Review: In This Case, I am Quite Amused
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 16, 2012
Queen Victoria reigned over Great Britain for 64 years---the longest-serving monarch in British history. Her rule, from 1837 to 1901, was characterized by burgeoning industry, haphazard population growth, exacerbated class tensions, child labor, world empire, and a tremendous outpouring of literature that survives to this day.Oh, and the period of her rule entered the English lexicon as the "Victorian era."Nowadays, if someone or something is characterized as Victorian, there is an unmistakable air of social class, tradition and solemnity that is all-pervasive and unchanging. The term also evokes rigidity and an undercurrent of sexual and emotional passion that found numerous outlets during that time period and has continued to the present. Nowadays, having Victorian sensibilities comes across as hopelessly old-fashioned, sexless, ignorant, robotic, and being a downright killjoy.But this particular time period has proven to be a veritable gold mine for sexual fodder for countless writers of prurient literature and other forms of erotica. Classic works such as "Lady Chatterley's Lover," "Fanny Hill," and "The Story of O" have been expurgated and bowdlerized to suit whatever audience happened to be reading or viewing them at the time.Victoria, however, is not the only inspiration for lovestruck couples and passionate raw sex. The Georgian Era (1714 - 1830) runs a close second to ol' Vicky. This era, featuring dull, obstinate, uneducated, boorish kings named (strangely enough) George, was marked by similar accomplishments in literature and architecture, and also introduced the populace to countless royal shenanigans---incest; affairs; bankruptcy; homosexuality; wanton drunkenness; and the occasional beheading.J.R. Ewing of "Dallas" fame was an amateur compared to what transpired with this bunch.Sandra Ross has tackled this genre in a similar vein. Her book, "Secret Diary," tells the tale of two young eighteenth-century lovers, Amanda and Alexander, whose mutual passion for one another is severely curtailed by the social and sexual mores of their time. Their story is channeled through a young woman, Clarissa, via an old rolltop desk that she inherited from an old woman's estate. The desk itself serves as a clairvoyant catalyst for Clarissa to vicariously experience the erotic pleasures felt by Amanda as she and Alexander meet for sensuous interludes, despite society's disapproval."Diary" is one of Ross's numerous historical erotic romances, and she provides specific periodic detail that underscores her working knowledge of what life was like in the year 1777. While the author is not an expert and doesn't pretend to be one, her detailed approach to how people lived, worked, dressed, and relaxed in that particular time period fits "Diary" well. The reader is able to use their imagination to evoke an image, via Ross's words, of what the era was like.Clarissa is a good conduit for Amanda's longings, and the former is able to achieve sexual satisfaction via surreptitious observation of the young lovers' titillating trysts throughout the story.Friskiness is generally associated with a pet's demeanor; however, it can also be applied to the passionate stirrings between two lovers who can't seem to keep their hands off each other. For couples who demonstrate this behavior, such outward displays of affection can easily be interpreted by others as so much juvenile twaddle that merits an admonition to find a room.This response is understandable. For the most part, we live in a world of social constructs designed to promote and protect safety and security. This approach, designed to simultaneously control and appease the majority, can easily degenerate into tyranny of the mind, especially when rules are abrogated to elicit and sustain punishment of minority or unpopular views.I highly doubt that today's overaffectionate couple would end up on the hangman's scaffold, but it is reasonable to expect  such a coupling to respect the rights and social norms of others in the area. (Of course, respect goes both ways.) It's probably best, in this particular situation at least, to accede to the adage of being in Rome and doing as the Romans do.Many people keep a diary for recording their most cherished thoughts and feelings, and when Clarissa discovers one stashed away in the desk, she is so overcome with curiosity that she opens it and reads what has been put down on its yellowed pages.What she discovers is a veritable trove of desire and sensuousness that she finds it nearly impossible to put it down for even a minute.Notable diaries have been preserved for posterity's sake throughout history. Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") was an English diarist who kept meticulous records of his daily life in seventeenth-century London and often used intricate code to indicate certain sexual and social paraphilias of which he was fond: he carried on affairs with his household chambermaids; he was a compulsive masturbator who was addicted to pornography; he frequented houses of ill repute; he lavished money and gifts upon his numerous mistresses.Ben Franklin, the American politician, furrier, postmaster, inventor, census taker, scientist, librarian, author, and candle maker, also wrote in numerous journals for over half his life, chronicling his detailed adventures in the American colonies and Europe. Franklin was a natural raconteur who enjoyed the international prestige bestowed upon him by the delegates to the numerous Constitutional conventions, in addition to being in the presence of many attractive ladies while serving as the colonists' ambassador to France.These historical precedents allow Ross to write a wholly believable story about volcanic passion and ecstasy between two lusty individuals who want nothing more than to be in each other's presence as often and as long as possible."Diary" reads quickly, is well-paced, and provides for a satisfying escape into the pages of erotic history.