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Hero and Leander by William Etty (1829)

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Madame Putiphar Re-Read -- Book 3, Ch.XXXVIII -- Sister Act

Last week on Petrus Borel's Madame Putiphar, the Madame is pleasantly surprised to find that Debbie has ended her state of siege! She's decided to become compliant and play along with the lies the Madame is feeding her! She's getting dressed up!

Pictured above: Henry Morland, "The Fair Nun Unmasked" (1769) Text under the image: "On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore…" Alexander Pope, from the poem "The Rape of the Lock"

In other words: Debbie's getting into character & playing the part of the hapless ingenue so that she can be introduced to the king (Pharaoh) as soon as possible.

You can read the translated chapter here (by @sainteverge)

Co-reader commentary available at @sainteverge and @lafcadiosadventures

It's a fairly short chapter again but Borel stretches it out with a lovely theatre performance by both the Madame and Deborah.

Playing the Part

What I love about this scene is how the two characters each think they're playing their part perfectly. The Madame is sticking to her nonsense story about a mysterous benefactor, the comte de Gonesse, and hiding the true reasons behind the erotic art in Debbie's room (which, if you remember the previous chapter, were place there on Pompadour/Putiphar's orders in the hopes of breaking through Debbie's "prudish" ways):

“This comeback which I could not praise enough, mylady, delights me more than it surprises me; I was firmly convinced that you were a good person, and that this was but a moment of misguidance triggered by justly motivated anger. I beg you to forgive me for the inappropriate objects you have found in this lodging, and which you were right to destroy; as I have already told you, they belonged to an old man who occupied this room a few months ago, and I had ordered the domestics to remove them; but one is so badly obeyed. I especially ask you to never speak a word of this to M. le comte de Gonesse; he is such a strict man when it comes to morals, he would never forgive me for this unfortunate negligence.”

The Madame's claim to not even being surprised by Debbie's sudden turn resembles the attitude of an actor on stage when someone has fumbled their lines. Everything is fine! she tells the audience. That fumble was all part of the plan, nothing to fret about! The show must go on.

Except that Debbie isn't in the audience. She's on stage, right beside the Madame. She keeps her performance credible, which I didn't remember and was pleasantly surprised by! Instead of doing a sudden 180 turn, she adopts the role of a prudish but somewhat gullible ingenue. Instead of scoffing at the Madame's made-up comte de Gonesse story the way she did before, now Debbie lets the lie slide, pretending to believe it.

Debbie commits to her role, even going so far as to let the Madame clothe her in a glamorous new dress--a costume, if you will.

Does the Madame know she is playing a part? She doesn't seem to. She thinks she's the only one putting on a show, when in fact she is part-actor, part-spectator. Which realy comes out in how she seems absolutely fascinated by Debbie's appearance in the dress.

Dress-up Time

The Madame then had a triomphante dress of a brown colouring brought in, of charming taste; Deborah put it on, it fitted and suited her wonderfully. In her exhilaration The Madame was turning around and around her while adjusting it, while shaking it to make it puff out; she seemed to be playing la tour-prend-garde. She was holding her waist in between her fingers, she passed a voluptuous hand on her hips and her round rear; she was kissing her arms, her shoulders and her back in this small valley formed by the jutting of the shoulder blades and on the ravine of the vertebrae. All this simpering was entwined with flattery and exclamations.

(I couldn't seem to find an example of a "robe triomphante" but I'm sure there must be an example out there somewhere.)

The color of the dress, described as burnt bread in the original, struck us as an odd choice in the re-read group. Why burnt toast? Is it brown? Golden brown? Probably, if the fabric has a nice, expensive sheen to it. But I couldn't help but think of how that light, burnt shade of brown was reminiscent of a hairshirt, or cilice, or sackcloth, i.e., a very coarse undergarment worn for penitence & religious purposes.

pictured above: Hairshirt cilice of St. Louis, located in Melun, France (13th century)

(Also, if anyone has seen the movie Sister Act, it's got some very light parallels to this scene in reverse, for comedic effect. A casino singer who witnessed a murder has to hide from her gangster ex-boyfriend/ the murderer in question. So she hides as a nun in a convent. Much hilarity ensues.)

Necklaces, Collars, and Self-Delusion

Nowadays there are even neck cilices in the form of barbed wire chokers, but Borel probably wouldn't have ever seen one of these as far as I can tell. If he had, it would be a pretty interesting tidbit since Debbie's second half of her costume consists of a necklace bearing the king-- sorry, the "comte de Gonesse's" likeness.

The image of someone placing a chain around a woman's neck (or anyone's neck, for that matter, but especially women when it comes to luxurious chains) makes us think: gilded cage. We see it again and again: Moulin Rouge! (the duke gives Nicole Kidman a huge diamond necklace) or even in Titanic (the heart of the Ocean pendant).

Ok so Debbie probably isn't wearing something THAT big. It's just a pendant with a portrait of the king in cringe cosplay:

A servant whom she whispered to returned immediately and gave her a jewellery box. She pulled out a long golden chain, which she put around her neck; from this chain hung a medallion, that of Pharaoh dressed as a gallant adventurer.

Pictured above: wooden medallion with Louis XV profile

Funny how the king is ALSO playing a role or two in his gallant adventurer costume: the role of a good king in Debbie's eyes, and maybe the role of a phony or a bad actor who can't pull off his costume in ours.

The chapter ends with Debbie describing the king with a hint of hope:

“Do his features please you? How do you find him?” “He seems handsome and good, his face is noble and gentle, and his eyes full of friendship.”

But is Debbie actually seeing these qualities in Louis XV? Or is she fooling herself, too? Or is she hoping that the king, like a theatrical deus ex machina, will descend from above and set matters right?

Tomorrow on Madame Putiphar: Debbie's performance continues!

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I regret to inform you that Discord's new Terms of Service includes an arbitration clause. You can find it here https://discord.com/terms/#16. This clause includes an opt-out, which I have transcribed here:

You can decline this agreement to arbitrate by emailing an opt-out notice to arbitration-opt-out@discord.com within 30 days of April 15, 2024 or when you first register your Discord account, whichever is later; otherwise, you shall be bound to arbitrate disputes in accordance with the terms of these paragraphs. If you opt out of these arbitration provisions, Discord also will not be bound by them.

These clauses are underhanded ways that corporations seek to deprive you of your right to participate in class-action lawsuits and your right to a jury trial. (This does only apply to us users ,other people still spread the word though )

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The Torture of the Vestal Virgin by Jean-Frédéric Schall

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“I think you have to figure that out on your own.”

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What's that bro? You began interacting with a media from a different country than yours and/or was made in time period different than the recent present day? Haha that's sick bro! Keep expanding your horizons bro! You're remembering to take into account that sociocultural norms, gender roles and genre expectations are different from what you are used to and meeting the story halfway, instead of forcibly superimposing your ideals into the story, right bro? Right? Right?

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REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

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David Shrigley

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TRIPLE THREAT, BABY!

aka modern AU Cicero, Caelius, Crassus! I originally planned on doing this set in the Late Republic, but I forgot I had a stack of reading to do on Caelius and decided to set it in the modern day because I’m confident in my ability to draw a shirt collar but if I try reading anything Cicero wrote before I drink my morning coffee, I will simply turn to dust

⭐ places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app / tip jar!

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3-5

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Adriana Bisi Fabbri (Italian, 1881 - 1918) - Salome, front and back

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Hi! Kinda random, but do you have any Sapphic book recs? I know you've spoken about books you've read in passing, but do you have any favorites? Love your blog, thanks!

Many!

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland. this just came out, and I LOVED it. A sapphic selkie tale, drama/romance, about a young midwife in 1830s Nova Scotia who helps her neighbor's mysterious new wife through labor and forms an increasingly close bond with her. But she comes to realize that all is not as it should be in her new friend's marriage- and that she's falling in love. Content warnings for domestic abuse, including implied rape or at least coerced consent, mild violence, and pregnancy/childbirth.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. A classic in the world of sapphic literature, this Gothic drama about an 1860s thief who sets out to con a sheltered heiress and gets more than she bargained for has plenty of admirers, and I am one of them. Content warnings for medical abuse, non-physical child sexual abuse, a toxic romantic relationship that ultimately improves, non-graphic descriptions of hanging, and one brief "onscreen" murder by stabbing.

Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carringer. This is technically part of the much longer Soulless series, but it works very well as a stand-alone since the PoV character only appears in this book. A steampunk fantasy romance about a young woman who decides to become a maid for the local house of vampires in hopes that one of their ladies will seduce her- but ends up falling for the human inventor-in-residence instead. Content warning for brief sexual assault (groping) and attempted rape.

The Karen Memory series by Elizabeth Bear. VERY well-researched steampunk mystery novels, where the PoV character is a sex worker (former, in the sequel) in an alternate 1870s Seattle. First book concerns a Jack the Ripper copycat killer and the budding romance between Karen and Priya, a genius inventor recently rescued from human traffickers. Content warnings for discussion of both consensual and nonconsensual sex work (does not happen onscreen), violence, misogynistic/racist/transphobic language, and mind control. The second book involves a pretty big disagreement/misunderstanding between the romantic leads that works out in the end but may not be everyone's cup of tea.

The Haunting of Hill House and Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson. The former is more a matter of subtext; the latter has a scene where the main character's BestieTM reads F/F/M erotica aloud to her and then they shower together and plot to run away together. So uh. There's that. Both excellent books- the first concerns a group of strangers who come to an old mansion in the country to study its paranormal activity, and things go horribly wrong; the second, a young woman who goes off to college and has an extremely Gothic time. HoHH has very few of the big-name content warnings, I feel- maybe one for unreality as the PoV character starts losing her grip? But everything happening around her IS real; her reactions to it just become more and more unhinged. Hangsaman has a MASSIVE warning for a heavily implied rape scene- though there's a "fade to black" before things actually happen -and flirting between a student and a married professor, as well as (some readers feel) implications of parent/child sexual abuse. There's also some alcoholism, on the part of the professor's wife- who is his much-younger former student, if that matters to people.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. There's a sequel to this and I need to read it! In a pan-Asian fantasy kingdom inspired by real-life Malaysia, "Moon" demons with animal traits are the highest social caste, with fully-human "Paper" citizens at the bottom of the ladder. The demon emperor chooses a group of human girls every year to be his concubines- a position seen as a great honor, but one the chosen girls cannot refuse without danger to themselves and their families. Our heroine is taken from her family by the Emperor's scouts, but becomes increasingly resolved not to give in without a fight. Especially as she falls for another Paper Girl...with a secret that could bring the whole system crashing down. Content warnings for violence, and sexual assault/rape with the main action offscreen.

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin. This one is YA, but adults will enjoy it, too. In the 1920s, a teen ornithologist goes to spend the summer with distant relatives and falls for a dance-hall girl who gives her the bravery to follow her own path in life. Content warning for a hotel fire (no-one gets hurt).

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The Dragon Double Feature Bundle (1+2) (18+) $8.00

This bundle collects both books in the Dragon Double Feature series, each containing two erotic tales of fantasy between dragons and their human paramours. They are self-contained stories intended for lovers of big beasts and big bodies. Each comes as a ZIP folder containing a DRM-free PDF and EPUB version of the book, plus an image gallery of high-res development art and illustrations, including Patreon exclusives.

The Dragon Double Feature

Deflowered by the Dragon Prince

It's Princess Eveline's wedding day, much as she wishes it wasn't. Betrothed from birth to a man twice her age, she'll take any excuse to get out of it. When the dragon Gundrid, claiming to be a prince himself, smashes his way into the wedding, Eveline seizes her opportunity for escape, even if it means sacrificing her virtue.

Features a plus sized protagonist, size difference, exhibitionism, fingering, public sex, and loss of virginity. Contains consensual non-consent.

The Musician and the Waterfall

Kenta is a blind musician in search of a spot to rest and wash on a hot summer's day of travel. After discovering a small waterfall just off the mountain path, he finds he's not alone as he bathes, though his host Lord Wakatake is far grander than the nobleman Kenta assumes him to be... and much less experienced.

Features a plus sized protagonist, casual nudity, intimate touching, and mutual oral sex.

18.6k words, 10 spot illustrations, 4 half-page illustrations.

The Dragon Double Feature 2

The Dragon and the Hermit Crab

Kenta has convinced the god Wakatake-no-Taki to take human shape and leave his pond to experience the world--but is he ready to experience a woman like the flirtatious innkeeper Mrs. Arakawa? And can he follow a man who loves as freely as he lives?

Features a plus size protagonist, an older woman, polyamory, dragon sex, and a threesome.

Devotion of the Dragon Prince

Happily married to the Princess Eveline, the Dragon Prince Gundrid will do anything to please his beloved wife. When their games of sex and pretend in his tower hit on her desire for children, Gundrid is determined to give her what she wants--even if it means changing himself.

Features a plus size love interest, size difference, dragon sex, chase and ravishment, and breeding kink. Contains consensual non-consent.

26.1k words, 12 spot illustrations, 6 half-page illustrations.

Get the bundle for $8!

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The last character you drew/wrote about is now stuck in the last game you played. How screwed are they?

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To begin with, your blog is AMAZING, WONDERFUL AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH😭

You are the main source of my late Roman Republic hyperfixation and I am GRATEFUL.

In one of your post you've mentioned that you have a crassus sulla playlist and since then I can't stop thinking about it. Can you pls tell what music you associate with these guys??

my top three songs for Crassus and Sulla are Hatef—k by the Bravery, Obsession by OK Go, and Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes! sometimes syudou’s In The Backroom when I’m thinking about those moments of Sullan style violence you see Crassus inflict, LUCY’s Boogey Man when I’m more focused on Sulla’s point of view. more abstractly, Daniel Licht’s Corvo Trailer & Polyphia’s Playing God. Anson Lo’s Money to zero in on specific themes!

and ABBA’S Lay All Your Love on Me, ofc!

shoutout to U-Know’s Thank U and Vuja De which also appear on my Sulla-Pompey & Sulla-Caesar track lists as well!