Les fellatores: moeurs de la décadence
1888
Paul Devaux
Paris : Union des Bibliophiles
French
Novel
229pp
Gay Men, Bisexual, Transgender, Sex Workers, Erotica, Decadence
Vice created a solidarity stronger than virtue, more productive than honor: what an example for honest people! (Tr. Google)
Summary
A decadent, erotic novel concerning a tangle of affairs and alaises. Period-typical gender fluidity plays a strong part which lends well to a transgender reading; it also contains several references to Rachilde's genderqueer works, Monsieur Vénus and Madame Adonis.
More Info
Written by Paul Devaux as Dr. Luiz.
The book was successfully prosecuted for obscenity, and Devaux was senteced to a year in jail and a 2,000 franc fine.
Also see:
Figures of the Pre-Freudian Unconscious from Flaubert to Proust (2017) by Michael R. Finn. Cambridge University Press. (ISBN: 9781107184565). p215.
Content & Trigger Warnings
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Editions
Paris : Union des Bibliophiles (1888) title page from Elysium Press. Additonal photos at UBC.
QuestionDeGenre / GKC (2011) reprint contains appendices, including the story "Côté des dames" by Devaux as Gygès. (ISBN: 9782908050714)