Victorian Swoon & Erotica
Do you long for sustained, bewildering, climatic romance that
keeps you chained to your chaise lounge? Oooh, pass the
chocolates please.
What is Victorian Swoon? Immensely popular during the era, it
provided an imaginative escape for working class readers (and
secret lady readers) into the fantasia of unlikely romance with
mysterious gentlemen. Known in England as penny romance, and in
US as dime store fiction, it continued throughout the decades,
revamping itself into higher forms of sophistication. Often
distained, paperback romance is still a jackpot winner for
authors, though today's heroes are unlikely to ravish us in the
parlour. (sigh!)
What is Victorian Erotica? Read by connoisseurs of theatrical
seduction, 19th century erotica plays heartily on teasings and
temptations, and includes all preferred forms of stimulation.
The ladies are plump and lustrous, with every fold of the flesh
being a delight. Gentlemen most often recline in luxurious
settings, savouring imported brandy and cigars, while the show
proceeds in a flurry of femininity. As a variation, couples live
out rhapsodic episodes from the privacy of their boudoir.
In both Swoon and Erotica, the essentials of a story are
important, as the writer cannot rely on modern explicit language
and fast sex to satisfy readers who are reaching into the
unrestrained subconscious. The flames of passion tend to
intensify. Mystery, thriller, fantasy and even horror can be
spooned into the plot. Swoon is pure era romance with extended
preludes and interludes.
Nothing needs to be socially correct in Victorian writing, as
characters are freely allowed to perform as themselves. They may
be scoundrels, but they are not required to reform at the end of
the chapter. Submissive females do not automatically rise up to
give us a perfect ending. Poverty is not always rewarded. Rich,
lewd lords are just that. Whatever occurred in natural, daily
life will happen again with no softening or reason.
The first 10 issues of my Victorian Swoon (flash fiction)
collection: 1.Discovered! 2.The Allusions Of Belle 3.Brutal Love
4.A Lamp For The Grocer's Boy 5.Fondly, I remember 6.Wretched
Days At Sea Rogue Cottage 7.See You Next Summer 8.Follies Of
Ruin 9.He Cut My Soul 10.Millie's Lies
Subscribe to 10 weekly email issues for $4.00 (online payments
with PayPal). Each week a new flash will be added. Available
soon.
Miss Peach's Parlour (Victorian Erotica) available soon in pdf
format.