Introduction
With the publication of "The Big Snatch" by R. L. Vanessa, a new type of novel dealing both with sexual and criminal perversion, was introduced to the London reading public. It proved to be immensely popular with readers and set a new record for sales for a first novel. However, the London Chief Censor's Office found the descriptions of the sex act and other types of perversion too truthfully graphic and decided to ban the book throughout England. "The Big Snatch" had by this time achieved a certain notoriety and became a collector's item of avant-garde erotica on the continent.
Enlightening similarities that may help us understand the psychosexual behavior of the main characters in this book are given by Dr. S. Scymanski. These excerpts are from the noted analyst's personal case history file:
"The patient, Sylvia S. was an attractive young woman who, as a teen-ager, began to masturbate by inserting the neck of a wine-bottle, lubricated with vaseline, into her vaginal orifice. She so enjoyed the sensation of intense orgasm produced by this method, that she taught her friends how to masturbate this way as well. From this it was but a step to mutual masturbation and lesbian relationships. She describes her present lesbian activity as follows:
"'I like to suck and kiss Jackie's breasts. I also like to kiss her with my tongue rolling around in her mouth. I like to use my finger on her clitoris and vagina. When I massage her there, she gets very wet and her legs and torso move very spasmodically as she goes into a real, moaning orgasm. I finish her off by kissing her nipples. Then she puts her mouth to my vagina, and I have an orgasm the moment my clitoris feels her tongue.' "
Continental Classics feels that this novel should prove psychologically enlightening and instructive to the reader from many aspects, and presents this dramatic novel from this point of view. Because of its themes, it is recommended only for the graduate student, or mature adult reader.
A. L. Saunders, M. A. New York City June, 1969