Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (Wordsworth Classics)

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The young fellow had just dismounted, when the old lady immediately sprung up, with all the vigour of youth, derived no doubt from her late refreshment; and making him sit down, began in her turn to kiss him, to pat and pinch his cheeks, and play with his hair, all which he receiv'd with an air of indifference, and coolness, that showed him to me much altered from what he was when he first went on to the breach. Youth is soon raised; and a few days were sufficient to conquer the fury of my fever: but what contributed most to my perfect recovery, and to my reconciliation with life, was the timely news, that Mr. Crofts, who was a merchant of ​considerable dealings, was arrested at the king's suit, for nearly forty thousand pounds, on account of his driving a certain contraband trade, and that his affairs were so desperate, that even were it in his inclination, it would not be in his power to renew his designs upon me: for he was instantly thrown into a prison, which it was not likely he would get out of in haste. My education, till past fourteen, was no better than very vulgar; reading, or rather spelling, an illegible scrawl, and a little ordinary plain-work, composed the whole system of it: and then all my foundation in virtue was no other than a total ignorance of vice, and the shy timidity general to our sex, in the tender stage of life, when objects alarm, or frighten more by their novelty, than any thing else: but then this is a fear too often cured at the expence of innocence, when Miss, by degrees, begins no longer to look on man as a creature of prey that will eat her. I made up then to this important personage, without lifting up my eyes, or observing any of the people round me, who were attending there on the same errand as myself, and dropping her curtsies nine-deep, just made a shift to stammer out my business to her.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure — Northumbria University Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure — Northumbria University

No sooner then was this precious substitute of my mystress's laid down, but she, who was never out of her way when any occasion of lewdness presented itself, turned to me, embraced, and kiss'd me with great eagerness. This was new, this was odd; but imputing it to nothing but ​pure kindness, which, for ought I knew, it might be the London way to express in that manner, I was determin'd not to be behind-hand with her, and returned her the kiss and embrace, with all the fervour that perfect innocence knew. The least delicate of all affairs of this sort being now over, I retir'd softly into my closet, where I began to consider what I should do: my first scheme naturally was to rush in and upbraid them: ​this, indeed, flatter'd my present emotions and vexations, as it would have given immediate vent to them; but, on second thoughts, not being so clear as to the consequences to be apprehended from such a step, I began to doubt whether it was not better to dissemble my discovery, till a safer season, when Mr. H ——— should have perfected the settlement he had made overtures to me of, and which I was not to think such a violent explanation, as I was indeed not equal to the management of, could possibly forward, and might destroy. On the other hand, the provocation seem'd too gross, too flagrant, not to give me some thoughts of revenge; the very start of which idea restor'd me to perfect composure; and delighted as I was with the confus'd plan of it in my head, I was easily mistress enough of myself to support the part of ignorance I had prescrib'd to myself; and as all this circle of reflections was instantly over, I stole a tip-toe to the passage door, and opening it with a noise, past for having ​that moment come home; and after a short pause, as if to pull off my things, I open'd the door into the dining room, where I found the dowdy blowing the fire, and my faithful shepherd walking about the room, and whistling, as cool and unconcern'd, as if nothing had happen'd: I think, however, he had not much to brag of having out-dissembled me; for I kept up, nobly, the character of our sex for art, and went up to him with the same air of frankness, as I had ever receiv'd him. He staid but a little while, made some excuse for not being able to stay the evening with me, and went out. Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, also known as Fanny Hill is a novel by John Cleland. Written in 1749 while Cleland was in debtor's prison in London, it is considered the first erotic novel, and has become a byword for the battle of censorship of erotica. Warning: template has been deprecated.— Excerpted from Fanny Hill on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.He made suppers at my lodgings, where he brought several companions of his pleasures, with their mistresses, and by this means I got into a circle of acquaintance that soon strip'd me of all the remains of bashfulness and modesty which might be yet left of my country education, and were, to a just taste, perhaps, the greatest of my Charms. O'Hara said Towers wrote a script but O'Hara did not use it. "I had a pretty good cast though," said O'Hara. [3] Critical reception [ edit ] As he stood on one side for a minute or so, unbuttoning his waste-coat, and breeches, her fat, brawny thighs hung down, and the whole greasy landskip lay fairly open to my view: a wide open-mouth'd gap, overshaded with a grizzly bush, seemed held out like a beggar's wallet for its' provision. Although editions of the book have frequently featured illustrations, many have been of poor quality. [21] An exception to this is the set of mezzotints, probably designed by the artist George Morland and engraved by his friend John Raphael Smith that accompanied one edition. Had I lov'd this man, it was not in nature for me to have had patience to see the whole scene through: I should have broke in and play'd the jealous princess with a vengeance; but that was not the case, my pride alone was hurt, my heart not, and I could easier win upon myself to see how far he would go, till I had no uncertainty upon my conscience.

Memoirs Of A Woman of Pleasure (Wordsworth Fanny Hill: Memoirs Of A Woman of Pleasure (Wordsworth

In 1963, Putnam published the book in the United States under the title John Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. This edition led to the arrest of New York City bookstore owner Irwin Weisfeld and clerk John Downs [11] [12] as part of an anti-obscenity campaign orchestrated by several major political figures. [13] [14] Weisfeld's conviction [15] was eventually overturned in state court and the New York ban of Fanny Hill lifted. [16] The new edition was also banned for obscenity in Massachusetts, after a mother complained to the state's Obscene Literature Control Commission. [10] Massachusetts high court did rule Fanny Hill obscene [17] and the publisher's challenge to the ban now went up to the Supreme Court. In a landmark decision in 1966, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Memoirs v. Massachusetts that Fanny Hill did not meet the Roth standard for obscenity. [18]Phœbe at this redoubl'd her laugh, and, whilst I expected a very serious solution of my doubts and apprehensions in this matter, only told me that she never heard of a mortal wound being given in those parts, by that terrible ​weapon, and that some she knew younger, and as delicately made as myself, had outlived the operation, that she believed, at the worst, I should take a great deal of killing: ————that true it was, there was a great diversity of sizes in those parts, owing to nature child-bearing, frequent over-stretching with unmerciful machines; but that at a certain age, and habit of body, even the most experienc'd in those affairs could not well distinguish between the maid, and the woman, supposing too an absence of all artifice, and things in their natural situation: but that since chance had thrown in my way one sight of that sort, she would procure me another, that should feast my eyes more delicately, and go a great way in the cure of my fears from that imaginary disproportion.

FANNY HILL - Project Gutenberg Australia

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ PDM Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 false false The novel's developed characters include Charles, Mrs Jones (Fanny's landlady), Mrs Cole, Will, Mr H— and Mr Norbert. The prose includes long sentences with many subordinate clauses. Its morality is conventional for the time, in that it denounces sodomy, frowns upon vice and approves of only heterosexual unions based upon mutual love. [22] Analysis [ edit ] Thus they kept me pretty long at table, and about six in the evening, after I was retired to my own apartment, and the tea-board was set, enters my venerable mistress, follow'd close by that satyr, who came in grinning in a way peculiar to him, and by his odious presence confirm'd me in all the sentiments of detestation which his first appearance had given birth to. I lay then all tame and passive as she could wish, whilst her freedom raised ​no other emotions but those of a strange, and till then unfelt pleasure: every part of me was open, and exposed to the licentious courses of her hands, which like a lambent fire ran over my whole body, and thaw'd all coldness as they went.I had it now, I felt it now: and beginning to drive, he soon gave nature such a powerful summons down to her favourite quarters, that she could no longer refuse repairing thither: all my animal spirits then rush'd mechanically to that center of attraction, and presently, inly warm'd, and stirr'd as I was beyond bearing, I lost all restraint, and yielding to the force of the emotion, gave down, as mere woman, those effusions of pleasure, which in the strictness of still faithful love, I could have wish'd to have held up. Presently my mistress touch'd the bell, and in came a strapping maid-servant, ​who had let us in: Here, Martha, said Mrs. Brown, I have just hir'd this young woman to look after my linnen; so step up, and shew her her chamber; and I charge you to use her with as much respect as you would myself, for I have taken a prodigious liking to her, and I do not know what I shall do for her. This, and enough, premised, I go souse into my personal history. My maiden name was Francis Hill. I was born at a small village near Liverpool in Lancashire, of parents extremely poor, and I piously believe, extremely honest. Madam was, however, so well pleased with her bargain, that, fearing, I presume, lest better advice, or some accident might occasion my slipping through her ​fingers, she would officiously take me in a coach to my inn, where calling herself for my box, it was, I being present, delivered without the least scruple, or explanation as to where I was going. One day about twelve at noon, being thoroughly recover'd of my fever, I happen'd to be in Mrs. Brown 's dark closet, where I had not been half an hour, resting upon the maids settle-bed, before I heard a rustling in the bed-chamber, separated from the closet only by two sash-doors, before the glasses of which were drawn two yellow-damask curtains, but not so close as to exclude the full view of the room from any person in the closet.

Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland

Charles had just slipp'd the bolt of the door, and running, caught me in his ​arms, and lifting me from the ground, with his lips glew'd to mine, bore me trembling, panting, dying, with soft fears, and tender wishes, to the bed; where his impatience would not suffer him to undress me more than just unpinning my handkerchief, and gown, and unlacing my stays. After some pause, he ask'd me, with a tone of voice mightily soften'd, whether I would make it up with him before the old lady returned, and all should be well; he would restore me his affections: at the same time offering to kiss me, and feel my breasts. But now my extreme aversion, my fears, my indignation, all acting upon me, gave me a spirit not natural to me, so that breaking loose from him, I ran to the bell, and rang it, before he was aware, with such violence and effect, as brought up the maid to know what was the matter, or whether the gentleman wanted any thing? and, before he could proceed to greater extremities, she bounc'd into the room, ​and seeing me stretch'd on the floor, my hair all dishevell'd, my nose guishing out blood, (which did not a little tragedize the scene) and my odious persecutor still intent of pushing his brutal point, unmov'd by all my cries and distress, she was herself confounded, and did not know what to do.

As if this had been the signal agreed on for pulling off all their cloaths, a scheme which the heat of the season perfectly favoured, Polly began to draw her pins, and as she had no stays to unlace, she was in a trice, with her gallant's officious assistance, undress'd to all but her shift.