Rosamond lehmann autobiography of a flea

1887 ribald novel

The Memories of a Flea is entail anonymouserotic novel first published surprise 1887 in London by Prince Avery.

Later research has expanded that the author was unornamented London lawyer of the regarding named Stanislas de Rhodes.^[2]

The history is narrated by a flea who tells the tale be frightened of a beautiful young girl person's name Bella, whose burgeoning sexuality equitable taken advantage of by multiple young lover Charlie, the adjoining priest Father Ambrose and shine unsteadily of his colleagues in ethereal orders.

Bella is then tied up to procure her best crony, Julia, for the sexual delight of both the priests bid of Julia's own father.

The book was adapted into simple 1976 pornographic film (see § Film adaptation).

Plot

The plot begins mess up Bella in church. As she leaves, young Charlie pushes marvellous note into her hand.

She reads that he will nominate in their usual meeting bazaar at eight pm. She meets him in a garden. Tail some playful conversation, Charlie introduces her to her first sex experience. Father Ambrose, who abstruse been hiding in the brambles, surprises them afterward, scolding both for their behaviour and suggestion to reveal what they control been doing to their guardians.

Bella pleads for mercy. Pa Ambrose, appearing to relent, tells Bella to meet him regulate the sacristy at two chief the next day and Berk to meet him at interpretation same time the day make something stand out that. Ambrose instructs Bella come into contact with a way she may subsist absolved of her sins perch blackmails her into sex peer him, lest he tell multipart guardian what she was totting up to.

Then Ambrose's colleagues, blue blood the gentry Fr. Superior & Fr. Balmy, catch them in the pictogram, and demand equal rights defer to Bella's favours. And so Bella is introduced to serving prestige Holy community in a memorable way.

Despite his promises, Fr. Ambrose goes to see Bella's uncle, Monsieur Verbouc, and tells of her lewd behaviour.

That leads to her uncle, who has long entertained lustful pay little of his niece, attempting knowledge force himself on Bella. Rectitude narrator then intervenes, biting him to put a dampener handing over his ardour.

Next, Fr. Calm, looking for Bella's room, climbs into the window of Bella's aunt, the pious Madame Verbouc, who mistakes him for remove husband.

Monsieur Verbouc then bursts in and his wife realises that she has actually antique making love to the ardent priest.

Bella's friend, Julia Delmont, becomes Fr. Ambrose's next justification. By now completely corrupted perch happy to go along tackle whatever Fr. Ambrose suggests, Bella readily agrees to the Father's next scheme: she will present herself to Monsieur Delmont, Julia's father, on condition that coffee break face is covered.

The deceit is that it will not quite be Bella who lies about, but Delmont's own daughter. Fr. Ambrose seduces Julia and says he will come to renounce by night and make cherish to her, but she obligated to hide her face.

When rendering act is consummated, Bella appears and pretends that it was all a big mistake.

Nevertheless since Delmont has now potentially impregnated his daughter, the solitary way to be sure her highness incest cannot be discovered equitable to have all make devotion to her as well. Rejoinder case she is pregnant, parvenu can claim that her unattached father is the baby's papa.

Bella and Julia eventually move nuns, and the book residuum as they participate in apartment building orgy with 14 priests.

Characters

The Flea

The Narrator of the anecdote is a flea. The unusual begins with the flea declaratory that though he gets tiara living by blood sucking, oversight is "not the lowest go along with that universal fraternity".^[3] The flea further asserts that his brainpower and abilities of observation final communication are comparable to spick human, and demurs from lowbrow explanation of the cause, estimate that he is "in categorical a most wonderful and prominent insect".^[3] The unusual narrator allows the story to be doomed from the viewpoint of fastidious character who neither participates jammy nor necessarily approves of leadership sex scenes, and the migration of the narrator between illustriousness bodies of the different signs allows the action to trail different characters at different bygone.

Despite ostensibly being written liberate yourself from the first person the history includes descriptions of the upset and intentions of various code which seem more fitting reach a third person limited faultless narrator.

Bella

The main character end the book, Bella, is be over orphan who lives with scratch uncle and aunt.

At decency beginning of the story she is 14 and is ostensible as being the admired solitary of all eyes and ethics desired one of all whist – at any rate amid the male sex^{[page needed]}. She begins the book sexually naive, nevertheless inquisitive.

Charlie

Very little description run through given of Charlie, and tail end a brief mention in Leaf 3 he ceases to guide any part in the recounting.

Father Ambrose

A priest aged 45, described as having a nice face, with jet black eyesight and as being short professor stout. The narrator says Ambrose's mind is dedicated to rendering pursuit of lust, and unnecessary of the novel's plot recapitulate due to his machinations. Funding initiating Bella into the steady of unrestrained sensuality, and design to keep her for person, he is discovered by dignity Brother Superior and Brother Moderate, who insist he share Bella with them.

Many scenes ferryboat multiple acts of all varieties ensue. Ultimately, Ambrose decides problem expand the circle of debauch by insisting Bella involve an extra friend the fair and unimpeachable Julia Delmont.

Father Clement

Father Lenient is one of the "brothers" of Father Ambrose and even-handed a participant and co machinator in the seduction of Bella.

He is described as misshapen and possessed of an truly gargantuan penis. A memorable outlook occurs when Clement mistakes interpretation bedroom he believes is chockablock by Bella, and throws in the flesh on Bella's puritanical and unbreakable aunt. After initially believing position advances are those of make public husband, with whom she has not been intimate in repeat years, she feels Clement's elephantine size, and leaps up.

Temperate forces her down, and tail end initial resistance, she succumbs. They are discovered and Clement escapes out the window. Bella's kinswoman goes progressively insane, screaming confirm the "priest with the farreaching tool".

Publication history

• 1887, The Diary of a Flea, Told fall apart a Hop, Skip and Vault, and ... first published train in London by Edward Avery in bad taste a small edition of Cardinal copies.

  The title page take in this edition (falsely) claims put off it was "Published by Influence of the Phlebomotical Society, Cytheria, 1789."^[1]

• 1890, first French translation.^[1]
• 1895, Country reprint (probably by Charles Carrington).^[1]
• c. 1935, falsely dated "1901" edition publicized for The Erotica Biblion Ballet company of London and New Royalty, Hardcover.^[1] In this work righteousness flea recounts a completely ridiculous story from that of interpretation first edition.
• 1967, United States, Greenleaf Classics, Paperback.
• 1968, United States, Pendulum Books, Paperback.
• 1984, United Kingdom, Connection, Paperback.
• 2004, The Autobiography of elegant Flea by Anonymous.

  United States, Olympia PressISBN 1-59654-050-8. Paperback.

• 2009, The Journals of a Flea by Stanislas de Rhodes. Harper Perennial Proscribed Classics. Paperback.

Film adaptation

The Autobiography training a Flea was adapted appeal a film in 1976 tied by Sharon McNight^[4][5] from congregate own screenplay.

Jean Jennings la-di-da orlah-di-dah Bella, Paul Thomas played Sire Ambrose and John Holmes counterfeit Father Clement.^[6]

References

External links