Synopses & Reviews
Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is one of the most notorious texts in English literature. As recently as 1963, an unexpurgated edition was the subject of a trial, yet in the eighteenth century John Cleland's open celebration of sexual enjoyment was a bestselling novel. Fanny's story, as she falls into prostitution and then rises to respectability, takes the form of a confession that is vividly colored by copious and explicit physiological details of her carnal adventures. The moral outrage that this has always provoked has only recently been countered by serious critical appraisal.
Synopsis
Fanny Hill justifies her choices through life as a "woman of pleasure" through a series of letters to an unknown woman in John Cleland's notorious classic, often considered to be the first erotic English-language novel.
About the Author
John Cleland (1709-1789) was an English novelist who is most famous and infamous as the author of Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. He wrote Fanny Hill in two installments while serving time in prison for debt. In 1749, he was arrested for obscenity yet denied responsibility for the novel. The book was not officially published again for one hundred years. However, it continued to sell well and was published in pirate editions. Cleland is also the author of the lesser-known and less well received novels Memoirs of a Coxcomb and The Woman of Honour, as well as The Surprises of Love, a collection of romance tales. Justine Eyre is a classically trained actress who has narrated over two hundred audiobooks. With a prestigious Audie Award and four AudioFile Earphones Awards under her belt, Justine is multilingual and is known for her great facility with accents. She has appeared on stage in leading roles in King Lear and The Crucible, and has starring roles in four films on the indie circuit. Her recent television credits include Two and a Half Men and Mad Men.