• more about #courtesans
    Flackette Goes Retro: Fancy was her name. more »
    callmecountry: My favourite whore's biography is 'Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'. The euphemisms for gentlemanparts are great - 'plenipotentiary member'... more »
    beatrice2000: Has anyone seen the movie Dangerous Beauty? It explains the courtesan Veronica Franco's reasoning as her family being poor, but her being very witty a... more »
    nessalicious: These books also inspired Zola to write one of the best books ever 'Nana' about a French actress/courtesan's rise to infamy and her gradual descent. ... more »
    descent: These sound SO much more interesting than my own whore memoirs, which are usually drunken, hard-to-follow, slightly passive agressive FB status update... more »
    isacloud: My thesis was on a very similar topic to this, so it's odd to see it written about on here! Part of the thing that's fascinating about this genre is ... more »
    funnyface: I'm taking a class on 18th Century women's writers this fall and now I'm suddenly disappointed that there are no whore memoirs on the syllabus. more »
    Ailatan: Has anyone read The Volcano Lover by Susan Sontag? It got me into the life of Emma Hamilton. Also worth watching That Hamilton Woman with the beautif... more »
    Susie Bright: Sadie, I'd love to see you compare some of those old whore memoirs with the famous stripper tell-alls of recent years! more »
    MizJenkins: See also, Supahead. more »
    J.D.Regent: I want Sadie to stage a takeover of my book club. more »
    RosemaryF: I know that fanny=cooch in the UK, but I'm assuming that it didn't have the same meaning in 1759. Did the current definition come from her name, poss... more »
    Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!: Like they say, if you're part of a minority or oppressed group, best to be at the very bottom or the very top, financially. Most high-end prostitutes ... more »
  • #kisstell

    Blaming And Shaming: "The Whore Memoir"

    These lurid 18th century tell-alls were a valuable weapon for women of ill-repute. More »
  • #sugardaddies

    Sugar Daddies: Easier Than Work-Study For College Students

    "Some might call it prostitution. I call it a 'mutually beneficial arrangement' that pays for my killer wardrobe." We just call it bizarre: a college student justifies her life as a professional mistress on The Daily Beast. Her verdict? Beats waitressing!
  • #keptwomen

    Ladies Of Pleasure: The Lure Of The Courtesan