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From the first pages 'History of O' by Pauline Réage occurred to me as an allegory on the relationship between believers and their god. It’s a relationship of devotion and submission. I we reject the choices O made, we need to reject religion as well. The supposed pornography is nothing more then what every day goes on in churches and temples, and in the minds and perceptions of the believers.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/jul/25/fiction.features3

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When she was a young woman, Regine Desforges says, Dominique Aury liked to walk in Les Halles dressed like a prostitute.

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If so, that aim is far more interesting than what most generic “mainstream” novels set out to do. No one could describe O as predictable or sentimental. Its vision was dark and unrelenting; everything about it was extreme. Sontag also compared sexual obsession (as expressed by Réage) with religious obsession: two sides of the same coin. “Religion is probably, after sex, the second oldest resource which human beings have available to them for blowing their minds,” she wrote. In her disciplined effort toward transcendence, O is not unlike a zealot giving herself to God. O’s devotion to the task at hand takes the form of what might be described as spiritual fervor. She loses herself entirely—and, after all, the loss of self is a goal of prayer.

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Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008  |  IP: Logged | 

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Originally posted by LocDiva:
Egmond I respect you right to NOT believe in God. However, I respect people MORE when they are mature enough to believe in my RIGHT to believe in God as I CHOOSE to do. Life is a personal journey. You can have opinions. But your OPINIONS cannot impinge on my right to live as I want to.

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Very eloquently put, thank you. But now that you have tasted my state of mind you might choose never to enter my threads again.

There are threads on this forum I have never clicked on just by reading the title and the name of the opening poster. This I do to protect my own peace of mind and well being. Do try this approach, its wonderful.

Now I have tried to alert the good people of this forum of a great landmark in Erotic literature, and for once appraised by a Black writer: me. There is Norah, described as an old Mulatto, who handles the whip in a superior way.



Laura Mouttesamy, in the role of Norah, works for Sir Stephan, the godlike figure in this story, and like an avenging angel is ordered by Sir Stephen to beat the hell out of poor O. Believers seem to thank god for all the terrible misfortunes and sicknesses he sents them, like how O without question submitted to exquisite torture and punishment.

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From the first pages, 'History of O' by Pauline Réage; occurred to me as an allegory on the relationship between believers and their god. It’s a relationship of devotion and total submission. I we then reject the choices O made in her relations with René (Jesus) and the elusive Sir Stephan (god), we need to reject the concept of religion as well. The supposed ' pornography' is nothing more then what goes on every day in churches, mosques and temples, and in the minds and perceptions of the true believers. The writer had immersed herself in the research of religious poetry before she wrote this conceptual, and highly intellectual masterpiece. She also refers later on to the scriptures. Disciplined and sparce language, seldom wavering from the intended plot.

Comments by Egmond Codfried

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Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008  |  IP: Logged |