Heterosexuals, geisha, courtesans - such definitions are usually given to women who wanted and were able to make their own external attractiveness in combination with a high level of intelligence as their profession, that is, a means of gaining daily bread. The difference between them and ordinary prostitutes is to expand the range of services they offer. The ordinary “fallen woman” cannot (or does not want) provide the client with anything but her body. You can understand who such a courtesan is only by delving into the historical circumstances of the emergence of this complex craft, which sometimes borders on art.
Antique getters
In those old days, courtesans were also there, but they were called differently - getters. Their duties included delivering, in addition to bodily pleasures, also spiritual pleasures. Among these were successful remarks during the emerging philosophical discussions, while the remarks could be caustic. After all, it was always a real pleasure for a real sage to possess a woman witty and ironic. And Sophocles, and Plato, and Epicurus were not alien to these pleasures, combining a joint pastime with honing the mind of their wards-kept women, on whom they did not skimp in their bounties. The most famous in this field is Aspasia, who eventually achieved the fact that Pericles broke up with his wife, with whom he lived for many years, and married her. Her enlightenment was so high that Anaxagoras, Socrates, and Euripides came to the philosophical lectures delivered by her, obviously not without benefit to themselves.
Japanese geisha
You can figure out who the courtesan is by the example of geishas. This respectable profession presupposes an impeccable knowledge of etiquette, which in the Land of the Rising Sun successfully replaces the ability to conduct exquisite polemics, and in addition, a high intellectual level combined with exquisite taste. The Japanese wives, recognizing the superiority of geisha in these areas, do not object to such male weaknesses, treat them with understanding and can even boast of having such an interesting girlfriend for their spouse, however, with the modesty characteristic of this people. Indeed, such a fact testifies not only to the refinement of the husband’s worldview, but also to his financial strength. Not every Japanese has a geisha, after all!
Institute of Noble Courtesans
The greatest flourishing of this phenomenon was in France at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, at least, if you trust the classics of European literature. The Italian concept of Cortigiane in Russian transcription sounds like a “courtesan”. The meaning of the word is “court”, which hints at a certain privileged status. Such a woman lived at the expense of a patron with whom, as they would say now, she was “friends”. A man with sufficient funds shared with her not only them. He believed the courtesan and his thoughts, hopes and aspirations. In response, the man could receive not only gratitude, sympathy and warmth, but also less pleasant things, for example, treacherous treason or reproaches, but this only added spice to the relationship, and it was so lacking for the noblemen.
In order not to be subjected to such humiliation, the wise Alexander Dumas, for example, voluntarily parted with his compatriot Marie Duplessis, realizing that he "did not bear" the burden of the expenses of his "dear friend".
Paris, Paris ...
Parisian courtesans were generally a special sort of this “living commodity”, although they were divided, in turn, into two main subcategories. The main features that distinguished them, of course, were personal qualities. The price that men were willing to pay for her favor depended on how much such a woman knew, whether she was younger and more beautiful than others. The noble origin did not play a role. Moreover, researchers of the era, who know who such a courtesan is firsthand, agree that most often such women were born in poor families and, in modern language, again, they “achieved it” themselves. A vivid example is Celestina Venar, the daughter of a worker who was already engaged in prostitution at the age of 14, but, realizing the futility of this matter (and having served in prison), she became first an actress, then a containment of the duke, and then a countess. Such a career.
Modern courtesan. Model photo
Are there courtesans today? Perhaps, in the initial sense of the word is not. And the point is not that there are no women in society who have sufficient personal qualities, such as beauty and intelligence, and who are ready to sacrifice certain moral principles to achieve material well-being. It's just that it is hard to call the demand for them massive. In colloquial language and in the press, this word is sometimes used in the context: "Here is a billionaire oligarch (name), and his courtesan next to him." A photo of a happy couple is attached. But what does the reader see? A certain “modelka” with legs from molars, with a smile that can be tied up with a knot on the back of her head, and an almost complete absence of thought on a plain pretty face. Who is this? Courtesan? No, she’s just a kept woman, she won’t ask her “sponsor” for a minute of difficult choice, and she will never be a countess.