Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (Wordsworth Classics)

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Places then being taken for Esther and me, in the Chester-Waggon, I pass over a very immaterial scene of leave-taking, at which I dropt a few tears betwixt grief and joy; and for the same reasons of insignificance, skip over all that happened to me on the road, such as the Waggoner's looking liquorish on me, the schemes laid for me by some of the passengers, which were defeated by the vigilance of my guardian Esther, who, to do her justice, took a motherly care of me, at the same time that she taxed me for her protection, by making me bear all travelling charges, which I defray'd with the utmost chearfulness, and thought ​myself much obliged to her into the bargain. She took indeed great care that we were not over-rated, or imposed on, as well as of managing as frugally as possible; expensiveness was not her vice. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ PDM Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 false false About eleven, in came Mrs. Jones, with two basins of the richest soupe, which her experience in these matters had mov'd her to prepare. I pass over the fulsome compliments, the cant of this decent procuress, with which she saluted us both, but tho' my blood rose at the sight of her, I ​supprest my emotions, and gave all my concern to reflections on what would be the consequence of this new engagement.

Fanny Hill | Erotic Fiction, 18th-Century Literature Fanny Hill | Erotic Fiction, 18th-Century Literature

The Mayflower case highlighted the growing disconnect between the obscenity laws and the permissive society that was developing in late 1960s Britain, and was instrumental in shifting views to the point where in 1970 an uncensored version of Fanny Hill was again published in Britain.For my part, I was transported, confused, and out of myself: feelings so new were too much for me; my heated and alarm'd senses were in a tumult that robbed me of all liberty of thought; tears of pleasure gush'd from my eyes, and somewhat assuaged the fire that rag'd all over me. The book exemplifies the use of euphemism. The text has no swearing or explicit scientific terms for body parts, but uses many literary devices to describe genitalia. For example, the vagina is sometimes referred to as "the nethermouth", which is also an example of psychological displacement. Time Out wrote, "a relatively large budget and some respectable names in the cast list, but this is still limp softcore flummery sold on the half-remembered notoriety of its purported 18th century source...Lawyer Reed and madam Winters, meanwhile, seem as though they have their teeth gritted in the hope that it will all be over soon." [4] For besides all the perfections of manly beauty which were assembled in his form, he had an air of neatness and gentility, a certain smartness in the carriage and port of his head, that yet more distinguish'd him: his eyes were sprightly, and full of meaning; his looks had in them something at once sweet and commanding. His complexion out-bloom'd the lovely-colour'd rose, whilst its inimitable tender vivid glow, clearly sav'd from the reproach of wanting life, of raw and dough-like, which is commonly made to those so extremely fair as he was.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure - John Cleland - Google Books

For me, I could bear to see no more: I was so overcome, so inflamed at this second part of the same play, that, mad to an intolerable desire, I hugg'd, I clasp'd Phœbe, as if she had wherewithal to relieve me: pleased however ​with, and pitying the taking she could feel me in, she drew me towards the door and opening it as softly as she could, we both got off undiscover'd, and she reconducted me to my own room, where unable to keep my legs, in the agitation, I was in, I instantly threw myself down on the bed, where I lay transported, tho' asham'd at what I felt. O'Hara said Towers wrote a script but O'Hara did not use it. "I had a pretty good cast though," said O'Hara. [3] Critical reception [ edit ] This continuation of that grateful stricture which is in us, to the men, the very jet of their pleasure, I ow'd, it seems, to a happy habit of body, juicy, plump and furnish'd towards the texture of those parts, with a fullness of soft springy flesh, that yeilding sufficiently as it does, to almost any distension, soon recovers itself so as to retighten that strict compression of its mantlings and folds which form the sides of the passage, wherewith it so tenderly embraces, and closely clips any foreign body introduc'd into it, such as my exploring finger then was. Yet, plain as Mrs. Brown's views were now come out, I had not the heart or spirit to open my eyes to them: still I could not part with my dependence on that beldam; so much did I think myself her's, soul and body: or rather, I sought to deceive myself with the continuation of my good opinion of her, and chose to wait the worst at her hands, sooner than being turn'd out to starve in the streets, without a penny of money, or a friend to apply to: these fears were my folly. No sooner then was this precious substitute of my mystress's laid down, but she, who was never out of her way when any occasion of lewdness presented itself, turned to me, embraced, and kiss'd me with great eagerness. This was new, this was odd; but imputing it to nothing but ​pure kindness, which, for ought I knew, it might be the London way to express in that manner, I was determin'd not to be behind-hand with her, and returned her the kiss and embrace, with all the fervour that perfect innocence knew.Hitherto I had been indebted only to the girls of the house for the corruption of my innocence: their luscious talk, in which modesty was far from respected, their description of their engagements with men, had given me a tolerable insight into the nature and mysteries of their profession, at the same time that they highly provok'd an itch of florid warm-spirited blood through every vein; but above all, my bed-fellow Phœbe, whose pupil I more immediately was, exerted her talents in giving me the first tinctures of pleasure: whilst nature, now warm'd, and wantoned with discoveries so interesting, piqu'd a curiosity which Phœbe artfully whetted, and leading me from question to question of her own suggestion, explain'd to me ​all the mysteries of Venus; but I could not long remain in such an house as that, without being an eye-witness of more than I could conceive from her descriptions.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure - John Cleland - Google Books Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure - John Cleland - Google Books

Easily then reading in my eyes the full permission of myself to all his wishes, he scarce pleas'd himself more than me, when having insinuated his hand under my petticoat and shift, he presently remov'd those bars to the sight, by slily lifting them upwards, under favour of a thousand kisses, which he thought, perhaps, necessary to divert my attention to what he was about. All my drapery being now roll'd up to my waist, I threw myself into such a posture upon the couch, as gave up to him, in full view, the whole region of delight, and all the luxurious landscape round it. The transported youth devour'd every thing with his eyes, and try'd with his fingers to lay more open to his sight the secrets of that dark and delicious deep: he opens the folding lips, the softness of which yielding entry to any thing of a hard body, close round it, and oppose the sight: and feeling further, meets with, and wonders at, a soft ​fleshy excrescence, which, limber and relax'd after the late enjoyment, now grew, under the touch and examination of his fiery fingers, more and more stiff and considerable, till the titillating ardours of that so sensible part, made me sigh, as if he had hurt me. On which he withdrew his curious probing fingers, asking me pardon, as it were, in a kiss that rather increas'd the flame there.Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1749) was the first widely-read English novel in the genre “Erotica.” It was written by John Cleland as he was serving hard time at a debtor’s prison in London. Over the centuries, the novel has been repeatedly banned by authorities, assuring its preeminent role in the history of the ongoing struggle against censorship of free expression.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure/Letter the First Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure/Letter the First

In the mean time I lay fairly exposed to the examination of his eyes, and hands, quiet and unresisting, which confirm'd him in the opinion he proceeded so cavalierly upon, that I was no novice in these matters, since he had taken me out of a common bawdy-house: nor had I said one thing to prepossess him of my virginity; and if I had, he would sooner have believ'd that I took him for a cully that would swallow such an improbability, than that I was still mistress of that darling treasure, that hidden mine, so eagerly sought after by the men, and which they never dig for but they destroy.Had I lov'd this man, it was not in nature for me to have had patience to see the whole scene through: I should have broke in and play'd the jealous princess with a vengeance; but that was not the case, my pride alone was hurt, my heart not, and I could easier win upon myself to see how far he would go, till I had no uncertainty upon my conscience. Prepared then, and disposed as I was by the discourse of my companions, and Phœbe 's minute detail of every thing, no wonder that such a sight gave the last dying blow to my native innocence. All dispositions then made, not forgetting that of lying in bed to receive him; when he was enter'd the door of my bed-chamber, a latch that I govern'd by a wire, descended, and secur'd it. I am a not big fan of genre “erotic novel” but as I like reading different genres I have read few through my years.