THE PENGUIN BOOK OF EROTIC STORIES BY WOMEN

by Richard Glyn & A. Susan Williams--Eds. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

The poet Adrienne Rich's definition of the erotic, cited in the Introduction to this remarkably diverse anthology, sums up the thread that ties these works together. In female terms, Rich argues, the erotic is ""an energy not only diffuse but. . . omnipresent."" The stories here, ranging from work by well-known writers (Katherine Mansfield, Colette) to those little known in this country (Siv Holm, Nicole Jouve), and dealing with such matters as obsessive love (Claire Rabe's ""Sicily Enough""), the intersection of fantasy and desire (Angela Carter's ""Flesh and the Mirror""), or the struggle for equality (Simone de Beauvoir's ""Marcelle""), all demonstrate the extent to which the erotic has as much to do with emotional honesty and the imagination as it does with physical intimacy. A nicely balanced collection of provocative versions of desire.

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories: FICTION