"The Image" by Jean de Berg

Posted by Tanos on Sat 5 Nov 05, 1:41 AM

Tags: books

I only came across "The Image" a couple of weeks ago: it's only 67-pages in English translation, and was published in Paris in 1955, the year after "The Story of O". There are a lot of similarities between the two: they both feature female submissives in contempary Paris, were written by wives of French authors but published under pseudonyms ("The Image" was probably written by Catherine Robbe-Grillet), and are classed at capital-L Literature rather than smut "The Image" also features a preface "signed" by Pauline Reage, the author of "O", but probably written by Alain Robbe-Grillet.

"The Image" is less of a fairy-tale than "O", and is set in apartments, parks, cafes and bookshops in Montmatre - no mysterious chateaux run by secret societies here. Instead there are garter belts and stockings, whips and chains, and photographs of a "Gothic Chamber" (ie dungeon) in an apartment that we eventually visit.

There are only three named characters in the book: Jean - the (male) narrator and observer for the first half of the story; Anne - a young submissive; Claire - who owns Anne. The book is the story of how Jean becomes complicit in Claire's humiliation and tormenting of Anne.

There are some notable passages, including one perceptive one about dominance and clothes: Anne is frequently naked in the presence of the two dominants, and in a period of hot weather, Claire confides to Jean "I regret, my dear, that we are obliged to keep our clothes on. But in our role, you understand ... it's indispensible ..."

I'm not a great fan of "O", and "The Image" was mainly interesting from a historical point of view for me, but if you like "O", you might want to have a look.

Links: The Image and Story of O on Amazon.co.uk.

Edited Wed 18 Nov 09, 12:41 PM by Tanos