A review by charlote_1347
Fanny Hill: Or, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland

3.0

Considering this was recommended to me during a lecture on Romantic eroticism, I didn't go into it expecting a swoon-at-explicit-sex-scenes novel (thank God). I liked Fanny - while she definitely wasn't a femme fatale figure, she was free with pleasure and unashamed by her natural impulses. By this point in my life I have had enough of moralistic heroines who consider themselves defiled because of a kiss, which made the women in this novel a breath of fresh air. The plot was mildly annoying despite how realistic it doubtless is. A woman of Fanny's age, station and talents would rely on being a mistress/being desired, which translates to relying on men, so understandably she does not decide she'd be better off without her biological counterparts, which was a complaint I came across when I was reading other reviews. Keeping in mind the time period in which this novel was written, it is remarkably forward thinking (whether or not it condones or endorses Fanny's lifestyle). A major drawback to this story, however, was the language. Most of the time it was passably acceptable, but during the sex scenes Cleland's scientific imagery just couldn't be overlooked. He made what should have been an erotic novel read like an instruction manual, and if you don't actively engage with the content it is so easy to grow bored. Because of issues with the language, which was a serious problem for me, I've only given Fanny Hill three stars.