The Autobiography of a Flea
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| Author | Anonymous |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Erotica |
| Publisher | Literary Press |
| Released | 1901 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 274 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-352-31449-4 (1983 paperback edition) |
The Autobiography of a Flea is a Victorian era erotic novel published under the name Anonymous in 1901 in London.
The novel is narrated by a flea who tells the tale of a beautiful young girl named Bella falling into her own curiosity of her sexuality and the people who take advantage of her own ignorance. The novel serves as both erotica and also as a piece of anti-church propaganda (by portraying members of the priesthood as immoral, manipulative and hypocritical).
The book was adapted into a 1976 pornographic film.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Flea
The Narrator of the story is a flea whose name is never revealed. The novel begins with the flea asserting his intelligence and abilities of observation and communication as being comparable to a human, and demures from any explanation of the cause. The unusual narrator allows the story to be written from the viewpoint of a character who neither participates nor necessarily approves of the sex scenes, and the movement of the narrator between the bodies of the different characters allows the action to follow different characters at different times. Despite ostensibly being written from the first person the novel includes descriptions of the feelings and intentions of various characters which seem more fitting with a third person limited omniscient narrator.
[edit] Bella
The main character of the book, Bella, is an orphan who lives with her uncle and aunt. At the beginning of the story she is 16 and is described as being the admired one of all eyes and the desired one of all hearts - at any rate among the male sex. She begins the book sexually naive, but inquisitive.
[edit] Charlie
Very little description is given of Charlie, and after a brief mention in Chapter 3 he ceases to play any part in the story.
[edit] Father Ambrose
A priest aged 45, described as having a handsome face, with jet black eyes and as being short and stout. The narrator says Ambrose's mind is dedicated to the pursuit of lust, and much of the novel's plot is due to his machinations.
[edit] Plot summary
The plot begins with Bella in church, as she leaves Charlie pushes a note into her hand. When she returns home to her room, she reads that it says he will be in their old meeting place at eight o' clock. She meets him in at the end of an avenue in guardian's country garden. After some playful conversation Charlie introduces her to her first sexual experience. Afterwards Father Ambrose, who had been hiding in the shrubs, surprises them, scolds both of them for their behaviour and threatens to reveal what they have been doing to their guardians. Bella pleads for mercy. Then, appearing to relent, tells Bella to meet him in the sacristy at two o'clock the next day and Charlie to meet him at the same time the day after that. Ambrose instructs Belle to visit him and blackmails her into sex with him, lest he tell her guardian what she was up to. Then Ambrose's colleagues in turn catch them in the act, leading to yet more sex.
Despite his promises, Ambrose goes to see Belle's uncle, Monsieur Derboix and tells of her crimes. This leads to more punishment, as he attempts to force himself on Belle. The narrator then intervenes, biting him to put a dampener on his ardour.
Next, one of the other priests, Father Clement, sneaks in on the pious Madame Derboix, played by Annete Haven, who mistakes him for her husband. Mme Derboix's husband then bursts in as his wife realises whom she's actually been making love to.
Belle's friend, Janie Defaunt, became Ambrose's next target. By now completely corrupted and happy to go along with whatever Ambrose suggests, Belle readily agrees to the Father's next scheme: She will offer herself to Monsieur Defaunt, on condition that her face is covered. The trick is that it will not be Belle who lies there, but Defaunt's own daughter. Father Ambrose seduces her and says he will come to her by night and make love to her, but she must hide her face.
When the act is consummated, Belle appears and pretends that it was all a big mistake. But since Leslie has now potentially impregnated his daughter, the only way to be sure his incest cannot be discovered is to have all make love to her as well. In case she is pregnant, nobody can claim that her father is the father.
[edit] Release Details
- 1901, Published for The Erotica Biblion Society of London and New York, Hardcover
- 2004, France, Olympia Press ISBN 1-59654-050-8, Pub date 30 December 2004, Paperback
[edit] Film adaptation
The Autobiography of a Flea was adpated into a film in 1976 directed by Sharon McNight and with a screenplay written by Sharon McNight.
