"Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure"

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly explains why and how this has been called the first pornographic novel. It shows how Cleland demonstrated an artful ability to use the writing style of the day, use of irony and a superficial story of virtue that triumphs over sin to make pornography acceptable enough to be read widely.

From the Paper:

"The story is written in an autobiographical tone and consists of letters Fanny Hill writes to a friend. Her story begins at age 15 when she is orphaned. She moves to London, and has to find a way to support herself. The path she takes, of moving into a brothel, may have been a common solution for young women without means or relatives during that time. While she is in the brothel she meets a man called Charles and falls in love with him, but after they have lived together for a while with her as a "kept woman," or supported by a man without benefit of marriage he disappears. She then aligns herself with another man under a similar arrangement. Eventually he dies, and leaves her his fortune. Eventually she is reunited with Charles, and she marries him."

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• Analytical Essay # 40353 : "Heart of a Woman"

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