Fanny Hill

Fanny Hill is an erotic novel written by John Cleland and published in two parts in 1748 and 1749.

Written while Cleland was imprisoned for debt, the novel became notorious and was repeatedly censored for its explicit portrayal of sexuality.

Fanny Hill is a young orphan who arrives penniless in 18th-century London. After being deceived into entering a brothel, she becomes a sex worker. In two first-person letters, the older Fanny recounts her erotic experiences, changing fortunes, and eventual reunion with Charles, her first love.

The novel addresses desire, class, commerce, and the sexual double standards of its period. Its long history of prosecution and censorship later made it important to debates over literary obscenity.

"This, and enough, premised, I go souse into my personal history. My maiden name was Francis Hill. I was born at a small village near Liverpool in Lancashire, of parents extremely poor, and I piously believe, extremely honest."