50 pages • 1 hour read
John ClelandFanny Hill
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1748A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Euphemisms for Sexual Terminology
Though the text does not use explicit terms for genitals, sex acts, or sexuality, the poetic license taken by Cleland in his erotic writing is a motif of the text, revealing elements of sexual interactions that have broader narrative significance. Terms frequently used in the text are “machine,” “weapon,” or “instrument” for penises, and “mouth,” “lips,” or “cleft” for vaginas. In part, such euphemisms were a way to avoid censorship, as explicit sexual discussion was considered indecent or offensive following the lewd comedies of the Restoration period, and censorship would continue in English literature until the Modernist period. However, the euphemisms of Fanny Hill serve also as symbols for Cleland to add characterization to individuals and their position in the text. The use of “machine” or “weapon” for men in general emphasizes the fact that men have more power in society, as well as alluding to the sexual violence often perpetrated on women by men. More specifically, Charles’s penis is described as “that enormous machine” and “unmerciful” (18, 20), which highlights his superiority among men, marking him as a “good” man in the context of the text. Similarly, Mr. Norbert’s genitals are “one of those sizes that slip in and out without being minded” (88), indicating that he is both bad at sex and bad as an individual. For women, too, the text uses euphemisms to emphasize gendered qualities. Fanny’s vagina is “naturally small make in that part” (81), showing the contrasting phallic and yonic values of the text, in which men are weighed by the largeness of their genitals, while women are valued by the smallness of theirs. Fanny’s small genitals, then, are meant to symbolize her innocence or value as a woman in the text, while Charles’s large penis symbolizes his valor and strength.
Loss of Virginity
Virginity is a standard motif that Fanny Hill both uses and subverts. Losing virginity for a woman represents a loss of innocence, and, if it happens outside of marriage, foreshadows growing licentiousness. The primary example of this in the text is Fanny losing her virginity to Charles, after which she progressively becomes involved in more explicit and adventurous sexual activity, describing herself as becoming numb or cold to the innocence she formerly claimed. However, Fanny also fulfills another expectation of the loss of virginity: She falls in love with Charles and remains in love through the end of the novel. By marrying the man she lost her virginity to, Fanny ironically fulfills the moral expectations of her society.
These motifs surrounding virginity also show up in other characters’ lives, often with variations that reveal key components of the 18th-century view of women’s sexuality. Harriet is the prime example of how the perception that losing one’s virginity implies love and romance can be damaging or dangerous in a broader context. Harriet is sexually assaulted by a man she meets by a river, and yet, she says: “I could not see this amiable criminal, so suddenly the first object of my love, and as suddenly of my just hate, on his knees, bedewing my hand with his tears, without relenting” (69). The comment “first love” refers both to the fact that Harriet was attracted to the man at a distance and to the fact that he became her first sexual encounter, and each of these meanings plays into her forgiveness of the sexual assault. Such a scene implies that, if a man sexually assaults a woman who is a virgin, he is in some way entitled to her affection and forgiveness by the feelings of love that come from that sex act. Following through Louisa and Emily’s stories, as well, each of them explains how they fell in love with the first man they slept with, though each also ends up parted from him and forced into sex work. Thus, Fanny Hill both fulfills and subverts the standard motifs of the loss of virginity.
Fanny’s Commentary
One major motif of Fanny Hill is the commentary Fanny provides on the story of her life. Opening the novel, Fanny frames the letters by noting how the task of recounting her life is “ungracious,” as she brings “to view those scandalous stages of my life, out of which I emerg’d, at length, to the enjoyment of every blessing in the power of love, health, and fortune to bestow” (2). She thus begins her story by revealing the ending. This opening framework tells the reader that Fanny is not proud of the events that follow and that the ending of these events will ultimately benefit Fanny’s remaining life. Periodically throughout the work, Fanny interjects further comments that elaborate on or enhance the narrative at hand, such as commenting on the repetitive nature of the sex acts she describes, or putting off certain details for other, non-existent letters.
In the opening of Letter 2, much like with Letter 1, Fanny proposes to explain how the new letter will proceed, and her tone is changed significantly from the opening of Letter 1. Letter 1 opens with her reluctant agreement to tell the story of her life, while Letter 2 promises greater variety and interest in the sex acts described. This new framework prepares the reader for the more “deviant” sexuality of Letter 2, such as Mr. Barville’s proclivity for bondage play and Louisa’s sexual assault of the flower salesman. It is important to keep in mind that the novel is itself a recounting of Fanny’s life, rather than a narrative told in progress, allowing Cleland to insert reflections and commentary that add another layer to the novel. In the end, Fanny’s reflection on her life doubles as Cleland’s reflection on his novel, as Fanny explains how the novel can be read with an inclination toward virtue, rather than vice, returning to the framework of the opening of Letter 1, in which the acts of the novel are seen as “scandalous.”
