Chapter 1, Part 1 (pp. 3-19) Summary

This novel, sexually explicit without being crude, is indeed the story of O, a woman whose love for a man leads her to increasingly submissive behavior - allowing herself to be sexually used, violently beaten and physically mutilated, which releases her independence of thought, and eventually causes her to abandon her individual identity. As O's submission deepens and becomes more extreme, the novel simultaneously deepens its thematic explorations of the relationship between surrender and freedom, the nature and demands of love, and the spiritual aspects of sexual desire.

"The Lovers of Roissy", Part 1. After a walk in the park, O gets into a taxi with her lover, Rene. He commands her to remove her underclothes, and when they arrive at their destination, tells her to go in and do exactly as she's bidden. The narrative then recounts...