VENUS IN FURS (a novella)

Venus in Furs, was a novella written by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. He wrote the short novel as part of an epic series called Legacy of Cain. Published in 1870, Venus in Furs was part of Love, the first volume in the series.

The romantic story involves a man and his empty yearning for companionship. The man dreams of speaking to Venus about love, while she is covered in furs. His desire is so great, upon asking his friend's advice, he is told to read the manuscript, Memoirs of a Suprasensual Man.

The manuscript tells the saddened tale of a man so infatuated with a woman, he requests to be her slave. The man urges her to degrade and demean him, and even as she protests to this relationship, eventually finds herself enjoying the process.

This suprasensuality, the latin supra meaning above, is a form of love that seeks to rise above conventional modes of devotion, passion, and even adoration.