Karin Michaelis was an internationally known and acclaimed author whose progressive insights into women’s psyche and behavior are as valid today as they were at the time of publication. This book explores her use of incest as a metaphor for the oppression of women in a patriarchal society and the way in which female masochism colludes with the male power structure. Michaelis’s use of elements from romance novels, fairy tales, and the gothic genre are a part of her subversive strategy to communicate her message and to empower women.