Bringing Victorian Erotica to Hollywood

Ask anybody what's the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Victorian Era and chances are, most will say, "Queen Victoria," or mention Victorian furniture or restraint and good manners. The last thing that you would expect to hear is anal sex, sexual mutilation, and self flagellation for sexual gratification. But, these things were all a part of the underground Victorian erotica literature movement, clandestinely published literary works that had more in common with letters to Penthouse rather than the works of Dickens and the Bronte sisters.

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If the culture and literature of a civilization is a reflection of the society, this leads us to the undeniable conclusion that behind closed doors, human beings have probably been freaky since the beginning of time. Indeed, the Victorians were into some pretty raunchy things that put any topic on Oprah to shame. Well that is before she became some kind of higher being to whom housewives across the country pray to for enlightenment and new reading materials. Despite their sordid themes, Victorian erotica novels sold quite well. If movies were around in Victorian times, it only takes a small leap of faith to think that some of these books would have been brought to the silver screen. Should Hollywood run out of old movies and television shows to rehash, here are a couple of popular novels from the Victorian era that have the potential to be blockbusters given the right casts.

The Mysteries of Verbena House

The Mysteries of Verbena House leads the list of potential movie material since it already has a strong title that would lend itself well to marketing. The novel takes place in an exclusive boarding school in the English countryside called, oddly enough, Verbena House. It's a sinister tale about two school girls who steal some money from the head mistress of the school. Eventually the girls are apprehended, questioned, and then erotically flogged by the head mistress who subsequently turns into "the lascivious lady of Verbena House." Oh, and after that and just for fun, she seduces the local clergyman that was spying through a peep hole during the whole flogging incident, leading them to reenact the proceedings in her office in front of the school girls. Verbena House could work well in many ways, depending on how the director wants to spin it. It could work as a psychological thriller, mystery, or could even go the High School Musical or Glee route with a few catchy pop tunes thrown into the mix.

The Reverse of Medal

Studios hoping to ride the Brokeback Mountain wave will definitely want to consider bringing The Reverse of Meda to the silver screen. The novel, sometimes credited in part to Oscar Wilde, tell the story about two men who break social conventions and become lovers. The story starts off innocently enough as one man, named Des Grieux attends a piano concert and becomes infatuated with a virtuoso by the name of Teleny. Eventually, they meet by chance and fall madly in love, although Des Grieux feels shame about engaging in homosexual activity. This leads him to have an affair with the maid, which is an indirect cause of her death. Filled with guilt, Des Grieux runs back into the arms of Teleny, where the two of them live happy ever after. Or not. After a few months of bliss, the happy couple becomes separated when Teleny goes on a concert tour. Des Grieux tags along, but becomes suspicious of his partner when he becomes suspiciously absent for periods of a time. After following him one night, Des Grieux catches Teleny sneaking someone into his hotel room under the cover of dark. Des Grieux, in a fit of rage, beats down the door, only to find Teleny in bed with Des Grieux's mother. Can anyone say, "awkward?" Yikes!