Oscar Wilde's erotic novel "Calfs, or the flip side of the coin": a summary, the main characters, reviews

The homoerotic novel “The Calfs” is an important antithesis to the prim idealism of the neoclassical and neo-romantic lyric love poetry du fin-siecl (from French “from the end of the century”). This work demonstrates the decomposition of the cynical double moral standards of the Victorian era: the love of Camille and Rene is destroyed by social repression.

The book was published in 1893 in 200 copies by Leonard Smithers, who rated it as "the most powerful and skillfully written erotic novel in English." In that era, the book was certainly considered the main and one of a kind. In this article, you will get a brief summary of “Calfs or the reverse side of the coin.”

Warning

In this description of the book you will meet the queer of erotic life. There is rape, and various sexual fantasies, and masochism, and voyeurism. Therefore, if you are an adherent of moral values, conservatively treat most types of perversions and fetishes, be careful: “Calfs or the other side of the coin” can cause you to feel disgust and a distorted perception of the reality of the world, which the author tried so carefully to reflect.

Preamble

For a century, O. Wilde’s book was admired by readers, and with the 21st century, when the boundaries of morality are gradually erasing, it has become an icon and an important literary work in the life of most people.

Before you begin to study the summary, you need to read the reviews about “Calfs or the other side of the coin”. Opinions of the author’s fans who read Oscar’s work from cover to cover:

• Firstly, most argue that reading “Calfs or the other side of the coin” is a pleasure. Wilde has an incredibly light hand and tongue, and during the reading it is impossible to lose the plot thread.
• Secondly, the book clearly has a decadent style that reveals the essence of love.
• Thirdly, an unprepared reader will discover many “terrible” and “disgusting” things, because many do not understand the description of the rape of the maid, the subsequent self-denial. The narrator in the book said how he tried to forcefully take the maid, but could not get into it.
• Fourth, Oscar Wilde's book is not one of those that can be read while sitting in a park on a bench. For example, “Portrait of Dorian Gray”, “Blue Beard and Other Tales” are some of the best and famous works that do not cause shame in front of others.

Book start

An erotic story in English begins describing the life of the main character - Camille de Grieux. One day, he and his mother decided to attend a concert where the handsome and burning Rene Teleni should perform - another person who made the book come true.

Sitting at the concert, Camille became aware that he was beginning to experience strange and previously unknown feelings for the pianist. And this was not an admiration for the talented game of Calf, but something else related to sexuality, passion. Previously, he already experienced similar sensations, but to women.

After that charity concert, Camille became interested in the life of a pianist, which led him to a strange discovery - Rene repeatedly attracted the attention of not only women but also men. It was then that both guys finally met face to face, which ultimately led to a passionate, stormy and secretive romance.

In this part of the story “Calfs or the flip side of the coin,” the reader feels Camille de Grieux struggling with himself, because the relationship between men is wrong. However, his feelings for Rene are much stronger, which further leads the protagonist into an aggressive and apathetic state.

The story of a maid

The maid Camille de Grieux was faced with a terrible fate that could only wait for a woman. Due to the fact that her master could not cope with feelings for another man, he decided to change the situation with the help of a maid. In order to overcome that fateful passion and desire that de Grieux had for René, the protagonist attacks the poor girl and tries to rape her. However, Camille’s attempt fails.

This case made an apathetic and depressed lady out of a sweet and smiling girl. After the attempted rape, she repeatedly had obsessive thoughts to commit suicide, but she coped with them until one moment. After a while, the story repeated itself, then the maid decided simply to jump out of the window. Thus, the girl committed suicide, and Camille de Grieux began to feel guilty.

Acceptance of oneself and one's feelings

The death of the maid greatly influenced the protagonist. From that moment, he vowed that he would never suppress his sexual desires in his life, even if other members of the stronger sex would participate in them. At this time, Rene Teleni introduces Camille to a closed and secret community for homosexuals, showing that they are not the only ones in the world.

Betrayal and death

The main characters of “Calfs or the reverse side of the coin” go through real feelings - love, passion, the inability to be together always. Their idyll was broken by one incident.

Mother de Grieux suspected that her son was not just friends with Calfi. Thinking carefully, she told Rene that he had big financial debts, but she could help him if he provided her with sexual services. While Mother de Grieux and Calfs were in the same bed, Camille catches them. A quarrel flares up, after which their relationship is broken.

Camille was in despair, he could not understand why his lover had betrayed him, tried to commit suicide, which is why he was sent to the hospital in serious condition. Having recovered a little, de Grieux decided to nevertheless come to his Rene to find out everything, but did not have time. Calfs felt a strong guilt before Camille, which is why he dug a dagger into his heart. De Grieux did not have time to help him, but he heard that Rene was asking for forgiveness. The man died in the arms of his chosen one, promising that he would always remember his friend and love him.

A remarkable fact about the sexuality of the author

Oscar Wilde was often considered both bisexual and homosexual. The writer himself felt that he belonged to a culture of male love, inspired by Greek pederastic traditions. In the description of his own sexual identity, Oscar mentioned several times that he was in a relationship and had erotic experience with (in chronological order) Frank Miles, Constance Lloyd (author’s wife), Robert Baldwin Ross, Lord Alfred Douglas.

Wilde also had numerous sexual contacts with young men who give themselves for easy money. Biographers, as a rule, believe that the writer was fully aware of his own and other homosexual inclinations. The author has repeatedly admitted that his craving for men appeared at the age of 16, when he first kissed a friend. Perhaps it was this writer’s sexual experience that helped him create the famous and beloved book by many, “Calfs or the Other Side of the Coin”.

Interesting facts about the work

You are now familiarized with the summary of “Calfs or the reverse side of the coin.” Let the plot of the book not scare you. After all, Oscar Wilde is one of the few authors who was not afraid to talk about his feelings and that same-sex relationships are not a myth.

The 21st century is the century of tolerance, when people become more and more tolerant of non-traditional orientation every year. It is important to note that man is not the only creature on the planet who is prone to same-sex relationships. For example, male ducks often choose partners like themselves. Similar behavior is observed in dogs, as well as other 450 species of living organisms on Earth. It should be remembered that non-traditional orientation has not been considered a mental disorder for a long time, but is recognized as the norm in the behavior of animals and people.

Finally

“Calfs or the flip side of the coin” is now almost impossible to find in bookstores. In 1966, a law was published on obscene publication, so they tried not to distribute the book. However, reading the work of Oscar Wilde is not prohibited. Thus, the British Museum contains several copies and the full text of the book in electronic format, where you can read it from cover to cover in a relaxed atmosphere.

This is interesting, but the book was first published in London in 1893, and it was absolutely secret. Blame was not indicated. After a while, the manuscript with endless revisions was handed over to the French bookseller. He said that Oscar Wilde carefully selected the words and controlled the storyline of his book. This proves a certain wariness of the writer, because everything was at stake - personal life, and reputation, and relations with colleagues and acquaintances.