The novel &quot;Venus in Furs&quot; was written by an Austrian writer by the name of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The book pulls different happenings from the author&#39;s life, such as female dominance. Published in 1870, the novel gained notoriety and a degree of immortality for its author when the word &quot;masochism&quot; - derived from his name - entered the vocabulary of psychiatry. This remains a classic literary statement on sexual submission and control.<br /><br />&quot;Venus in Furs&quot; describes the obsessions of Severin von Kusiemski, a European nobleman who desires to be enslaved to a woman. Severin finds his ideal of voluptuous cruelty in the merciless Wanda von Dunajew. This is a passionate and powerful portrayal of one man&#39;s struggle to enlighten and instruct himself and others in the realm of desire.