and literary critic. He is George Delacorte Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at Columbia University.One of the founders of the National Humanities Center, he is a former Fellow and a current Trustee....
discusses The Romance of Lust in some detail in his book The Other Victorians: a Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England (1966), as does John Alfred Atkins in his historical survey, Sex in Literature (1970-1982).
Marcus’ study is psychological in nature-—relying much on the work of Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, and he invents a word to describe the sexual activities in this novel, “pornotopia”. Marcus describes “pornotopia” as being like a place where “all men … are always and infinitely potent
Potent
Potent may refer to:*Vair#Potent for the heraldic fur*Warren Potent for the Australian Olympic medalist in shootingSee also:*Potency...
; all women fecundate
Fecundity
Fecundity, derived from the word fecund, generally refers to the ability to reproduce. In demography, fecundity is the potential reproductive capacity of an individual or population. In biology, the definition is more equivalent to fertility, or the actual reproductive rate of an organism or...
with lust
Lust
Lust is an emotional force that is directly associated with the thinking or fantasizing about one's desire, usually in a sexual way.-Etymology:The word lust is phonetically similar to the ancient Roman lustrum, which literally meant "purification"...
and flow inexhaustibly with sap
Sap
Sap may refer to:* Plant sap, the fluid transported in xylem cells or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant* Sap , a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia...
or juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
or both. Everyone is always ready for everything” (p. 276). Given the libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
s of the characters
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, the comment is apt. Because of the often unrealistic description of sexual activities and positions in The Romance of Lust, Marcus uses the word vector to describe the mechanical sex acts. He also speaks of emotional deprivation in conjunction with the work, because the characters do not interact with one another as real, thinking, and feeling persons would do.
Publication history
The first uncensored modern edition of this work was published in 1968 by Grove PressGrove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
. Since then it has been republished by a number of publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Works that make substantial comment on or criticism of the novel
- Henry Spencer Ashbee (as Pisanus Fraxi), "Catena librorum tacendorum", 1885
- Atkins, John AlfredJohn Atkins (writer)John Alfred Atkins was a prolific British writer, playwright, poet and novelist.Atkins graduated from the Bristol University in 1938. Subsequently he worked for Mass Observation and later as Assistant and Literary Editor of the left-wing newspaper Tribune, before his call up for war service...
. Sex in Literature. London: Calder & Boyars, (1970-1982) - Marcus, StevenSteven MarcusSteven Marcus is an American academic and literary critic. He is George Delacorte Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at Columbia University.One of the founders of the National Humanities Center, he is a former Fellow and a current Trustee....
. The Other Victorians: A Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England. New York: Basic Books, (1966) - Lisa Z. Sigel, "International exposure: perspectives on modern European pornography, 1800-2000", Rutgers University Press, 2005, ISBN 0813535190, pp.105-116