The Fly Maiden's Book of Virtues

These tales were originally penned by Mélisande Bodel and intended to form a chapbook of exempla for the edification of her "little sister," Eugenia Biddle. Each recounts an episode--surely imagined--wherein the protagonist works her cunning to effect some desired outcome. At the conclusion--always successful--the authoress provides a pair of morals that distill the lesson she wishes to impart. But the curriculum of this school is a limited one. All the tales center on matters sexual:...
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These tales were originally penned by Mélisande Bodel and intended to form a chapbook of exempla for the edification of her "little sister," Eugenia Biddle. Each recounts an episode--surely imagined--wherein the protagonist works her cunning to effect some desired outcome. At the conclusion--always successful--the authoress provides a pair of morals that distill the lesson she wishes to impart. But the curriculum of this school is a limited one. All the tales center on matters sexual: passion, lust, fetishes, etc. Love itself--by which I mean romantic love--plays only the most minor of roles.