| | | Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs is where the term Masochism originated. Although inspired by his distant relative in some part (namely the title) the novel was based upon a 24/7 S/M relationship he had with a woman named Wanda (a Domme). That relationship, unlike those in DeSade's work, was consensual. It had a contract. At the end of the novel (yes, this is a spoiler) the main character realizes that he will never again allow himself to be enslaved.
Nobody has really talked about 24/7 BDSM being a thought experiment as opposed to a purely sexual experience and what that does to both parties. Can a relationship that might be construed legally and normally as abusive actually be making the volunteering masochist and the willing sadist into a better people?
(A great edition of Venus in Furs is with in the book Masochism by Gile Deleuze, published in 1989) |
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