Anthologica Rarissima: The Way of a Virgin: Being excerpts from rare, curious and diverting books

In Short

This collection serves as a scholarly anthology of rare and often suppressed literature concerning human sexuality. By curating excerpts from centuries-old manuscripts—ranging from folk tales and memoirs to philosophical treatises—the editors aim to preserve a record of how different cultures and eras have understood intimacy, virginity, and social morality. The work endures because it acts as a candid, uncensored archive, offering a window into the private anxieties and diversions of previous generations that remain largely excluded from the standard literary canon.

The Story

The narrative arc of the book is not a singular tale but a thematic progression that moves from the clinical and anthropological to the anecdotal and farcical. It opens by establishing its purpose: to rescue "curious and diverting" texts from obscurity. The editors immediately ground their study in the history of virginity, contrasting the extreme value placed upon it in some societies against the indifference or ritualized disposal of it in others. They draw upon ancient sources to demonstrate that modern concepts of sexual morality are not universal, but rather shifting social constructs.

As the collection advances, the tone shifts from academic inquiry to the vibrant, often chaotic world of historical fiction and memoir. We see this in the bizarre tale of a lord who discovers a magic ring that causes his physical form to distort and expand, a story that blends fairy-tale absurdity with blunt sexual metaphor. From there, the collection ventures into the sophisticated, libertine world of Casanova, whose encounters with cousins in Geneva highlight the era’s intersection of theological debate and carnal appetite. The focus then turns toward the biting cynicism of the medieval writer Masuccio, who directs his sharpest barbs at the perceived hypocrisy of the clergy and the perceived vanity of women.

The latter portion of the book leans heavily into folk humor. We are introduced to "Jean the Fool," whose clumsy attempts to court a maiden and his subsequent confusion during his wedding night serve as a comic critique of innocence. This leads to tales like the "Princess who pisseth over the haycocks," which uses physiological myth—specifically the idea that a virgin’s ability to project a stream of urine served as a diagnostic test—to weave stories of intrigue, hidden lovers, and the persistent subversion of parental authority. The volume concludes with the earthy, irreverent prose of the Renaissance, specifically the wit found in Le Moyen de Parvenir. Through these vignettes, the book traces a trajectory from the high-minded anxiety surrounding the "untouched morsel" of a virgin to the cynical reality of daily human indiscretions, ultimately leaving the reader with a kaleidoscopic view of how humanity has always wrestled with the same desires, regardless of the strictures of their time.

How It Unfolds

The anthropological inquiry The volume opens by challenging the sanctity of virginity, using historical evidence to show how different cultures have treated it as a hurdle, a commodity, or a social inconvenience. By quoting ancient practices and early psychological observations, it reframes chastity as a variable social custom rather than a natural law.

The shift toward myth and memoir The text transitions into the surreal and the personal, moving from general theories to the specific antics of characters like the lord with the transformative ring and the legendary escapades of Casanova. These accounts serve to illustrate the tension between public morality and private, often uninhibited, conduct.

The critique of hypocrisy The middle section adopts the sharp, adversarial voice of medieval and Renaissance storytellers who delighted in exposing the failings of the powerful. It highlights how friars, nuns, and nobility often lived in direct contradiction to their stated vows, using satire to strip away the veneer of religious and social piety.

The resolution of the folk tradition The book closes with stories of peasant folly and domestic intrigue, where innocence is often a guise or a burden to be discarded. Through these final tales of secret lovers and frustrated marriages, the collection reinforces its central point: that beneath the shifting moral codes of history, the basic rhythms of human attraction remain stubbornly consistent.

The People

The book is populated by a cast that defies simplistic categorization. The editors, L. and C. Brovan, act as our guides, providing the necessary context to ensure that these archaic voices are understood rather than merely dismissed as scandalous. Then there is the historical figure of Jacques Casanova, who appears not as a caricature, but as an observant, eloquent participant in his own life, treating his encounters with the cousins Hedvige and Helène with a mix of philosophical curiosity and genuine delight.

Juxtaposed against these are the archetypes of the "Fool"—like Jean—who represents the awkwardness of the uninitiated, and the clever, often submissive, brides who navigate the expectations of their parents and husbands with hidden agendas. We also encounter the "Philosopher-Philosophized," the woman whose mind, according to the ancient wisdom cited, resides "between her thighs," embodying the tension between how women were described by male writers and how they actually asserted their agency. Finally, the collection highlights the figures of the "profligate cleric" and the "unfaithful wife," who serve as the recurring targets of medieval authors like Masuccio. These characters collectively represent the friction between institutional rules and the private, often messy, reality of human connection.

In Its Own Voice

“In opposition to those who exact the virginity of the bride, there are others who attach no importance whatever to it.”

The editors begin by dismantling the universality of the virginity cult, setting the stage for a study that views morality as a historical, rather than absolute, phenomenon.

“Yet, in truth, I esteem the fruition of a virgin to be, with respect both to the mind and body of the enjoyer, the highest aggravation of sensual delight.”

This candid admission from an earlier writer captures the specific, heightened psychological allure that many historical cultures placed upon the "untouched morsel."

“It is better to keep a wench than to trouble the peace of Christendom, and to do the work is true godliness.”

Quoted from a critique of hypocrisy, this line highlights the dark, satirical wit that characterizes the collection's examination of religious figures who ignore their own strictures.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the persistent, often humorous, tension between social conditioning and biological instinct. The book argues that "virginity" is not an immutable moral fact but a shifting cultural performance, one that changes its meaning depending on the century or the geography. It explores the "hypocrisy of the closet"—the way societies force individuals to act in ways that contradict their natural desires. By stripping away the theological and moral justifications for sexual behavior, the book asks a fundamental question: if the rules of morality are constantly being rewritten by those in power, what is the value of the "sin" itself? It is a study of human persistence against the weight of tradition.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the intersection of history, sociology, and the "curious" side of literature will find this collection rewarding. It offers the rare experience of reading texts that were never intended for the average person, providing a direct, unmediated look at how people in the past thought about their bodies and their desires. The writing is warm and intellectual, grounded in the meticulous work of editors who clearly love their subject matter.

However, one must be prepared for the period attitudes embedded in the excerpts. You will encounter perspectives on women, religion, and social class that are deeply archaic and, at times, explicitly misogynistic or crude. The collection does not shy away from the "coarseness" of its sources, and the reader must be willing to engage with these texts as historical artifacts rather than modern moral guides. It is an honest, often startling journey into the past, where the most striking takeaway is not how different the people of the past were, but how much their private struggles mirror our own. It is a book for the curious, the patient, and those who prefer their history with all its rough edges intact.