Venus in Furs

"Venus in Furs" is a novel by author Leopold Sacher-Masoch that details the obsessions of Severin von Kusiemski. Severin, a nobleman and land-owner is love-smitten by the harsh talking Wanda von Dunajew and desires to be enslaved to her. What follows are deep philosophical conversations between the two that explore the dynamics of passion and control in heterosexual relationships. Published in 1870, the novel gained notoriety for its author when the word "masochism"—derived from his name—entered the vocabulary of psychiatry.