Sado-masocism in Flemmings books
Number24
NorwayPosts: 22,334MI6 Agent
I have read most of Ian Flemmings 007-books.
I have enjoyed them because they are good thrillers. But I find the signs of Flemmings SM fetish troubeling. Numerous comments about spanking women are to be found, but there are worse examples. In FRWL Darko Bey braggs about keeping a women chained under his table, tossing leftovers down to her. Sex with Vesper Lynd having according to Bond "the sweet taste of rape". In TLD Bond "reads" a german SM magazine while waiting for the sniper, and being irritated when his opponent shows up and he has to tossing the magazine away. Vivienne in TSWLM thinking "All women love semi-rape".
On one level I rationalize that a man with Bonds job would hardly be the poster boy of a healthy mind. But I still find it troubling.
What do you think?
I have enjoyed them because they are good thrillers. But I find the signs of Flemmings SM fetish troubeling. Numerous comments about spanking women are to be found, but there are worse examples. In FRWL Darko Bey braggs about keeping a women chained under his table, tossing leftovers down to her. Sex with Vesper Lynd having according to Bond "the sweet taste of rape". In TLD Bond "reads" a german SM magazine while waiting for the sniper, and being irritated when his opponent shows up and he has to tossing the magazine away. Vivienne in TSWLM thinking "All women love semi-rape".
On one level I rationalize that a man with Bonds job would hardly be the poster boy of a healthy mind. But I still find it troubling.
What do you think?
Comments
The spanking stuff byplay with Moneypenny is harmless enough really, I mean look at what passes for okay in sex today, I'd imagine women in the 1950s would be pretty disgusted at the idea of blow jobs and whatnot (You've never heard of whatnot? Oh it's disgusting... very popular in North London circles... google it but not at work...
As for the semi-rape stuff, well, I think it's only meant to be Nancy Friday stuff, you know, like a woman doesn't want to be treated like fragile glass in bed. The Kerim Bey story is the least defensible though I suppose you could argue it's along the lines of The Taming of the Shrew - not that many would defend that either.
Of course, it's mainly S not M - you don't get Bond enjoying being spanked or taken from behind with a rubber appendage...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I really don't think the sex depicted in the Bond novels is particularly strong, perhaps it was for the 1950s and 60s however it seems rather tame from a contemporary viewpoint. If, however, you are talking about the *way* women are depicted, especially the infamous 'semi-rape' line in The Spy Who Loved Me, then there is something in that. This is a product of the time and is found in other popular writers of the era (although the likes of Eric Ambler, who started back in the 1930s, never wrote about women in such a way).
It is difficult to look back and judge attitudes from today. That is not to absolve those attitudes, but it might put them into context. And to be fair, several of the Bond women are very strong, those awkward moments not being evident *too* often.
Fleming was a clever writer and a good judge of his market, SEX SNOBBERY and SADISM is what sold the Bond books before the 60's spy craze. That combination worked very sucessfully.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
I know Dalton was in TLD, but it's allways funnier with Moore in it!
What's more there was an odd story in TV Times about a female journalist who witnessed Roger's wife administer a spanking to him by the poolside back in the 1970s, recalled in the more useless recesses of my mind.
Then again, I thought it was plain odd to see Lazenby's Bond perusing a dirty mag in OHMSS while waiting for the safe to open, maybe it was a Bondian thing to do...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Bond and "Playboy" Magazine have had a long and close relationship. In the US "Playboy" was the first to publish many of the Bond short stories, and featured many an article about Fleming and Bond - whose "free love" lifestyle was the epitome of the "Playboy" ethic.
Once considered racey GL's magazine wouldn't be sexy enough today to sell chocolate nibbles in a Sunday News Supplement.
Times change.......
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Was that a magazine? It was referred to as a "thriller," making me think it was a cheap paperback unless thriller meant porn magazine to British people during that time. On such novels, I've see a few of these in used book stores and they do make for some cheap entertainment.
Anyway, though Bond was more frank about his sexual drive, I don't think he was exceptionally depraved. Though Bond was chivalrous in how he felt protective of women, I don't think it should be mistaken that he was too noble-minded to not think sexually. In CR, while still in the midst of the mission, was already planning on how to seduce Vesper in order to release the tension and strain of the moment. Also, this character trait was carried over into the films as a key cliche of the series even though Bond's success rate was not as high in the books.
Dalton allways hinted (and sometimes more than hinted) of a troubled soul behind the hero. He also was a far superior actor ...
But to me he never genuinly seemed to be thinking about sex ever. I think he's the only Bond who didn't have that boyish way about him.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Nowdays Bond is forbidden to smoke, saving countless more innocents from tobacco death.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond