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Beatrice
A somewhat lighter tale from the house of Charles Carrington, first published in Paris in 1895. Beatrice is a young woman returning home after a failed marriage. Restored to the comforts of family, she is assuaged from her grief by introduction to the delicate and sensuous arts of love-making, and, in a manner typical for 1895, to the gentle use of whips and straps. The lessons are carried out through numerous incidents of instruction for our young heroine.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 11, 2022
I don't read modern-day porn, but I somehow suspect many porn fans would not like this, partly because it has a much stronger female sensibility than most US porn, but also because it's more literary, and a little too real. I know survivors who are into BDSM (as are a fair number of abusers, unfortunately), but I have never before read published porn of any kind that shouted "written by a survivor" the way this did. I don't relate to everything written by survivors -- we are all individuals and experience and heal in different ways -- but there was a lot in this book where I was saying, "Yes, it's just like that."
The story opens with the main character, Beatrice, dissociating as her husband betrays her with someone else -- while the three of them spend the night in the same bed! It wasn't the betrayal or the sex that fascinated me -- it was the dissociation.
The concept of dissociation had not been labeled, described, understood, or even imagined, so far as I know, by 1900, so my first thought was that the author was just trying to share the heroine's experience of being drunk. And maybe so. But the heroine promptly leaves her husband, and her ambivalence in so doing is also a classic example of how a person's brain works when they've dealt with childhood sexual abuse. Then she goes back home to her father, and any thoughts that the writing style was meant to indicate drunkenness evaporate as we quickly discover she was sexually abused as a child, because she and her father immediately fall back into that pattern and we see how he abused her, and her reporting continues to include that quality of dissociation.
As someone who has dealt with childhood sexual abuse, and who has talked to a lot of fellow survivors, the ambivalence, the fear, the guilt, the dissociation, the way the heroine loses track of time and events and drifts from memory to current abuse and connects them -- all ring surprisingly true. Even her ambivalent relationship with her sister -- the heroine resents that her sister may have had more sexual experiences with their father than she has, and feels sorry that her father does these things to her sister, and thinks her sister brings her own problems on herself through her lack of understanding what's really going on -- are pretty classic. Sadly, the fact that no one in the story views the abuse as harmful by the end, or the fact that the heroine ultimately convinces herself that she is a lustful creature who wanted, needed, and inspired the abuse, are pretty common as well.
That is not a healthy conclusion for a survivor to come to, nor is the heroine's decision to pursue sex and to re-enact her abuse as a life-time goal. Many survivors pass through that stage on the way to health; some get trapped there for a good long while, although abusing others is less common. As in this story, survivors also use BDSM and their own helplessness as a way of, to quote the heroine, "absolving their sins" and reaching purity. Those survivors would argue, as this story's narrator would argue, that they find this approach functional and healthy.
One of the challenges survivors of childhood abuse face is believing in their right to make choices. When told the punishments she will be subject to, the heroine's sister asks, wistfully, of her abuser, "Will you not love me?" and the abuser says, "In obedience there is love-in love there is obedience." This is something abusive families -- particularly the ones that appear functional to the outside world, as the heroine's does -- often teach. And it is not just the small child who must be obedient to the parent -- the adult child is expected to honor and follow family tradition as well. In these families, blind obedience, either to some authority, or to the system you were raised in, is the way to salvation.
This is one of the reasons childhood sexual abuse, particularly when the perpetrator is someone the subject loved, makes all of life difficult, not just sex. Coping with the fear and pain and the confusion about being aroused by something they hated, and by being selfishly hurt by someone who claims to love them, can sometimes sap all their energies, and, sadly, often results in a life dominated by sex, long after the survivor is technically free of that first abuser. Pornography disguises that resultant emptiness because in porn a life that is only and all about sex is a life worthy of pursuit.
In real life it doesn't work that way. Sex is most enjoyable when it is part of a life of accomplishment on many fields, and when it becomes the source of one's greatest good, it will gradually lose its power to heal or pleasure. The pornographic approach to life also generally results in a serious split between the sexes. American pornography has long been male-centered; all sex is modeled on the sex of prostitution, where the male orgasm is the goal and purpose, and everything is shaped to accomplish that as efficiently as possible. This book is unusual in focusing on female pleasure, although it doesn't entirely escape that male focus. But it's also more honest about the results of this approach, with women saying things like, " In time [the women she's training] would learn the inferiority of men-the penis-bearers, the money bringers."
When childhood sexual abuse was perpetrated by the opposite sex, as they heal the survivor often does go through a period where they see the opposite sex as inferior, as someone to be used or manipulated to their own ends. But while that may be a stage in someone's healing journey, it is also clear evidence the person has not fully healed. Seeing the opposite sex as primarily a resource -- whether as a resource of money, as in this case, or a resource of sex, in most porn -- is pretty much a guarantee of sexual dysfunction, and of never achieving the greatest heights of sexual pleasure. The world of porn is a fantasy world where great sex and using others actually makes people happy long term, and in a porn sense, this novel has a happy ending.
But I would say the ending is bittersweet at best, and truly tragic by my standards. Literature tells the truth, even when it speaks of a fantasy world, and while this book is not great literature, it tells more truth than many a supposedly serious novel on the subject. While reading the heroine's long speech she gives on what she intends to do to others, or just the last lines of the book, I think "those with eyes to see" recognize how broken she is, and how she is still trapped by her need to reconcile the pain and guilt from what her father did to her with her love for him. She has created a structure to contain this contradiction, but it's also a trap that will keep her from getting where she needs to go in order to be truly happy or healthy.
There's a reason this book ends with "a sadness of dust" and longing.
The story opens with the main character, Beatrice, dissociating as her husband betrays her with someone else -- while the three of them spend the night in the same bed! It wasn't the betrayal or the sex that fascinated me -- it was the dissociation.
The concept of dissociation had not been labeled, described, understood, or even imagined, so far as I know, by 1900, so my first thought was that the author was just trying to share the heroine's experience of being drunk. And maybe so. But the heroine promptly leaves her husband, and her ambivalence in so doing is also a classic example of how a person's brain works when they've dealt with childhood sexual abuse. Then she goes back home to her father, and any thoughts that the writing style was meant to indicate drunkenness evaporate as we quickly discover she was sexually abused as a child, because she and her father immediately fall back into that pattern and we see how he abused her, and her reporting continues to include that quality of dissociation.
As someone who has dealt with childhood sexual abuse, and who has talked to a lot of fellow survivors, the ambivalence, the fear, the guilt, the dissociation, the way the heroine loses track of time and events and drifts from memory to current abuse and connects them -- all ring surprisingly true. Even her ambivalent relationship with her sister -- the heroine resents that her sister may have had more sexual experiences with their father than she has, and feels sorry that her father does these things to her sister, and thinks her sister brings her own problems on herself through her lack of understanding what's really going on -- are pretty classic. Sadly, the fact that no one in the story views the abuse as harmful by the end, or the fact that the heroine ultimately convinces herself that she is a lustful creature who wanted, needed, and inspired the abuse, are pretty common as well.
That is not a healthy conclusion for a survivor to come to, nor is the heroine's decision to pursue sex and to re-enact her abuse as a life-time goal. Many survivors pass through that stage on the way to health; some get trapped there for a good long while, although abusing others is less common. As in this story, survivors also use BDSM and their own helplessness as a way of, to quote the heroine, "absolving their sins" and reaching purity. Those survivors would argue, as this story's narrator would argue, that they find this approach functional and healthy.
One of the challenges survivors of childhood abuse face is believing in their right to make choices. When told the punishments she will be subject to, the heroine's sister asks, wistfully, of her abuser, "Will you not love me?" and the abuser says, "In obedience there is love-in love there is obedience." This is something abusive families -- particularly the ones that appear functional to the outside world, as the heroine's does -- often teach. And it is not just the small child who must be obedient to the parent -- the adult child is expected to honor and follow family tradition as well. In these families, blind obedience, either to some authority, or to the system you were raised in, is the way to salvation.
This is one of the reasons childhood sexual abuse, particularly when the perpetrator is someone the subject loved, makes all of life difficult, not just sex. Coping with the fear and pain and the confusion about being aroused by something they hated, and by being selfishly hurt by someone who claims to love them, can sometimes sap all their energies, and, sadly, often results in a life dominated by sex, long after the survivor is technically free of that first abuser. Pornography disguises that resultant emptiness because in porn a life that is only and all about sex is a life worthy of pursuit.
In real life it doesn't work that way. Sex is most enjoyable when it is part of a life of accomplishment on many fields, and when it becomes the source of one's greatest good, it will gradually lose its power to heal or pleasure. The pornographic approach to life also generally results in a serious split between the sexes. American pornography has long been male-centered; all sex is modeled on the sex of prostitution, where the male orgasm is the goal and purpose, and everything is shaped to accomplish that as efficiently as possible. This book is unusual in focusing on female pleasure, although it doesn't entirely escape that male focus. But it's also more honest about the results of this approach, with women saying things like, " In time [the women she's training] would learn the inferiority of men-the penis-bearers, the money bringers."
When childhood sexual abuse was perpetrated by the opposite sex, as they heal the survivor often does go through a period where they see the opposite sex as inferior, as someone to be used or manipulated to their own ends. But while that may be a stage in someone's healing journey, it is also clear evidence the person has not fully healed. Seeing the opposite sex as primarily a resource -- whether as a resource of money, as in this case, or a resource of sex, in most porn -- is pretty much a guarantee of sexual dysfunction, and of never achieving the greatest heights of sexual pleasure. The world of porn is a fantasy world where great sex and using others actually makes people happy long term, and in a porn sense, this novel has a happy ending.
But I would say the ending is bittersweet at best, and truly tragic by my standards. Literature tells the truth, even when it speaks of a fantasy world, and while this book is not great literature, it tells more truth than many a supposedly serious novel on the subject. While reading the heroine's long speech she gives on what she intends to do to others, or just the last lines of the book, I think "those with eyes to see" recognize how broken she is, and how she is still trapped by her need to reconcile the pain and guilt from what her father did to her with her love for him. She has created a structure to contain this contradiction, but it's also a trap that will keep her from getting where she needs to go in order to be truly happy or healthy.
There's a reason this book ends with "a sadness of dust" and longing.
January 10, 2013
A book written in the Victorian/Edwardian Era, this has strapped bottoms, some light birching, a whipping and it somewhat surprised me, as it is about an upper class woman in a dull boring marriage with a husband she has no love or respect for. She leaves and returns to the family home and travels via a series of incestous experiences through her own submissive subjugation to finding herself and happiness as a FemDomme to train others. Never a real negative about sexual relationships with father, uncle, aunt, sister, then of course dont forget the aristocratic visitors and serving staff! After her training she returns as Mistress of her childhood home as Pater has travelled to see to his tea plantation. I did like the way her father referred to her derriere as her pumpkin, a novel way of describing one's rear end. Naughty Victorians and Edwardians at their naughtiest. There are surreal images of her awareness of feeling and what is going on around her and of her thought processes, which makes it very different to most books I've read. At times this annoyed me and seemed disjointed images and other times I thought it quite poetic and thought provoking. If it was written by a man, Anonymous, then I'm surprised, as it seems to understand the feelings of a woman. It treats the male in a useful way, as penis bringer and wealth earner but isn't respectful of men.
A few typo's. A good insight into society, daily life and class at that time. I did like it and have read a similar book a few years ago but an edited version and a different title, can't recall the writer as I know their are a number of similar books and two or three author's.
I have given this 4 stars.
A few typo's. A good insight into society, daily life and class at that time. I did like it and have read a similar book a few years ago but an edited version and a different title, can't recall the writer as I know their are a number of similar books and two or three author's.
I have given this 4 stars.
February 23, 2010
This book was written in 1900. I was quite surprised by the subject of the book. Even though it dealt mostly with submission and dominance, I was shocked that it had a lot of anal in it also. I mean by reading this book, you would never have guessed that it was written in 1900. The only differences were the fact that they did not use the term cunt a lot. Other than that, it was very similar to erotica of today.
October 2, 2022
This is the story of a 25 year old woman named Beatrice who was married but left her husband to return home to her younger, by four years, sister Caroline and their father. Their mother had left them some years earlier. Beatrice’s father was glad that his elder daughter had returned. He said that she should never have married. The father and his daughters had a somewhat unconventional relationship. For example, they would indulge in French-drinking of wine. The father would take some wine into his mouth and then let it flow from his mouth to the mouths of his two daughters. With Beatrice, he had a physical relationship which involved them going together to the attic where Beatrice would strip down to a chemise, drawers, and stockings. She would climb onto an old toy rocking horse. Her father would rock the horse with one hand and smack Beatrice’s bottom with his other hand. She would fall off the horse and he would catch her. In the process, her breasts would rise above the chemise. Then, the father and daughter would kiss. There would be more intimacy after this. The paternal relationship involved both love and discipline — the themes of the book.
The father had to travel to another city on business and would be gone for an entire year. He decided that, during that time, Beatrice and Caroline would live with his brother Thomas and his sister-in-law Maude. Before he left, he wanted to take Beatrice to the summerhouse, another building on their property. She said that she had to pack for the trip to the home of her uncle and aunt. So he took Caroline instead. Although what went on during that particular incident is not described explicitly, the relationship between father and younger daughter was also not ordinary.
Uncle Thomas and Aunt Maude had an adopted daughter named Jenny who, in the past, spent time with Beatrice’s parents (before the mother left) with the implication that the uncle-niece and aunt-niece relationships involved physical domination. Now, the uncle-niece and aunt-niece relationships were with Beatrice and Caroline as the nieces. Again, the relationships described were a combination of erotic love and physical discipline.
This book, published in 1900, is considered to be a Victorian erotic novel. Within the genre of Victorian erotica, there seems to be a sub-genre of Victorian discipline. The Confessions of Lady Beatrice is part of it. As with other books of both the sub-genre and the full genre, the language is explicit yet of a somewhat elegant style. It is different from modern pornography. Each of the twenty chapters presents enjoyable scenes to read, but the book as a whole is unfocused. In addition to the aforementioned characters, you are introduced to Katherine, Rupert, Arabella, Amanda, Frederick, Maria, Ned, and various unnamed servants. The various threads of action are not as connected as you may want.
About three quarters of the way through the book, one character has a significant change in status relative to the other characters. The style of the book continues but with a different hierarchy of family and associates. In a way, the last quarter of the book was more satisfying than the first three quarters. Then, the ending of the book was not what I expected.
The Confessions of Lady Beatrice is not a bad book. I just wish that the story wasn’t as scattered as it was.
The father had to travel to another city on business and would be gone for an entire year. He decided that, during that time, Beatrice and Caroline would live with his brother Thomas and his sister-in-law Maude. Before he left, he wanted to take Beatrice to the summerhouse, another building on their property. She said that she had to pack for the trip to the home of her uncle and aunt. So he took Caroline instead. Although what went on during that particular incident is not described explicitly, the relationship between father and younger daughter was also not ordinary.
Uncle Thomas and Aunt Maude had an adopted daughter named Jenny who, in the past, spent time with Beatrice’s parents (before the mother left) with the implication that the uncle-niece and aunt-niece relationships involved physical domination. Now, the uncle-niece and aunt-niece relationships were with Beatrice and Caroline as the nieces. Again, the relationships described were a combination of erotic love and physical discipline.
This book, published in 1900, is considered to be a Victorian erotic novel. Within the genre of Victorian erotica, there seems to be a sub-genre of Victorian discipline. The Confessions of Lady Beatrice is part of it. As with other books of both the sub-genre and the full genre, the language is explicit yet of a somewhat elegant style. It is different from modern pornography. Each of the twenty chapters presents enjoyable scenes to read, but the book as a whole is unfocused. In addition to the aforementioned characters, you are introduced to Katherine, Rupert, Arabella, Amanda, Frederick, Maria, Ned, and various unnamed servants. The various threads of action are not as connected as you may want.
About three quarters of the way through the book, one character has a significant change in status relative to the other characters. The style of the book continues but with a different hierarchy of family and associates. In a way, the last quarter of the book was more satisfying than the first three quarters. Then, the ending of the book was not what I expected.
The Confessions of Lady Beatrice is not a bad book. I just wish that the story wasn’t as scattered as it was.
June 12, 2024
this was a real “dead dove, do not eat” situation and i should have appreciated the hinted warning in the blurb for the amount of incest that was going to be in “beatrice.” i pushed through my profound discomfort to finish it because in spite of that theme which i did not enjoy, i was fascinated by the writing style, which seems unique and quite attached to its characteristic and repetitive turns of phrase. it’s a shame the scholar that did the introduction (an apparent ph.d. from cambridge in some unspecified field who is not to be found by googling) clearly had very little respect for or interest in the genre of erotica - baffling then for him to have been coerced into writing this introduction, whoever he is. the anonymity of the author, as well, is a fascinating point, but it makes it almost impossible to do any outside research on the text, which i really felt i needed to try to parse some aspects of the novel academically.
not a great time, but at least i got through it.
not a great time, but at least i got through it.
February 10, 2025
The Confessions of Lady Beatrice was published in 1900, it is classed as Victorian erotica within the sub-genre of Victorian Discipline.
The language is explicit but with meandering elegant styling similar to that of Anais Nin.
I had a few chuckles at some of the descriptions such as "Jellied Breasts in all their glory!", "Lovelips", "liqueur of love sperm", "the black flaring of her bush", "her penis-pouter", "my rosy clitty" and "His prong pronged" "his prick jutted its menace" "the rubicund knob of his penis appeared to glow even more" and more. which I found delightfully playful and hilarious.
I'm guessing this was a secret, scandelous book of it's time that would have been passed around the parlour during afternoon tea or hidden underneath a ladies embroidery project!
The language is explicit but with meandering elegant styling similar to that of Anais Nin.
I had a few chuckles at some of the descriptions such as "Jellied Breasts in all their glory!", "Lovelips", "liqueur of love sperm", "the black flaring of her bush", "her penis-pouter", "my rosy clitty" and "His prong pronged" "his prick jutted its menace" "the rubicund knob of his penis appeared to glow even more" and more. which I found delightfully playful and hilarious.
I'm guessing this was a secret, scandelous book of it's time that would have been passed around the parlour during afternoon tea or hidden underneath a ladies embroidery project!
January 13, 2025
I was curious after hearing it briefly mentioned on a video discussing certain historic realities. I'll admit I was still somewhat surprised by the content. I also would have expected more verbiage change between then and now.
I found the writing style really interesting, and somewhat intriguing. However it's full of incest and extremely dubious consent. Older relatives who dominate over younger female relatives as well as using servants and common folk as sexual props.
I found the writing style really interesting, and somewhat intriguing. However it's full of incest and extremely dubious consent. Older relatives who dominate over younger female relatives as well as using servants and common folk as sexual props.
September 20, 2014
This story is very steamy given it supposedly was written in 1895. Imagine the influence this very early S&M speckled manuscript must have had. There are exciting spanking scenes and tales of Power exchange that make this a lively read when considered in the light of antiquity. I found it even too racy in many passages. The punishment is well written and if you like Victorian Discipline this book is a must.
September 11, 2012
This is a strange book that is very slow at times and other times it moves along quite quickly. I didn't hate but I don't know if I really liked it either. Definitly had some erotic scenes and overtones.
August 24, 2011
This book is as interesting as The Story of O and Return to the Chateau. Even though it is an erotic novel it is a very good read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews