The Story of O (Full Version)

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angelic -> The Story of O (8/26/2006 10:53:56 AM)

by Pauline Reage.  i just, last evening, finished reading it.  Quite honestly, i am wondering if maybe i purchased a 'condensed' version as i was very sorely disappointed.  i had heard so much about the book and then the movie (now i'm not so sure i want to see), that i expected so much more from the book.  There were great holes of information (imo) missing.  And the ending was just a great disappointment as it just sort of ended with a couple of 'potential ending' notes:  One being that O was at some point taken back to Roissy where she was eventually abandoned by Sir Stephen (what happened that caused the abandonment?) and the other was where she was permitted to die since Sir Stephen no longer wanted her.  Is there another version?  Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.




Estring -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:01:24 AM)

I think the author was in a hurry when he wrote the book. I thought the book was horribly written, but my slave liked it. It wasn't originally written in english was it? That may have something to do with how clumsily it reads.




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:03:56 AM)

i think the original version may have been in French.  Well i liked it at first, but i wanted to know more about her thought processes... how she got to that point... what happened before...

~edited because i repeated myself~  




LuckyAlbatross -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:26:38 AM)

A lot of people don't like the ending- I think it's because they are hoping for a romantic/sweet ending.

While I don't LIKE the ending, I think it's exactly where the book SHOULD go, given all that we've learned about O so far.

When people say they like O, they usually mean the hot kinky stuff at the beginning and middle.  They don't tend to like where it all ends up.




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:30:17 AM)

LA, the reason i didn't like the ending was because i wanted to know how it got to that point, not that it actually ended the way it did... but the whys and wherefores.




Homestead -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:30:57 AM)

The thing about O was this. The whole theme was of an increasingly objectified sex toy. And when rich people get bored with thier toys-they tend to find new ones.

Which smacked to me as rather amusimng-since so many wannabe slaves seem to equate financial power in a Master with security. Get this into your heads. Money will not equal a stable situation. Only a stable desire to keep you around will accomplish that.




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:35:36 AM)

i don't think it had anything to do with money or financial power... my own opinion is that O became so compliant, she became boring to Sir Stephen




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:52:13 AM)

Posting this has helped me understand the book better.  The author wanted us to think about this.  Did O give too much of herself that she literally stopped being a slave to Sir Stephen?  (i'm thinking as i am typing so please forgive the thought process here)... Let's say O was abandoned at Roissy... she would (imo) spend the remainder of her days feeling she failed Sir Stephen because he no longer wanted her... (i hope that makes some sense)... [&:]




Homestead -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 11:55:36 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: angelic

i don't think it had anything to do with money or financial power... my own opinion is that O became so compliant, she became boring to Sir Stephen


I was making a comment for the ones out there who want to be "kept" angelic. That has it's own insecurities built in. Such as getting old and ugly. That is the way of accesories. They become outdated, and are easily discarded when money is the attraction. Toss the old, and troll in a new one that is easily manipulated but surface impressions. Such is the reward of stupidity.

In the end, the "perfectly compliant  slave" can become a  prophecy for failure in D/s. From my perspective, I want someone who can challenge me, and be complimentary in a life goal situation.

For Sir Stepehen, this was not a problem. His slaves were nothing but entertainment to him. Think of a dvd with a scratch on it.




catize -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:01:13 PM)

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/O,6903,1268403,00.html




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:01:54 PM)

i think we agree, for the most part Homestead... my opinion is that we can be too much of a good thing... when that happens, another will be brought in... there will once again be 'newness' and the feeling of power.  if we become too compliant... there is no power over us.... well there is... but it's just there, like air... there but taken for granted to be there... and sort of boring.




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:03:08 PM)

thank you catize!!! could you re-post that, the url did not work.[:(]




Homestead -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:06:09 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: angelic

i think we agree, for the most part Homestead... my opinion is that we can be too much of a good thing... when that happens, another will be brought in... there will once again be 'newness' and the feeling of power.  if we become too compliant... there is no power over us.... well there is... but it's just there, like air... there but taken for granted to be there... and sort of boring.


This is why doormats tend to be disliked by SOME Dominants. Including myself. I need a degree of ouside stimulation that fires my own creativity, to stay interested in someone. If it's lacking, I soon feel the other person is just some sort of appliance.




angelic -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:11:10 PM)

For me, the most noblest ending in the book would be the one where she dies. 




Homestead -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:15:34 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: angelic

For me, the most noblest ending in the book would be the one where she dies. 


Sad but true. I prefer to release my baggage into the care of the almighty and live.




Littlepita -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:34:02 PM)

My Sir has been reading me this book off and on now for months. I do like it because I like him reading to me so very much. Now, I'm thinking we just shouldn't ever finish the book. [&:]




RiotGirl -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 12:43:37 PM)

i was abit disapointed too actually




popeye1250 -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 1:32:31 PM)

I read it years ago (the 80's) did like some parts but not the overall book.
Yes, I got the impression that it was translated from French too.
I never liked the French or their "language" long before "Freedom Fries."
In 1973 my ship was in Cannes France and a bunch of us were walking around and some old French guy saw us and said; "American shit" and spit at us.
One of those French Hitler supporters I guess.
They know how to name their airplanes though; "Mirage" because you never see them.
I just don't care for anything "French."




justanotheclaire -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 1:43:36 PM)

I read the story of O when I first came onto the scene it terrifide me(I read the version where she asked to die when he no longer wanted her)  It became my greatest fear in bdsm to love your Master so much than when you could no longer be his you could no longer bear to live. I almost got to that point last year thnak god oppertunity eluded me and time healed enough for me to manage. I am glad there is more than one ending,  allowing her to die is irrisponsible and no man(or woman) deserves to be able to abuse there power over someone like that.




CreativeDominant -> RE: The Story of O (8/26/2006 1:49:54 PM)

I've read the book.  I first read it in the 70's and at the time, I thought it was all the sexy stuff going on that had me aroused.  Later, I realized I had also gotten and stayed aroused during the parts where control and submission were going on.  I again read the book after I had 'discovered' my D/s/BDSM self.  While I still found myself somewhat aroused by various passages, my newer thought processes...honed after years of living, a career, children, exposure to D/s, involvement in D/s...made me think that Sir Stephen was an arrogant asshole...good at breaking a woman down and making her a slave and then...when she became compliant and no longer a challenge...callously dropping her with no preparation for what was to come when they "turned off the lights...the party's over".  In addition, the translation from French to English makes the overall concept suffer, in my opinion.  Of course, if I knew French well enough to read it, who knows?  I might still think it was poorly written, even in its' original language.




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