Venus in Furs

Synopsis

'venus in furs' describes the obsessions of severin von kusiemski, a european nobleman who desires to be enslaved to a woman. Severin finds his ideal of voluptuous cruelty in the merciless wanda von dunajew. This is a passionate and powerful portrayal of one man's struggle to enlighten and instruct himself and others in the realm of desire. Published in 1870, the novel gained notoriety and a degree of immortality for its author when the word "masochism" - derived from his name - entered the vocabulary of psychiatry. This remains a classic literary statement on sexual submission and control.