Victorian Sexuality (Ep 45) with Dr Kate Lister

Oh, those Victorians!

Photo by brizzle born and bred

I recently had the pleasure of talking to Dr Kate Lister about The Victorians, in particular, some of the myths that have come down through the ages about the sexual culture of the time.

The episode will be aired on Wednesday, December 6, 2017, at 7:30 pm Eastern.

We had a fascinating conversation about all sorts of topics, including:

• “Think of England”,
• Corsets (and the neo-Victorian style of Steam Punk),
• Vibrators and the treatment of hysterical paroxysm,
• Victorian prudishness,
• Smut
• Cunts
• The birth of modern Sexology, (Richard von Krafft-Ebing, H. Havelock Ellis)
• Prostitution, (“The Great Social Evil”)
• Court cases and other sex scandals of the time (Regina v Wilde), and
• The early days of a more open gay culture and the precursor of an accepted homosexual identity. (During the early Victorian Era, homosexuality was considered an indecent act (and a capital offence), not a legitimate sexual identity. H. Havelock Ellis was the first researcher to look at homosexuality in a non-moralistic, non-pathological sense which gave rise to future research into homosexual identity)
• Oh yeah, Ripper Street gets a mention too.

Some Victorian-era Reading

The following are mentioned in the episode as examples of the erotic literature of the time. Since they are all in the public domain, it is possible to find them online.

• Venus in Furs by Ritter von Leopold Sacher-Masoch – While this was actually published in Austria, it has a special bearing on the kink community. We get the word masochism from the author’s name. (1870)
• The Pearl – This smutty magazine published 18 issues and two Christmas supplements. You can read 19 of the 20 issues on the linked site. (1879-1880)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
• Psychopathia Sexualis by Richard von Krafft-Ebbing (1st edition 1886)
• Sexual Inversion by H. Havelock Ellis (1897)

About our Guest

Guest

Kate Lister

Dr Kate Lister is a lecturer at Leeds Trinity University, where she researches the history of sexuality. If you are on Twitter, you may be familiar with her popular account (which she curates) @WhoresofYore. She also has a blog/website The Whores of Yore

At the time of our conversation, her book, A Curious History of Sex had reached 95% funding. It has now been fully funded. However, now that the publishing expenses have been covered, she is donating 50% of the proceeds to Basis Sex Work Project. Pre-ordering the book will get you a great book and help a worthy cause.

Here’s an excerpt.

Related

Host, Stereo-Typed

Camille Beaujolie

Camille, or AuntieSocial, is the host of Stereo-Typed. She has been active in the local BDSM community since 2010. A more extensive profile is available on this website by clicking on the “AuntieSocial” tab in the top menu.

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