I’ll start by saying that I would prefer to read something written in the 19th century or an an even earlier period.
I recently finished reading *Zofloya* by Charlotte Dacre, a book which was originally written in 1806. The narrative was thoroughly subversive in a lot of ways.
Taken from the back of the Oxford World Classics edition of the book:
*“The novel follows Victoria’s progress… through abuse and captivity, to a career of deepening criminality… to a fully conscious commitment to vice… The novel’s most daring aspect is its daring depiction of Victoria’s intense sexual attraction to her Moorish servant Zofloya that transgresses taboos both of class and race. A minor scandal… Contradicting idealised stereotypes of women’s writing, the novel’s portrayal of indulged desire, gratuitous cruelty, and monumental self-absorption retains considerable power to disturb.”*
I would love to read more books like this.
by eroticvultcha
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*The Moonstone* by Wilkie Collins has a compassionate portrayal of drug dependency that was unusual for its time (1868). It also has a prominent female character expressing critcism of the institution of marriage. The book is also notable for its rejection of colonialism, going against the mainstream of 19th century Britain.
Maybe *Lady Chatterly’s Lover*.