The Autobiography of a Flea
"The Autobiography of a Flea" is an anonymous erotic novel first published in 1887 in London by Edward Avery. Later research has revealed that the author was a London lawyer of the time named Stanislas de Rhodes.
The story is narrated by a flea who tells the tale of a beautiful young girl named Bella whose burgeoning sexuality is taken advantage of by her young lover Charlie, the local priest Father Ambrose, two of his colleagues in holy orders and her own uncle. Bella is then employed to procure her best friend, Julia for the sexual enjoyment of both the priests and of her own father.
The book was adapted into a 1976 pornographic film (see film adaptation.
Plot
The plot begins with Bella in church. As she leaves, Charlie pushes a note into her hand. She reads that it says he will be in their old meeting place at eight o' clock. She meets him in a garden. After some playful conversation, Charlie introduces her to her first sexual experience. Father Ambrose, who had been hiding in the shrubs, surprises them afterward, scolding both of them for their behaviour and threatening to reveal what they have been doing to their guardians. Bella pleads for mercy. Father Ambrose, 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 Bella into a way she may be absolved of her sins and blackmails her into sex with him, lest he tell her guardian what she was up to. Then Ambrose's colleagues, the Fr Superior & Fr Clement, catch them in the act, and they demand equal rights to Bella's favours. And so Bella is introduced to serving the Holy community in a special way.
Despite his promises, Ambrose goes to see Bella's uncle, Monsieur Verbouc and tells of her lewd behaviour. This leads to her uncle, who has long entertained Lustful thoughts of his niece, attempting to force himself on Bella. The narrator then intervenes, biting him to put a damper on his ardour.
Next, Father Clement, looking for Bella's room, climbs into the window of Bella's aunt, the pious Madame Verbouc, who had mistaken him for her husband. M. Verbouc then bursts in and his wife realises she's actually been making love to the randy priest.
Bella's friend, Julia Delmont, becomes Ambrose's next target. By now completely corrupted and happy to go along with whatever Ambrose suggests, Bella readily agrees to the Father's next scheme: She will offer herself to Monsieur Delmont, on condition that her face is covered. The trick is that it will not be Bella who lies there, but Delmont'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, Bella appears and pretends that it was all a big mistake. But since Delmont 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 own father is the father.
Bella and Julia eventually become nuns, and the book ends as they participate in an orgy with 19 priests.
Publication history
- 1887, The Autobiography of a Flea, Told in a Hop, Skip and Jump, and ... first published in London by Edward Avery in a small edition of 150 copies. The title page of this edition (falsely) claims that it was "Published by Authority of the Phlebomotical Society, Cytheria, 1789." [1]
- 1890, first French translation. [1]
- 1895, English reprint (probably by Charles Carrington).[1]
- c.1935, falsely dated "1901" edition published for The Erotica Biblion Society of London and New York, Hardcover. In this work the flea recounts a completely different story from that of the first edition.[1]
- 1967, United States, Greenleaf Classics, Paperback.
- 1968, United States, Pendulum Books, Paperback.
- 1984, United Kingdom, Nexus, Paperback.
- 2004, The Autobiography of a Flea by Anonymous. United States, Olympia Press
ISBN 1-59654-050-8. Paperback.
- 2009, The Autobiography of a Flea by Stanislas de Rhodes. Harper Perennial Forbidden Classics. Paperback.
Sources
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:The_Autobiography_of_a_Flea ]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Clifford J. Scheiner (1996) The Essential Guide to Erotic Literature, Part One: Before 1920. Ware, Wordsworth: 156