tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post8466738564440002002..comments2024-03-28T18:12:56.268+03:00Comments on Ladies Becoming Maids: Story: Fanchon's BookCamille Langtryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-16127259811954526922016-09-27T20:15:07.389+03:002016-09-27T20:15:07.389+03:00Very interesting, thank you very much!Very interesting, thank you very much!Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-82764770597593121792016-09-27T02:55:57.053+03:002016-09-27T02:55:57.053+03:00There is a bit more story to be told here. I was s...There is a bit more story to be told here. I was surprised to learn that one of Gil Fox's pseudonyms was "Dallas Mayo." In days of yore, decades ago, I read two or three Dallas Mayo books, which definitely had a mistress2maid flavor.<br /><br />The books I read were published by Midwood, which I assumed was a primary supplier of product for the adult bookstore trade. Doing some research, I learned that at one time several authors who became mainstream wrote for Midwood, perhaps the most famous being the SF writer Robert Silverberg. There is a link at <br /><br />http://www.lynn-munroe-books.com/list55/midwood.htm<br /><br />of an interview with some of the surviving Midwood writers, one of whom is Gil Fox. The latter makes some interesting comments:<br /><br />+ His name appears on the copywrite page of "Fanchon's Book" by mistake. The publisher screwed up.<br /><br />+ His Dallas Mayo books were largely lesbian themed, in particular, the "theme in [his] books is the domination of one woman over another, told from the submissive’s viewpoint." <br /><br />+ He gives a brief overview of his "formula" for writing books, which is worth a read.<br /><br />Many of the Dallas Mayo books had maids as characters. To tell the truth, I didn't consider his books to be high literature, or superb pornography for that matter, but there was enough of interest to keep me reading.<br /><br />I notice that several of the Dallas Mayo books are available in electronic form on Amazon. Also many are online and can be found by the persistent googler.T. H. Enerdlynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-21970457133439974242016-09-26T20:34:17.820+03:002016-09-26T20:34:17.820+03:00Thanks. The free part available on Amazon seems ve...Thanks. The free part available on Amazon seems very well written, even if a bit predictable. Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-30980217580976506392016-09-26T15:49:32.923+03:002016-09-26T15:49:32.923+03:00Interesting point. I never read much fanfic. What ...Interesting point. I never read much fanfic. What I have seen of it looked more like an in-joke for fans than an effort to create a story that could stand on its own. But that's from a limited sampling. As far as published, mainstream fiction is concerned, the quoted statement seems to be true. I guess you could count Mary Renault as a counterexample. Maybe Annie Proulx as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-66327534276913763622016-09-26T06:35:02.954+03:002016-09-26T06:35:02.954+03:00"There don't seem to be a lot of women in..."There don't seem to be a lot of women interested in writing about gay men."<br /><br />The fanfic community will be surprised to hear this. Most slash involves males characters presented as straight in canon though, so I suppose you could say that technically they're at least bi.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-13484874710481432352016-09-25T07:03:35.792+03:002016-09-25T07:03:35.792+03:00"The Butler's Lady", which I possess..."The Butler's Lady", which I possess in the form of a saddle-stapled chapbook with a plain blue cover, would appear to be the first part of "The Servants".<br />I must seek out this book. The idea of reading more Deborah Ryder after all these years is quite stirring to my blood.Arcadia Bergerhttp://arcadiaberger.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-69101791781467801002016-09-25T00:31:42.417+03:002016-09-25T00:31:42.417+03:00Thank you very much!Thank you very much!Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-43892919448007408482016-09-25T00:18:42.894+03:002016-09-25T00:18:42.894+03:00Deborah Ryder has another book on amazon titled Se...Deborah Ryder has another book on amazon titled Servants but its only availible on kindle. There is a synopsis posted for anyone interested.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11820561925234106353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-64296051714673668172016-09-25T00:08:53.970+03:002016-09-25T00:08:53.970+03:00There may be a way of finding out what “The Butler...There may be a way of finding out what “The Butler’s Lady” is about. There is another Deborah Ryder book called “The Servants.” You can buy a Kindle version on Amazon. The synopsis of the book reads as follows:<br /><br />“In Victorian times, a servant dismissed without a reference would likely starve. To stay alive, the maids and footmen submit to any punishment and degradation by their employers and the upper servants. The butler seizes his opportunity to use the Mistress’s own masochism against her. Ably assisted by a girl from the charity school, he takes control of the household and the mistress of the house, though most women would have the butler executed for this, to Lady Rosalind, it is a dream come true. Having relocated to a repressive European state, the new Master assists in the brutal suppression of revolution, ensuring that the ruling class maintains rigid discipline in all houses and workplaces.”<br /><br />You can read the first chapter on Amazon’s website.<br /><br />It certainly seems possible that an earlier version of this book might have been titled “The Butler’s Lady.”<br /><br />I would also recommend reading the biography of Ms. Ryder on Amazon’s website. See the link<br /><br />http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/lapam/lapam015.pdf<br /><br />for one of Ms. Ryder’s non-fiction pieces.<br /><br />I believe that at one time Ms. Ryder ran a book club, specializing in her books, that was marketed to submissive women. A collection of excerpts from these books was published under the title “Half Dressed, She Obeyed.” I perused this book years ago. Most of the stories were not to my taste, but I had not developed an interest in mistress2maid stories at that time. My recollection is that most of the stories involved ultra-dominant males who wished to enslave ultra-submissive women.<br /><br />One story, if my memory serves me right, involved a female officer on a starship that landed at some planet populated by aliens. The officer serves as liaison with the aliens. At her first meeting with a high ranking alien, the latter announces that he is going to enslave all the women on the starship. The starship’s officer basically responds by saying, “How can I help?”T. H. Enerdlynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-18696417350183245792016-09-24T11:37:53.779+03:002016-09-24T11:37:53.779+03:00They were unreliable to begin with (hence the prev...They were unreliable to begin with (hence the prevalance of swindlers and "fake European aristocrats" in Victorain times), but now we've reached a point where the only remaining sure differentiator is wealth. And even that can be faked. <br />Completely agree on your retro point. That partially explains my fascination with the period. Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-34558106398100961882016-09-24T11:19:26.540+03:002016-09-24T11:19:26.540+03:00Interesting point...Markers of social class are ra...Interesting point...Markers of social class are rapidly becoming unreliable. That implies that plausible stories of social descent will become more difficult to write and carry much less emotional resonance. Already, many such stories seem consciously retro. Perhaps they express nostalgia for a time in which we all knew our places in a well-defined hierarchy. (Much like Regency romances.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-56132025216321562452016-09-24T11:01:47.715+03:002016-09-24T11:01:47.715+03:00This is all very true. On the other hand, this ver...This is all very true. On the other hand, this very government-issued information makes playing out said fantasies in real life so much harder. Back in the day all it took was moving to America or to Australia and - voila - you have a new life, new name and new background (if you so desired). Imperfections of data keeping and state control until only a few generations ago almost invited people to change lives at will - provided they were good at inventing stories and faking accents.<br /><br />The other side of the coin was that other factors, that we currently play little or no attetion at all, played a disproportionally important role in determining one's position - namely, dress, speech and manners. Today the "upper classes" are filled with people that can't speak elegantly and have no manners or style. Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-57327035139079543002016-09-24T10:47:31.050+03:002016-09-24T10:47:31.050+03:00Stories of social demotion allow us to safely expl...Stories of social demotion allow us to safely explore our morbid fascination with a slow-motion train wreck. It's hard to look away from someone who is voluntarily giving up their status and privilege. In years past that might have meant a male to female gender change, but today I think it speaks to our fears of how easily our lives could be ruined if someone else had access to our government issued information. It's frightening to think that without those few pieces of identification, I can't prove that I own my house or that the money in the bank is mine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-75837945079826440642016-09-24T09:14:11.482+03:002016-09-24T09:14:11.482+03:00I would veture even further and say that virtually...I would veture even further and say that virtually all lesbian porn also exists solely for gratification of men. However, there are quite a few lesbians that like gay erotica - wondering if as "revenge" for men's fascination with lesbian sex? <br /><br />As for you observation about gender change, I would turn it on its head. Sex change is a powerful metaphor for social drop/change and not the other way around. I think fascinations with social change (or degradation as its ultimate manifestation) is primary. Sex change is just one way it can be achieved, but not the only one. Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-1418707726040742582016-09-24T08:58:59.593+03:002016-09-24T08:58:59.593+03:00You are welcome.You are welcome.Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-51832838397460350012016-09-24T08:58:37.594+03:002016-09-24T08:58:37.594+03:00Thank you very much. It doesn't appear to exis...Thank you very much. It doesn't appear to exist electronically and the paper version is out of print. Also there is no synopsis that I could find. What is it about? Camille Langtryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16945716778850774065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-71441851044657635512016-09-24T08:38:06.939+03:002016-09-24T08:38:06.939+03:00This reminds me of something I should have remembe...This reminds me of something I should have remembered long since: "The Butler's Lady" by Deborah Ryder.<br />https://www.amazon.com/Butlers-Lady-D-Ryder/dp/187154050X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8<br />I read it as a chapbook in the 1980s and found it utterly compelling. I recommend it highly, and I can't imagine why I didn't mention it earlier.Arcadia Bergerhttp://arcadiaberger.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-8657814529046902522016-09-24T03:16:43.418+03:002016-09-24T03:16:43.418+03:00Interesting that there's so much lesbian eroti...Interesting that there's so much lesbian erotica written by men. There don't seem to be a lot of women interested in writing about gay men. I suppose you could count Anne Rice's <i>Sleeping Beauty</i> books. I get the impression that for many male authors of "lady-to-maid" stories, the social change is a metaphor for gender change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988993754670474624.post-7763800020141047482016-09-24T00:55:04.833+03:002016-09-24T00:55:04.833+03:00This is a really good story over 19 parts and your...This is a really good story over 19 parts and your right would be to long to post here. Thank you for the link it helped Camille.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11820561925234106353noreply@blogger.com