If you've read 'The Story of O'

If you've read 'The Story of O'

Badgirlblues​(dom male) • Jul 19, 2021

If you've read the novel 'The Story of O,' what did you think of it?

Sir'smisty​(sub female) • Jul 19, 2021

I know that, for many it was the catalyst into BDSM. I respect that. I can understand some of the appeal.

That said:
I really liked the first part of it and deeply disliked the last part.
I felt that her first Master abandoned her. And the rest only used her for their pleasure without caring for her emotional and physical well-being.
I felt the novel ended with her as an abused woman, let down by weak men, posing as Masters.

In fact, I couldn't wait to finish the book.

Don't crucify me...

Coltic • Jul 19, 2021

I read it a number of years ago and I may not remember it all correctly. It was a story a woman wrote to show her man that if I am not mistaken was married. It partly was to show him how far she would go for him and to be erotic.
I myself didnt like the branding and the rings that she was pierced with. To me that dont appeal to me. Clamp, clips and other items that can be place on and removed are. Perminent I not fine appealing. Most of the training was erotic and hot but the trading off nope. That to me was like your not worth it for me. Cause she was handed off a few times like chair. She blindly obeyed cause she thought she would get what she wanted and never did. Sure she came but it wasnt emotional. There was no real connection. Well that's my out look on it.

dollMaker​(dom male) • Jul 19, 2021

Its in part a satire, commentary on French upper class society, so while on the face of it is a bdsm based erotic story, there is more to it than first meets the eye. It was written in response to a challenge by Jean Paulhan that his lover Anne Desclos a woman could not write a good erotic story. I think that she did, but its riddled with problems.

I personally have never understood how Rene, handed O over to Sir Stephen, in the way portrayed, or why he abandoned her, and then agreed, gave permission for O to comit suicide. To say the story is of its time, 1954, is obvious, its far from a celebration of womanhood, the erotic feminine, but rather riddled with cruel objectification, misogyny and a horrible disregard for what these days is understood regarding consent. The idea is paid lipservice to once, and in away the whole story spirals outward from O not walking away when she is offered this option to do so once, what follows is sort of a CNC story.

Its an influencial story, but more so I feel via its 1975 film, which followed 21 years after its French publication, and 10 after being published in English, in 1965. I came to it through the film.

Many have argued that O is not a submissive, but more a service switch, switch, and the follow up media has certainly leant more towards that idea. I tend to agred with that.

Also of its time, 1963, the book The Image is I feel superior, in particular because it was written by an actual bdsm practitioner, Jean De Berg.

alawey​(sub female){(OWNED BY } • Jul 19, 2021

I havent read it have always wanted to bit now after reading these I'm unsure.
The is a series of books that I did like thought it's " The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty " and the two that follow. Pure fictional story but I enjoyed it . I wonder have others read it/ them?

Miki​(masochist female) • Jul 19, 2021

I heard of it, and as a (legally of age) late teen I read and enjoyed it...

The claim that it "started" the BDSM "lifestyle" is a bit of a stretch since there isn't much doubt that this crap has been around for centuries.. only hidden.

Again and as always, only my opinion.

dollMaker​(dom male) • Jul 19, 2021

No it definitely didn't start the bdsm lifestyle, but many have taken aspects of it and made it their own, just as some did with the gor books. Unlike the Leather community, the straight community didn't have so much to claim as their own, not as much collective history, so some appropriated elements of story of O.

The only thing to really come out of this book, in a solid physical way is the O ring, which many wear to indicate being into bdsm.

DrWakko • Jul 19, 2021

If you enjoyed The Story of O you should read The Master of O

dollMaker​(dom male) • Jul 19, 2021

Which is an awful modernisation, that has way too many product placements through out it. It misses the whole point of the original, and the setting in LA doesn't work. Frankly I think the author should have called it something else, not used 0 and it would have been its own thing, and worked much better - imho.

Coltic • Jul 20, 2021

I did read the claiming of sleeping beauty. The prince to me in that book seemed to not care about beauty at all .