The Home for the Literarily Bent
Posts tagged Lesbians
Lesbianism Made Easy
11 year ago
Front cover for Lesbianism Made Easy
By Helen Eisenbach
Published in 1998 by Three Rivers Press
The first few pages of this book were funny. Then it just got mean spirited. In fact, I hate to even write this review. My only reason for doing so is that Daddy has asked me too. Granted, that may seem a poor reason to review a book, but it works for me. Don’t like it? Oh well, there are lots of things not to like in this world, hopefully I don’t top your list.
Back to the book, Helen Eisenbach’s book appears to be a comical parody looking at the follies of lesbians in America. It isn’t. It isn’t comical nor is it a fair parody. It actually ends up being a rather rude degradation of heterosexual women, heterosexual men, homosexual women, homosexual men, bisexual women, bisexual men, and, for good measure, asexual anyone. The punch line becomes the punch too often to ignore.
I was most directly offended by her chapter on BDSM. She clearly made no effort to understand her topic, did not approve of those who participate in it, and assumes that no one really enjoys that sort of thing. Her suggestion instead is that any woman who engages in BDSM is an abuse survivor with low intellectual ability repressed by the patriarchy. Her disdain for other people’s sexual preferences is too much to look past.
In fact, as I hated the book so much, I began to wonder if perhaps my view was skewed. I thought maybe other folks love this book. Maybe since I am just a bisexual woman and not a “real lesbian” I didn’t get it. A quick Google search found a great review of a different book that refers to Eisenbach’s book. Julie Felner’s review of “The Girls Next Door: Into the Heart of Lesbian America” by Lindsy Van Gelder and Pamela Robin Brandt (http://www.salon.com/weekly/books960708.html) sums up my feelings about Eisenbach’s book best by saying Eisenbach, “fails to grasp the distinction between making fun of people and being funny.” The review appears to recommend a great alternative in “The Girls Next Door.” I recommend skipping the frustration of trying to read Eisenbach and jumping to Van Gelder and Brandt. I haven’t read their book, but based on the review by Felner and the total suckage of Eisenbach’s book, I am willing to go out on a limb here.
Uses and Pleasures of the Rod
02 years ago
by Todd
in Antique Smut
Uses and Pleasures of the Rod front cover
by Lady Cynthia Lovebirch & Others
Published in 1972 by Venus Library
If the cover and publisher’s note is accurate, this book was published in Victorian England. While searches of the book’s title and author proved fruitless on shedding light on this claim, the plot and language of the book certainly lend it credence.
The book pretends to be the report of a series of lectures given in the homes of various high society ladies as they share with each other the virtues of corporal punishment for not only the correction of wayward ladies but for their erotic amusement. There really isn’t much plot here per se; each of the various “lectures” includes a demonstration of corporal punishment and introduces a new wrinkle in the manners of spanking, whipping, and/or flagellation and includes an episode of lesbianism. While some readers might find the lack of plot development here off-putting, pervert that I am, the lack of plot bothered me not one whit.
When I began reading the book, the dated Victorian prose was a bit difficult to discern, especially because so much of what transpires is described euphemistically. However, as I continued reading not only did I grow more comfortable with the prose, I felt enamored with the beauty of the language used. Reading this book made it almost seems possible that folks I have known who reported they enjoy Shakespeare because of the beauty of his prose weren’t pulling my leg after all. Almost.
In addition to the lovely prose, this book includes lots of obscure words I hope to add to my active vocabulary. For instance, tribade (in this work it is merely a synonym for lesbian, though apparently it is more properly lesbian frottage), Calligype (I presume a noun form of Callipygian: having finely developed buttocks), rotundities (self-explanatory), and so many terms for various sorts of women’s undergarments I lost track. If my elementary school teachers would have used this book as a source for vacabulary lists, the school-aged me would have enjoyed English class instead of dreading it.
There is one point of warning; many of the spanking victims are teenaged servants. However given the age when this was presumably written their inclusion can be forgiven.
If you enjoy lesbianism, Victorian writing, corporal punishment, old time women’s underwear, or flogging, spanking, and the like, Uses and Pleasures of the Rod is for you. If not, why are you here anyway?
Voyage from Lesbos
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Voyage from Lesbos front cover
by Richard C. Robertiello, M.D.
Published in 1959 by Avon Books
Voyage from Lesbos is the case study of the “treatment” of a lesbian identified only as Connie as related by psychiatrist Richard Robertiello, M.D.
The book begins with a brief introduction to Connie. We learn that she works as a secretary, is attractive despite the fact that she’s slightly overweight, is able to discuss her homosexuality frankly, and is the submissive partner in her relationships.
A classical practician of psychoanalysis, Dr. Robertiello spends most of his time with Connie analyzing her childhood and dreams to help “cure” her of her homosexuality. As Robertiello reveals more about Connie, we “learn” the source of her inability to sexually relate to men stems from her the classic oedipal complex and her competitive relationship with her mother. Connie also seems to suffer from the belief that her genitals are dirty and that no decent man would want her.
Most frightening to me are the references to Connie’s depression. Depression is a legitimate and often debilitating mental illness. Sadly for Connie the person she entrusted to help her with her problems doesn’t recognize that depression is the illness she suffers from and needs the most help with, instead he views the depression as a natural symptom of her “real” illness: homosexuality.
If I didn’t know that this book dates from the 50s and that Robertiello’s other books were mainstream psychological discussion, I would have assumed this to be satire of Freudian psychology. But if it were satire, it would be too over the top to have the subtle edge of credibility that good satire demands. Telling you that by the book’s end Robertiello claims to have successfully “cured” Connie of her homosexuality won’t ruin the book, but it might ruin the sense of comfort that you have with the then current state of medical knowledge. As disconcerting as Robertiello’s opinions are, realizing that his opinions were considered to be fairly mainstream until about 30 years ago gives one pause. More frightening is that even today many people (not just the extreme lunatic fringe) still believe that homosexuality is a disease in need of a cure.
I couldn’t help but wonder what became of Connie after her treatment from Robertiello. Was she really “cured” of her homosexuality? Did she learn to embrace her lesbianism? While I don’t believe for a moment that such a “cure” is possible or desirable, it certainly is possible someone might have denied their sexuality for the rest of their life. But at what cost? And what of others who, like Connie, were victimized not only by the real fear of coming out of the closet but by the professional psychological community that told them their sexuality was a mental illness? Luckily we’re now able to hear some of their stories, but nothing will make up what was taken from them.