Erotic literature

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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

[edit] History

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). The rise of the novel in 18th century England provided a new medium for erotica. One of the most famous in this new genre was Fanny Hill by John Cleland. This book set a new standard in literary smut and has often been adapted for the cinema in the 20th century.

In the Victorian period, the quality of erotic fiction was much below that of the previous century — it was written by 'hacks'. However, some contained borrowings from established literary models, such as Dickens. It also featured a curious form of social stratification. Even in the throes of orgasm, the social distinctions between master and servant (including form of address) were scrupulously observed. Significant elements of sado-masochism were present in some examples, perhaps reflecting the influence of the English public school. These were works were often anonymous, and undated, and include such classics of the genre as:

Towards the end of the century, a more 'cultured' form of erotica began to appear. This was associated with the Decadents, in particular, with Aubrey Beardsley and the Yellow Book. But it was also to be found in France, amongst such writers as Pierre Louys, author of the 'Chanson de Bilitis' (a celebration of lesbianism and sexual awakening).

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.

[edit] 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.

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.

Artists books [1] explore relations between the literary, poetic, comic, and artistic representations of sex.

[edit] 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 images, 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.[2]

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.

[edit] Internet fiction

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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, writing anonymously 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 names. 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 names associated with salacious material. However, the sheer number 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:

  • The Scarlet (magazine) website has a selection of erotic stories under the heading 'Cliterature'. [1] These stories have usually appeared in the magazine so they have been sub-edited and are to a high standard.
  • The alt.sex.stories Text Repository, or ASSTR, began as a small FTP site in 1996 for tabulating and hosting the output of A.S.S.'s members. It has since expanded into a free hosting site, similar to GeoCities or Angelfire but specializing in erotica. It now hosts the erotic literature of nearly two thousand authors, including some of the biggest and most well-loved in the field.
  • The Nifty Erotic Stories Archive has archived homosexual/alternative-sexuality erotica since 1993 and permits non-published amateurs to submit, provided the story does not portray graphic violence, abusive situations, etc., but it does permit stories depicting sexual activities among minors and between minors and adults. As of 2005, "Nifty" archived more than 82,000 stories.
  • Fictionmania, founded in late 1997, archives the works of any writers (amateur or professional), provided the story involves transgendered erotica. In 2002, Fictionmania averaged 161 new story submissions each month.
  • Storiesonline.net, founded in early 1998 by its owner Lazeez as a personal hobby site, and due to authors' and readers' response turned into a general submission site and an easy to use alternative to ASSTR. It accepts all types of submissions.
  • Open-submissions sites such as Literotica, C-S-S-A, Sex Stories Post, and Electronic Wilderness Publishing publish a wide variety of erotic literature. Literotica, in particular, is one of the most popular erotic text sites in existence, with nearly 25,000 registered authors (as of late 2005) contributing about 100,000 stories, poems, essays, illustrated stories and audio stories in a huge variety of categories. Electronic Wilderness Publishing , Or EWP for short, is the youngest of these sites.
  • Erotic Stories at mindspired.com - The mindspired.com Project [Erotic Stories to stimulate your mind], provides free access to original erotic literature. The archive is moderated and provides unrestricted access to erotic stories [fiction/non-fiction/poetry] as well as writer's resources, discussion forums for members and a very open real-time chat room.
  • The Erotica Readers and Writers Association, established in 1996, is a moderated online archive of erotic fiction, poetry and non-fiction articles, as well as an association for writers of erotica. It also includes articles about authorship, author resources, calls for submissions, and publishing opportunities.
  • OystersandChocolate.com, co-owned and co-edited by Jordan LaRousse and Samantha Sade, is a sex-positive women's erotica site that features artwork, photography, columns, erotic product reviews, a readers' forum, and erotic fiction categorized as Vanilla (heterosexual couples), Licorice Whips (BDSM), Dirty Martini (voyeurism, fetish and other kinks), and All About the Oysters (lesbian tales). The site also accepts unsolicited writing and art submissions as well as hosts quarterly writing contests. Note that not all submissions are automatically accepted for publication at OystersandChocolate.com as it is not a repository site. Every submission will go through a rigorous evaluation process by the editors.

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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Science and the Artist's Book. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
  2. ^ Ohio man convicted for "obscene" stories in his private journal. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
  • Susan Sontag (1969). The Pornographic Imagination in Styles of Radical Will. Picador. ISBN 0-312-42021-8. 
  • Patrick J. Kearney (1982), A history of Erotic Literature
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