Venus In Furs

Masoch's most famous work was written in the state of his peculiar infatuation with the strange femme fatale who tried to dominate him. The feeling of being a psychological slave the author decribed as suprasensual, intense and sharp pleasure getting power over him. Under this impression he wrote his Venus who is, in his imagination a dark goddess whose love means absolute ruin for the man. The main character in the novel, Severin von Kusiemsky, is sure to be Masoch's alter ego. He is mad about Wanda von Dunajew and offers her himself as a slave. If at first all this seems like a silly joke to the woman, later she feels her power and humiliates Severin as much as she can. However, passion raises up even more when the other man appears in the life of this extremely disturbing couple. It is clear that there will be no happy end inthis demonic story of sick and unrestrained lust. The book constantly alludes to the principles of mythological justice which quite different from the contempory concept, so the pagan atmosphere of Masoch's uniquely ravishing story makes it a masterpiece of the world literature.