This is just some well written porn. That's it.

There was no plot, no story whatsoever, just a main character who fell in love with a different man every couple of pages and a lot, I mean a lot, of sex.

I actually skipped some of the sex parts, because they got too repetitive and boring after a while.

Nothing really happens in this book and I was a bit disappointed by that. I was actually quite excited to read this because of how controversial it was when it first came out all those years ago, and I live for controversial books.
I was expecting an intriguing story, but all I got was freaking porn.

I read it super quickly though, which I guess is a plus.

"Ich habe dieses Buch verschlungen!" reicht wohl nicht als Leseempfehlung oder?! Also gut. Warum hat mir das Buch so gefallen. Dafür gibt es einige Gründe.

Ich mag Fanny Hill. Sie ist süß, unschuldig und naiv. Dies vergeht natürlich nach und nach anhand der Erfahrungen die sie sammelt. Trotzdem ist Fanny nicht zu naiv gezeichnet und versteht es im Leben voran zu kommen, sich Ziele zu setzen und nebenbei sparsam zu sein. Sie ist also trotz ihres Berufes eine kluge junge Frau geworden - oder vielleicht auch gerade deshalb. Ihre Entwicklung im gesamten Roman gefällt mir gut.

Der Schreibstil ist mal etwas anders. Denn wir bekommen Fanny´s Lebensgeschichte von ihr selbst in Form von Briefen an eine Freundin erzählt. Wir erfahren also ihre Geschichte, Hoffnungen, Träume und Ängste aus erster Hand. Die erotischen Szenen sind abwechselungsreich, prickelnd aber manchmal einseitig beschrieben. Bei den Männern geht es wirklich nur um das Glied und dessen Beschaffenheit und um die Potenz die damit einhergeht. Die Betrachtungen liegen eher auf den weiblichen Reizen, was nicht verwunderlich ist, da der Roman aus der Feder eines Mannes stammt.

Ich habe den Roman verschlungen weil der Schreibstil flüssig zu lesen und es auch spannend war - nicht wie ein Krimi aber ich wollte trotzdem wissen wie sich alles entwickelt - und interessant zu lesen. Ein bißchen wie das Interesse eine Biografie zu lesen.

Fazit

Ein Erotikroman der auch Tiefe hat und zu fesseln versteht. Für mich ist nun verständich warum Fanny Hill ein Klassiker der erotischen Literatur ist.

What i learned from this book is that it was virtually impossible to write a 15-page paper on why this is a value addition to a classic reading curriculum. "any port in a storm." i'd really love to hear from people who've read this HORRIFIC book. ps i got an A on that paper, and an A in senior seminar. what what.

This has been an interesting read, especially considering when it was published. The novel dives deep into topics of sexuality, desire, and the life of a woman navigating the world through her body and her choices. I really appreciate how bold and unapologetic the story is, especially for its time—dealing with themes that were incredibly controversial back then and still can make people not want to read the novel today (it is still one of the most banned novels….).
However, I couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted while reading it, particularly as a 21st-century gay man. There’s a sense that John Cleland, the author, poured a lot of his own fantasies and desires into the character of Fanny. It’s like Fanny’s story is less about her and more about fulfilling the male fantasy, as a friend said, the male gaze is ever present, and defines her experiences with sex. After everything she goes through, ultimately, she settles down in a heteronormative marriage with children. And sure, she’s happy, but why is this the resolution? It feels a bit forced, like Fanny’s journey needed to culminate in this traditional ending to satisfy societal norms—or maybe just the author’s.
One of the things that really irritated me was how sexuality in the book is treated. It’s all good and fun as long as it aligns with what a straight man would want to see. The exploration of lesbian love is handled almost like a playful discovery, which is cool in a way, but then you have the stark contrast in how male-male relationships, at least the one instances of it present in the book, are treated as criminal. It’s frustrating because, even though the book was groundbreaking in many ways, it still couldn’t escape the shackles of the time’s prejudices. It makes you wonder—if Cleland was already diving into such taboo topics, why not go all the way and challenge all forms of sexual expression?
And after finishing the book, I did some digging and found out that Cleland himself was possibly a repressed homosexual. That adds another layer to the whole thing, doesn’t it? It’s like the book is a product of its time but also a reflection of the author’s internal struggles. So, while I can appreciate Fanny Hill for its boldness and historical significance, I can’t help but feel a bit let down by the way it handles sexuality, particularly from my perspective as a modern reader.

This was so clearly written by a man. I don’t know how to describe it other than smut

Well, I read this because it was on a list of books to read before you die. I'm not really sure why, except that it's pretty shocking that such blatant pornography was written in the 19th century. I started zoning out during the sex scenes and didn't really care what happened to Fanny. It tried to have a good message at the end, but felt tacked on and completely opposite to what the rest of the book seemed to be saying.