 |
Title:
Sappho’s Leap
Author: Erica Jong
Publisher: W.W. Norton and Co.
Publish Date: May 17, 2004
Pages: 316
Genres:: Plot, All Girl (Lesbian), Bisexual, Celebrities, Orgy, Straight, Toys
Reviewer: SexHerald Staff | Rating:
 |
 |
By Erica Jong
Reviewer: SexHerald Staff
Much like how “Shakespeare in Love” manages to vividly recreate the world and life of a literary giant, Erica Jong’s “Sappho’s Leap” manages to recreate the ancient Greek world—a world that is somehow strangely similar to our own, albeit a world with differing social mores. In Sappho’s time, some 2600 years ago, bisexuality was not only common, but, also socially acceptable and praised. And although Sappho’s work much like Shakespeare has a compelling hold on today’s readers – being strangely and thoroughly modern – we seem to know even less about Sappho and of her world. What is known is that she came to prominence around 600 BCE and she wrote several hundred songs and poems. Sadly, only some fragments survive to the present day. Perhaps it is these poems that are both intensely personal and deeply sensual that have managed to leave Sappho’s mark on our times. She is continually used as a symbol of feminism and feminist liberation, but, most importantly and most often as a symbol of the lesbian and gay communities. (The phrases "Sapphic sex" and "Sapphic desires" derive fron her name, and her island, Lesbos, gave us the term "Lesbian.")
The Sappho the reader will encounter will seem to be very familiar – a kind of hybrid cross between Madonna and Britney Spears, Slyvia Plaith and Maya Angelou. She is a deeply sensual, rebellious, dramatic character. She’s someone who’s personable and although described as on the plain side, she captures people by the strength of her personality and her talent. An ordinary woman with extraordinary talent.
I found some rather intriguing things about the book as a whole – mainly its mix of the mundane, daily world and its concerns with the mystical and fantastic. It was as if the Greek world was this odd paradox wherein the truly mythical could and did happen in the natural world. What was also intriguing was to find out that Sappho was acquainted with some of history’s great names including Aesop, the fable maker, Nebuchadnezzar of Biblical fame, Heraclitus, the philosopher and countless others. Reading this book made me feel like I was thrown into the very beginnings of Western Civilization . . .
But you want to hear about the sex, or you wouldn’t even be on this site, my dear pornophiles. The sexual content is minimal, leaning heavily towards character driven plots, dialogue, and internalized moral debates. Yet, when the sex does happen, it yearns for poetic heights, leaving explicit details towards the imagination. Reading lines such as “And I think of our lovemaking, of your sex, which becomes a living thing, when I enter it, of your pulsing wetness, of the song between your thighs” is hot –metaphysically and sensually hot. In my mind, I found the depiction of sex and sexual acts throughout the pages of “Sappho’s Leap,” to be extraordinarily intelligent and poetic for the most part except for one scene between Sappho and her faithful slave, Praxinoa that seemed clichéd and obligatory. Even with that in mind, the flaws are minor, as the reader will inevitably find himself (or herself for that matter) absorbed in the story. For those who like page turners full of drama, adventure and some occasional hot sex, Erica Jong’s “Sappho’s Leap” will be a perfect read for a lazy summer day. Sappho’sLeap
 Email this review to a friend
|
