In general, the depiction of sadism and masochism in fiction tends to be portrayed from the viewpoint of masochistic fantasy.
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2 Mainstream films 3 External links |
The Marquis de Sade's works, including Justine and Juliette are written from an extreme sadistic viewpoint.
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's novel Venus in Furs (1870) is essentially one long masochistic fantasy, where the male principal character encourages his mistress to mistreat him.
The Story of O (1954) is another classic masochistic novel, this time written by a woman, Pauline Réage. In this novel, the female principal character is kept in a chateau and mistreated by a group of men.
L'Image (1956) is another classic sadomasochistic novel, written by another French woman, Catherine Robbe-Grillet, under the pseudonym Jean de Berg. It was made into a 1975 film, The Image, also known as The Punishment of Anne.
The writer Anne Rice has produced a number of examples of well-written sado-masochistic fiction, including Exit to Eden and Belinda as well as The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and its sequels,
Beauty's Punishment and
Beauty's Release.
As of 2003, sado-masochistic themes are now common in mainstream erotic fiction, to the point of cliché.
More literary sado-masochistic fiction includes the works of authors such as
Novels
The novel Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey and its sequels belong both in the fantasy fiction and BDSM fiction genres.
To do: gay and lesbian sadomasochistic fiction
Specialist publishers of S/M fiction:
- Nexus Books
- Black Lace
- Silver Moon Books
Mainstream films
Consensual BDSM is not generally depicted accurately or sympathetically in mainstream films, to say the least. However, film-makers often find some way to incorporate BDSM imagery into many films. The following films feature BDSM as a major plot point, not just as an exploitative add-on.
Sado-masochism is featured as a central plot element in the following mainstream drams films:
Art movies:
- The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1972)
- Maîtresse, (1976) starring Gérard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier
- A Woman in Flames (1983)
- Blue Velvet (1986)
- Nine and a Half Weeks (1986)
- The Piano Teacher (La Pianiste) (2001) (starring Isabelle Huppert and Benoît Magimel)
- Secretary (2003) (starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader)
- Lies (1999)
- Tokyo Decadence (1993)
- The Image (1976)
- Seduction - Cruel Woman (1989)
- Venus in Furs (1994)
- The Story of O (1975)
- Exit to Eden
- Preaching to the Perverted
- Personal Services (starring Julie Walters)
- Body of Evidence
