Something Leather
Encyclopedia
Something Leather is a novel
by Alasdair Gray
which was published in 1990. Its framing narrative is the story of June's initiation into sado-masochistic activities by the female operators of a leather
clothing shop in Glasgow
.
The four central characters are from different social groups: June works for the civil service
; Donalda is a dressmaker, and Senga her employer; and Harry (Harriet) is an aristocratic
English artist and dominatrix
. The novel also features a large cast of Glaswegian minor characters across a broad social spectrum, some of the segments reworked from Gray's earlier broadcast material.
Something Leather concludes with a section entitled Critic Fuel - An Epilogue, in which Gray describes the circumstances surrounding the book's development and offers an extended ending. He comments in the Acknowledgements that the title made reviewers treat it as "a sadomasochistic Lesbian
adventure story" (these events only take place in the framing Chapters 1 and 12) and that had he called it Glaswegians they might have paid more attention to the rest of the book.
He also asserts that the novel was born out of an attempt to write a story about a woman (an idea he credits to Kathy Acker
) since his previous books had been about "men who found life a task they never doubted until an unexpected collision opened their eyes and changed their habits." Since this happens to June in Something Leather, it can be read as a female equivalent to Gray's 1984 novel 1982, Janine
.
There are many comparisons to be made between the two novels. The texts have similar multiple openings and conclusions in common with their intertext, Story of O
. Contrasts include Jock's lesbian fantasy in 1982, Janine taking real form in Something Leather, and apparently inconsequential details such as the prominence of white clothes in the former and black leathers in the latter.
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....
by Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years...
which was published in 1990. Its framing narrative is the story of June's initiation into sado-masochistic activities by the female operators of a leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
clothing shop in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
The four central characters are from different social groups: June works for the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
; Donalda is a dressmaker, and Senga her employer; and Harry (Harriet) is an aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
English artist and dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
. The novel also features a large cast of Glaswegian minor characters across a broad social spectrum, some of the segments reworked from Gray's earlier broadcast material.
Something Leather concludes with a section entitled Critic Fuel - An Epilogue, in which Gray describes the circumstances surrounding the book's development and offers an extended ending. He comments in the Acknowledgements that the title made reviewers treat it as "a sadomasochistic Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
adventure story" (these events only take place in the framing Chapters 1 and 12) and that had he called it Glaswegians they might have paid more attention to the rest of the book.
He also asserts that the novel was born out of an attempt to write a story about a woman (an idea he credits to Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
) since his previous books had been about "men who found life a task they never doubted until an unexpected collision opened their eyes and changed their habits." Since this happens to June in Something Leather, it can be read as a female equivalent to Gray's 1984 novel 1982, Janine
1982, Janine
1982, Janine is a novel by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work...
.
There are many comparisons to be made between the two novels. The texts have similar multiple openings and conclusions in common with their intertext, Story of O
Story of O
Story of O is an erotic novel published in 1954 about love, dominance and submission by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage.Desclos did not reveal herself as the author for forty years after the initial publication...
. Contrasts include Jock's lesbian fantasy in 1982, Janine taking real form in Something Leather, and apparently inconsequential details such as the prominence of white clothes in the former and black leathers in the latter.
External links
- Something Leather at the Lanark 1982 unofficial Alasdair Gray website