In his stunning essay, Coldness and Cruelty, Gilles Deleuze
provides a rigorous and informed philosophical examination of the
work of the late 19th-century German novelist Leopold von
Sacher-Masoch. Deleuze's essay, certainly the most profound study
yet produced on the relations between sadism and masochism, seeks
to develop and explain Masoch's "peculiar way of 'desexualizing'
love while at the same time sexualizing the entire history of
humanity." He shows that masochism is something far more subtle and
complex than the enjoyment of pain, that masochism has nothing to
do with sadism; their worlds do not communicate, just as the genius
of those who created them - Masoch and Sade - lie stylistically,
philosophically, and politically poles a part.Venus in Furs, the
most famous of all of Masoch's novels was written in 1870 and
belongs to an unfinished cycle of works that Masoch entitled The
Heritage of Cain. The cycle was to treat a series of themes
including love, war, and death. The present work is about love.
Although the entire constellation of symbols that has come to
characterize the masochistic syndrome can be found here - fetishes,
whips, disguises, fur-clad women, contracts, humiliations,
punishment, and always the volatile presence of a terrible coldness
- these do not eclipse the singular power of Masoch's
eroticism.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!