The World of Literature

Austria: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch – Venus in Furs

Sacher-Masoch is not just any author. He is an Austrian prophet sent to entice readers of all ages. The metaphorical essence of Venus in Furs and its passionate emotion centres around a man who dreams of talking to the beautiful Goddess Venus, who is dressed all in furs. Without giving away too many of the gory details, the subject matter was truly revolutionary for its respective era; written in 1870, it hypothesises a rejection of sexual suppression that is manifest in society’s submissiveness.

A book that is positively shocking, yet truly satisfying. Despite being horrified at the sheer ridiculousness of the maleficent protagonist, Severin, you find yourself irrationally empathising for him. The beautiful yet malignant Venus leaves you uncertain whether to like her or detest her. Overall, this alluring piece of literature is worthy of canonisation. Sacher-Masoch’s lucid style is enduring yet shocking – you will find yourself gasping in horror at a certain passage, yet revelling in its the devilish pleasures. Sacher-Masoch unearths the sinister under-belly of humanity that all of us are too afraid to admit. Obviously, not all of us fantasize about the vulgar promiscuity detailed in Venus in Furs, but we all have the capacity to hide our true desires and accept the complacency the world wills us into. Sacher-Masoch channels this suppression and revolts against it in an incendiary account of love and loss.

Words by Alicia Carpenter

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