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Erotic literature

Encyclopedia : E : ER : ERO : Erotic literature

Erotic literature is a literary genre that either takes the form of erotica written to arouse the reader, or to give instruction in sexual technique. Much classic erotic literature is of novel length, although there are also erotic short stories. Some poetry has been classed as erotic, and overtly erotic poetry has been written from the time of the Ancient Greeks onwards.

Contents

Sex manuals

Sex manuals such as the Kama Sutra are some of the best known works of erotic literature. The Ananga Ranga is a lesser known one, aimed specifically at preventing the separation of a husband and wife.

Directories of prostitutes and their services have also historically served as a sexual education in print, such as Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies (1757-1795).

From around the late 1970s, many sex manuals have been published and openly sold in the western world, notably The Joy of Sex. Sex manuals specifically written for sexual minorities are also now published.

Erotic fiction

Erotic fiction is the name given to fiction that deals with sex or sexual themes, generally in a more literary or serious way than the fiction seen in pornographic magazines and sometimes including elements of satire or social criticism.

While there are substantial quantities of written pornographic works, very few of these come near the standards of the best of mainstream literature.

Works of significant literary merit that can be classed as erotic literature include:

Romantic novels are sometimes marketed as erotica—or vice versa, as "mainstream" romance in recent years has begun to exhibit blatant (if poetic) descriptions of sex.

Legal status

There is a substantial overlap between legal erotic literature and illegal pornography, with the distinction traditionally having been made in the English-speaking courts on the basis of perceived literary merit. This was particularly true of works aimed at men, which generally use explicit descriptions of sexual acts. Many banned books have been suppressed because they also contained erotic visual imagery, which has traditionally been easier to prosecute than text.

In the USA, the First Amendment gives protection to written fiction - although in one case, a man pled guilty and was convicted for writing unpublished stories (these were works of fiction concerning sexually abusing children) that were contained only in his personal and private journal. That conviction was later overturned on appeal.[link]

In the UK purely textual pornographic texts, with no hint of libel, have not been prosecuted since the Inside Linda Lovelace trial collapsed in 1976.

Importing books and texts across national borders can sometimes be subject to more stringent laws than in the nations concerned. Customs officers are often permitted to seize even merely 'indecent' works that would be perfectly legal to sell and possess once one is inside the nations concerned. Canada has been particularly notorious for such border seizures.

In some nations, even purely textual erotic literature is still deemed illegal and is also prosecuted.

Internet fiction

The internet has ushered in a new era in erotic literature, allowing readers to indulge private fantasies without having to face a store clerk or mail carrier. Online bookstores now legally carry a wide range of quality erotic literature.

Other websites serve as hubs for non-commercial story distribution, offering readers the opportunity to become authors, anonymously writing and posting their own stories. Most online authors adopt a colorful pseudonym (and can develop cult fan followings within their genre), though a small number use (or claim to use) their real name. Among transgendered authors, it's common practice to adopt a feminine alter-ego, though even there it's not unheard of for a writer to use his own first name.

The explosion of quantity in erotic literature has not translated into an equal rise in quality. Some stories do have serious literary merit and perhaps are even written by accomplished, published writers using pseudonyms to avoid having their commercial name associated with salacious material. However, the sheer numbers of erotic stories now being written and archived means the majority will be average or below-average in quality. The advantage of such quantity is that people with a very specialised sexual taste can find at least some fiction that caters to their taste. Simple rating systems can help a site's users rate stories for quality.

Over the years, many non-profit sites have limited themselves to a particular sub-genre (or fetish). Many websites have started, and then vanished (or have never been updated or properly maintained). Similarly, many part-work stories have been started but then never progressed beyond "part 1". Just a few of the more widely known free sites that have endured over the years include:

With the advent of podcasting and MP3s, it is possible that erotic literature will find a new markets in the form of an internet-based market in downloadable audio books.

External links

See also

References

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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