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I've got a request in my comments for examples of sexually explicit literary language in the Victorian period. I give you exhibits A, B (scroll down to "Anactoria"), and C (scroll down to "Nuptial Sleep"). As for George Eliot, who prompted the request, I recommend the following metaphorical reflections from Middlemarch:

Hence he determined to abandon himself to the stream of feeling, and perhaps was surprised to find what an exceedingly shallow rill it was. As in droughty regions baptism by immersion could only be performed symbolically, Mr. Casaubon found that sprinkling was the utmost approach to a plunge which his stream would afford him; and he concluded that the poets had much exaggerated the force of masculine passion. Nevertheless, he observed with pleasure that Miss Brooke showed an ardent submissive affection which promised to fulfil his most agreeable previsions of marriage. It had once or twice crossed his mind that possibly there, was some deficiency in Dorothea to account for the moderation of his abandonment; but he was unable to discern the deficiency, or to figure to himself a woman who would have pleased him better; so that there was clearly no reason to fall back upon but the exaggerations of human tradition.

Comments

[G Zombie]

Two thoughts:

1. 100 pages/hour? Holy...!
2. "I've got a request in my comments for examples of sexually explicit literary language..." Now, why don't I ever get requests like that?

[Brandon]

Darn it, now I'm going to have a picture of Casaubon in my head! *shudder*

[sfguy]

Thanks for posting the examples - they're interesting and more explicit than I expected. I suppose I was expecting something along the lines of the few, vague references that can be found in Austen.

Regards.