Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill , in the English original with the title Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, is an erotic epistolary novel by John Cleland , which was first published in 1749 in London .
Origin and censorship history
Cleland wrote the book in London Debtors' Prison . Following the publication of the book, a broad civil disorder (broke scandal ) going on; the Anglican Church demanded "to stop the further distribution of this hideous book which is an open insult to religion and good manners " ("to stop the progress of this vile Book, which is an open insult upon religion and good manners"). The book was banned and Cleland, meanwhile released from debtors' prison, placed under arrest again. There were also secret publications in the USA, Fanny Hill was banned there in 1821 because of profanity . It was not until 1966 that the United States Supreme Court lifted this ban. The book is still not allowed to be sold in Australia.
A first, anonymous German translation of Cleland's letter novel appeared as early as 1791 with a fictitious place of publication and publication; but the edition obtained by Erich Feldhammer and published by C. W. Stern in 1906 with illustrations by Franz von Bayros is often regarded as the first German translation, followed by countless other editions. They were all indexed and confiscated as indecent. In 1964 the publisher Kurt Desch issued a limited luxury edition, which was also indexed according to Section 184 of the Criminal Code because of the distribution of pornographic writings . The publisher took legal action against this. The indexing was confirmed by a Munich court in 1968. It was not until July 22, 1969 that the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ruled that “Fanny Hill may be a work of erotic literature , but not an indecent writing”. Since then, the work has been allowed to be freely sold in Germany. It is frequently reprinted and is also available as an audio book .
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The novel consists of two long letters in which Fanny Hill, now the happy wife of a beloved husband, tells a friend about her life in retrospect. She emphasizes again and again that she depicts all erotic experiences and sufferings not for excitement, but for praise of virtue , since only a marriage out of love means happiness and real physical and spiritual fulfillment.
Fanny describes how she came to London as an orphan at the age of fifteen, where she was taken in by a matchmaker who wanted to turn Fanny into a prostitute . However, Fanny is rescued from the brothel by the young gentleman Karl and introduced to real love, both physically and mentally. However, when Karl is sent overseas by his father to do business, Fanny is alone again and actually becomes a prostitute in order to survive. She temporarily finds shelter as the mistress of a rich man, but is chased away by him when he catches her cheating on him with his errand boy. For a long time she found accommodation in the establishment of a Mrs. Cole who runs a noble brothel disguised as a cleaning shop. Although Fanny developed considerable erotic arts here, delighted numerous, especially older customers, and also enjoyed her work herself, she never forgets her beloved Karl. Finally, an older customer and bachelor leaves her with his considerable fortune and the insight that spiritual pleasures are to be ranked even higher than physical ones. After his return Karl marries Fanny and she can leave the brothel.
style
Stylistically, Cleland succeeds in avoiding the sultriness of many later erotic novels through elegance, apt expression and allusions to educational material; this does not quite fit with the supposed authorship of the rather uneducated Fanny Hill. The fiction is also not maintained in terms of content: The erotic scenes are clearly portrayed from a male perspective, with a strong emphasis on the 'female charms', while the male protagonists remain largely pale. Wherever they are described, mostly only their sexual potency is emphasized, which also fits the classic masculine self-image more than an authentic female view of eroticism .
Classification in literary history
In addition to the pornographic content, the moralizing framework , the varied narrative and a certain sense of humor were also received. Cleland repeatedly emphasizes that real eroticism also requires spiritual love. In his opinion, this is the only way to achieve perfect happiness. This worldview fits into the philosophical self-understanding of the Enlightenment , which saw the greatest possible happiness of people as an ideal.
Illustrations and film adaptations
Illustrations for Fanny Hill were created by the French illustrator Édouard-Henri Avril and the Englishman Erich von Götha, who is known for his comics .
The book has also been filmed several times. Some of the most famous adaptations are:
- Fanny Hill - USA / Germany 1964
- Fanny Hill - Sweden 1968, directed by Mac Ahlberg
- Fanny Hill - Great Britain / Germany 1983, directed by Gerry O'Hara
- Paprika - A Life for Love - Italy 1991, directed by Tinto Brass
- Fanny Hill - USA 1995 directed by Valentine Palmer
- Fanny Hill - UK 2007, directed by James Hawes
literature
Expenses (selection)
- [Without author]: The Lady of Pleasure, Rome (d. I. Berlin), by Seraph Cazzovulva (d. I. Himburg, 1791), in two volumes with six copperplate engravings (first complete German edition)
- Cleland, John: The memoirs of Fanny Hill, Paphos in the year of Cythere MDCCCCVI (d. I. Vienna, CW Stern 1906), in two volumes with six illustrations by Franz von Bayros
- Cleland, John: Fanny Hill, Memoirs of a woman of pleasure, with illustrations by Erich von Götha , London, Scarlet Library 2003, ISBN 1898998914 (English)
- Cleland, John: Fanny Hill, Memoirs of a Joy Girl . Albatros, Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-96158-0
- Cleland, John: Fanny Hill, or, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure . Modern Library, New York 2001, ISBN 0375758089 (English)
Secondary literature
- Wilfried Dittmar: Memoirs of a woman of pleasure . In: Walter Jens u. a. (Ed.): Kindler's New Literature Lexicon (Vol. 4, pp. 44 f.). Komet Verlag, Frechen 2001, ISBN 3-89836-214-0
- Patsy S. Fowler (Ed.): Launching Fanny Hill. Essays on the novel and its influence . AMS Press, New York 2003, ISBN 0-404-63541-5
- Peter Naumann: Keyhole and candle. John Cleland's "Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (English Research; 115). Winter, Heidelberg 1976, ISBN 3-533-02554-3
- Charles Rembar: The end of obscenity. The trials of " Lady Chatterley ", " Tropic of Chancer " and "Fanny Hill" . German publisher, London 1969.
- Hiltrud Gnüg: The erotic novel. From the renaissance to the present . Reclam, Stuttgart 2002
Web links
- Fanny Hill , full English text, divided into several documents by chapter
- Fanny Hill ( ZIP ; 452 kB), English full text as PDF
- Fanny Hill , full text of the German edition 1906 at zeno.org
Individual evidence
- ↑ FANNY HILL: Something in between in: Der Spiegel 16/1964 of April 15, 1964
- ↑ LITERATURE / FANNY HILL PROCESS: Rather ready for retirement in: Der Spiegel 31/1969 of July 28, 1969
- ^ The book of the book: 5000 years of book history, p. 454 online