Teleny

Rating:
Summary: Victorian fun in a bizarre book
Review: "Teleny" has long been an outlawed book and in many senses still is. The fact that it is only published by the occasional gay press is symptomatic, and only its presumed author has rescued this book from oblivion I fear. Its subject matter obviously excludes the book from the mainstream of literature, though in my opinion it is well worth reading for any open-minded lover of literature (as the unusual heterosexual female reading this book I think I can afford to say this). "Teleny" is a bizarre and confused book (due to its diverse authors) but never quite lets go of the storyline. The Victorian coyness of the many euphemisms used is quite touching in so explicit a book, and as a story "Teleny" is quite charming and tragic. The style may not be consistent, it is never banal and often witty (how otherwise could anyone even think it was Wilde's?). It is definitely the sort of book that if you start reading it -unless you're a prude- you'll finish. However, if you want to read this book because you think it is Wilde's, and you like his work, you'll find it is never quite up to his standards. If on the other hand you like Wilde and think he was fascinating, read this book: whoever wrote it gives an interesting outlook on the darker side of that famous life. If you love Wilde and are gay, well, read this, you won't have had so much fun reading a literary pornographic novel for a long time.

Rating:
Summary: A complete edition at last
Review: For anyone who has slogged through the artificial and self-conscious world of Victorian 'erotica', Teleny will seem both familiar and surprising. Written around 1893 by several anonymous writers of uneven ability, the novel claims our attention for two reasons. While the possibility that one of its writers was Oscar Wilde, an idea that grows more intriguing as one reads on, will probably remain its primary draw, it is also one of the first books to transcend its pornographic trappings and explore the emotional life of its protagonist. This progressive point of view, and the appropriately unaffected prose used to tell the tale, validate Teleny's position as the fountainhead of the modern approach to gender and sexuality in literature. Editor John McRae has succinctly summed up the circumstantial evidence of Oscar Wilde's authorship in his scholarly introduction to the only complete reprinting of the original text. This is not a case where the cheap edition just substitutes pulpier paper--for half the price you get half the book. Nor is Teleny for the weak stomach or the faint of heart. On the way to plumbing the depths of our human origins in our animal bodies, the book describes some extreme behavior. Readers who are offended by graphic descriptions of body parts and vividly imagined sex acts should look elsewhere. ON the other hand, those who would enjoy erotica more if it paid more attention to the sensuous and subjective experience may find something to celebrate.

Rating:
Summary: Erotic Excellence
Review: Teleny is undoubtably the finest example of an erotic novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It flows smoothly and easily throughout the plot without becoming redundant or boring. The passion and conflicting emotions portrayed in these men are both riveting and timeless. I particularly enjoyed the subtle way in which sex and death, the two great constants, were so skillfully entertwined. The permanence of death serves to highlight the immediacy of our need to live life to the fullest extent. This is not a creampuff romance. It is a story of a passionate driving need to reach out and touch another human soul.