Defining Erotica

PLEASE!

This folder contains background thoughts and materials that have come to me during the course. They are largely unedited and are like a journal where a writer records the thread of interesting ideas and concepts. It's like a notebook (Clearly marked DOCUMENTATION) filled with doodles and references that show the influence the class is having on my thinking. This notebook contains about ten (10) hours work outside the requirements of the course. Despite the fact it has not been submitted for review by the forum, visitors are welcome to read the contents. HOWEVER, just because someone can grade it, does not mean it's appropriate to do so.

Percy

Defining Erotica:

I do not think Erotica is a genre. Neither is pornography. Mystery, Romance, Fantasy and Science fiction are genres. Not erotica. To use a Culinary analogy a genre is the main entrée and erotica is the sauce. Writers in a genre are like the chef’s who prepare the main courses and erotica writers are like a sauce chef. I have heard of Romance novels but I have never heard of a porn novel or an erotica novel. I have seen porn movies and read erotic anthologies. Sex in literature is like sex in life. It is very important, it represents a quality of life, but it simply does not stand alone. It is not something that people do all day long. It is vital but it is not an end. Rather it is a means to an end. Thus I would define erotica as

Erotica: A type of literary expression, with redeeming artistic merit that uses graphic reference, human sensuality, emotion, imagination, and the sublime, to create sexual mood and tension thereby accentuating other forms.

I believe that erotica, by this definition, is used in all the genres to create mood and sexual tension, and thereby, harness the motive power of sexual energy. This power can take a good story to the next higher level or or cause the reader to quit in disgust.

Each genre has its own rules and constraint equations, and the subject matter is written within the windows formed by these lines. Thus the practicing writers need to know what these equations are and where the lines are drawn. Examples of these lines are sex, violence, immorality, racism, abortion and religion. These subjects are constrained and treated in accordance with written and unwritten rules. To determine what these are you have to read examples of the genre

The lowest common denominator across literature is the scene. To write a scene an author decides on a subject, genre and form. This is one way to write a scene.

For example: A novel requires a scene that shows the conflict between a man and woman. Let’s say the woman feels the love is going out of her marriage and the man is beginning to wonder if there is more to life than what the marriage offers. Earlier scenes have laid the groundwork and this is going to be where the pressure between the two becomes so great there is a cathartic moment. So, the first step is to develop a setting, the language parameters and the operative concepts for the scene.

Setting: Kitchen after the kids are in bed.

Language parameters: Middle class Anglo-American English.

Operative Concepts:

Man: The marriage is no longer satisfying; His wife doesn’t seem interested in him. She has needs that the family budget can’t support. The kids get on his nerves after a hard day at the office. Every time he wants to get out with the guys she goes into a sulk.

Woman: Feels her husband no longer loves her. Would rather be with his friends than with her. She is stuck at home with the kids. There is never enough disposable income to do the things she wants. What little there is he spends on himself. The credit cards are maxed out.

Once this is established the author gets his characters to start talking to each other.

Dialogue:

“Before you go out and turn on the TV we need to talk, Bill."

“About what?”

“About things."

“What kind of things…."

“You know..."

“No I don’t know…why don’t you tell me."

“Do you still love me?"

“"Of course I do…what makes you think I don’t?"

“You don’t show it…"

The dialogue continues until the operative concepts are fully developed in the conversation as the tension builds and the cathartic moment is reached and then tapers down to the end of the scene.

When the characters have defined the scope of the scene and exhausted the operative concepts it is time for the sauce.

The erotica needs to crowd the line of the genre but not cross it. It is sensual, passionate, and emotional and contains its own subset of operative concepts. It also uses vocabulary words appropriate to the genre. Words outside the limits can be used sometimes, sparingly, for emphasis. Let’s say there are four basic categories of sauces.

Sublime Sauces: Viscus: Fantastica: Surreal: Abstract, Ethereal, Poetic

Imaginative Sauces: Suggestive: Romantica: Pretend: Imaginative escapism, dream world of unrealistic hope. The upper limit of what dreams are made of.

Emotive sauces: Erotica: Rich and spicy: Reality: In awareness an emotionally and sensually tempered physical experience. A numbing of the edges and heightening of sensations, that take a physical experience and make it more emotionally and sensually satisfying.

Graphic sauces; Bitter and tangy: Pornographica: Wallowing in the physiological pleasure of a carnal act Photographically stark and unembellished. Carnal, vulgar, obscene.

Thus erotica is not an end it’s a means. It is not a form it’s an accent. It’s not the main entrée, it’s the sauce,

To continue the culinary analogy take for example a barbeque making competition. In the South and West these are becoming very popular. The competitors are given the meat and ingredients and they all cook up their main entrée. However, each has their own secret ingredient….the sauce. It is the sauce and how it uniquely flavors the main entrée that is often the difference between winning and showing up. There are other things such as how the meat is cooked, garnished and displayed that are important, but it is the sauce that takes something good and makes it wonderful...or even better, that takes something wonderful and makes it exquisite.

I have been experimenting with the sauces….particularly the sublime and emotive. I have ladled them over some of my writings and been pleased with the results.

What I have learned from this course most is not how to write erotica, but how to write period.

I think a course like this should contain the following classes.

Class 1: “The meeting.” Two people have a conversation on a park bench and have sensual thoughts and feelings which create sexual tension between the two. The instructor provided the operative concepts.

Class 2: “The Touching.“ …again, the holding of hands, a hand on the thigh, rubbing of shoulders, tickling, jostling, wrestling etc. This adds to the sexual tension. Operative concepts provided for all classes.

Class 3: “The kiss:” This was a great exercise.

Class 4: “The upper body…“.

Class 5: “The lower body…“

Class 6: “The coupling.”

I think the instructor should set the parameters rather closely. It should be sensuality between a man and a woman, involving straight foreplay and sex. Nothing exotic like Homosexual, BDSM, Anal, Oral or fetish sex. Etc. This makes it easier for the other students to compare their work with the work of others without being distracted by sexual practices they might find inappropriate. Students can write about that sort of thing on their own time.

To look at erotica as an end is to eat the sauce instead of sipping it. It can certainly be sampled and tasted to get a sense for its potential but it has to be poured over the main entrée to determine its true effectiveness. It simply doesn’t stand on its own in literature and when writers try and use it as a staple instead of an accent they wind up with something that excites the taste but doesn’t do much for the underlying the hunger. A writer winds up with something that is not useful in a broader literary context. It might be elegantly written and exciting and gets the juices to flowing, but it does not lead anywhere but inwardly into itself. Erotica becomes to sex as masturbation is to intercourse. It has its uses, and it takes the edge off of a compelling physiological compulsion, but it is no substitute for literature that has deeper roots. And while our physiological triggers can be tricked into providing release, deep down our basic human nature knows what is going on and such recourse becomes increasingly ineffective over time. Mainlining the sauce is no substitute for having it spread over the main course.

Notes after lesson 1:

Question: Define three levels of procreative writing; Erotica, Romantica and Pornography.

General: I see procreative writing as having more than three levels. I see them as Clinical, Emotional, Metaphorical, Graphical, Subliminal. and linguistic

Clinical: Using anatomical terrms such as penis and vagina to describe the physical dynamics of what is taking place. "He took his penis and inserted it into her vagina."

Emotional: Uses terms to describe the act that are empassioned... a physiological reaction to what is taking place. "She trembled at the very sight, her breath caught seeing it for the first time. Then she began weeping in sheer joy, reveling in the anticipation of what was about to happen."

Metaphorical: Uses similar terms to describe obliquely what is happening. "His eyes how they twinkled, his dimples how merry, his cheeks were as roses his nose like a cherry...the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath."

Graphical: Focuses on the sensual imagery, particularly visual (as cast in words) to show physically exactly what is happeing. Her brown nipples were poised, showcased in dark areola, that rose up and receded with each halting breath."

Subliminal: Uses the drug of poetic rendering to soften the rawness of sex. "The mood of love swept over her and what was before, slapping flesh and groans, became a dance melody in the ambiance of a dream. She twirled in his arms to the music of creation; floating on a cloud of sweet serenity."

Linguistic: Uses dialogue and slang which the reader hears and uses to develop an image in imagination.
From inside the bedroom he heard a voice. "Hey," said Egor, "You really shake it! For an old lady, you can still dance the pole."

There are porbobly more but these come readily to mind.

Each has a scale from mild to extreme. Romantica uses the fine scale, Erotica the median and Pornography the heavy. There is a level below Romantica which is Fantasy and below Fantasy is Religious fiction. In the latter two references to sex are almost unheard of.

Notes after lesson 2:

Trying to define Romantic, Erotic and Pornographic literature is a difficult undertaking. First off, throwing art and literary merit into the chase is somewhat confusing. An artist can make art out of anything and interpreting artistic content is a subjective undertaking. Second all three categories have two or more characters and categorizing one form as having heroines and heros to the exclusion of another opens the matter to question. Third the debate over one form having an emotional connection where another does not begs the question, "Can porno connect emotionally with a parton..., emotionally as well as physically? While this might be the exception rather than the norm, for definitional purposes exceptions like this raise the red flag.

What can be said I think, is that of the three, on a scale, Romantica is to the left, Erotica is in the middle and Pornography is on the Right. In my view, what separates the three comes down to word choice. I have taken the list of terms provided by anaimatqua and seperated them loosely into the three categories. I will post the chart later in the week. What this exercise has revealed is that Romantica uses a more sublime and poetic language, Erotica a more sensual and emotional language and Pornography a more graphic and physical language.

Pornography uses slang and obscene earthiness. It focuses on the graphic nature of sex, a single event, and is concerned chiefly with the physical dimension. Erotica combines the physical with the emotional and physiological aspects puting the event into a broader context, adding the hopes and aspirations of partners, coping with everyday life. Romantica seeks to escape and transcend everyday life altogether, and uses metaphor, oblique discription and poetic rendering. It combines with the enzyme our bodies secrete that numbs the sensibilities to the reality of slapping flesh, groaning lips and the amimal lust of procreation. Followers of this genre want to concurrently experience in their imaginations the same enchanment the sex enzyme brings to their bodies. They respond to the sublime and poetic fantasy that accompaines the hightened state of physical euphoria. It might be far from real, but lovers thrill to the ambiance of the drug like state, complimented by a mood of romantic imagery. Pornography has a limited vocabulary, however it can, if it chooses, draw on the language of the other two categories. It seldom does so to any large degree because it is a turn off to its audience. This audience tends to expect material conforming to a rigid format with coarse vulgar and explicit language Erotica tends to shy away from Pornographic language, using it only for emphasis. It can however draw on the vocabulary and imagery of Romantica and in addition has a range of terms almost exclusive onto itself. It has recourse to clinical language though it runs the risk when it does of sounding sterile. Romantica uses some of the emotional connectivity and diluted language of Erotica and avoids the pornographic all together. It is a language of the indirect, poetic expression, metaphor and the sublime.

Romantic/ Erotic/ Pornographic
Anus
Hidden Secret/ Forbidden Entry/ Convict’s Cunt
Dark Recess/ Male Vagina/ Brown Opening (Star)
Nether Hole/ Back door/ Ass Hole

Breasts
Nurture/ Globes/ Tits
Badges of Womanhood/ Orbs/ Nags
Fruit Metaphors/ Round treasures/ Boobs

Buttocks Buns/ Bumper/ Ass
Grips/ Rear End / Ass hole

Clitoris
Button/ Blossom/ Slit
Lips/ Nub/ Clit


Cunnilingus
Teasing the Fruit/ Preparing for love/ Chowing down
Exciting the Blossom/ Oral intercourse/ Eating Pussy
Dining on the Devine/ Unspoken desire/ Tongue Tennis

Fellatio
Rod of Jessy Bathing themonkey Sucking dick
Vicarious Love/ Tongue Love/ Going down
Forbidden Fruit/ Taking the Mike/ Blow Job

Intercourse
Making love/ Doing the pole dance/ Banging the box
Stealing innocence/ Taking her down/ Plugging the pee hole
Accepting the Offer/ Bending her backwards/ Sticking it to her

Vagina
Lips/ Passage/ Cunt
Tunnel/ Opening/ Snatch Seat/ Pleasure Pore/ Trap

Penis
Manhood/ Organ/ Cock
Member/ Shaft/ Rod
Tool / Staff/ Sinew
Pickle/ Prod/ Pecker

Testicles
Hand full beneath/ Marble pouch/ Balls
Hanging wonders/ Sack/ Family jewels
Globes/ Scrotums/ Scrotes


The general descriptive words at the end of animatqua's list could be used interchangeably depending on the context.

Note: I was just playing around with the words. It shows examples of, what in my opinion, are possible word choices available to each of the categories .


Defining Erotica:


Erotica: The use of sexual energy to enhance a literary work.

Phornographic: The graphic and often obscene portrayal of physical sexuality, that appeals to a base and prurient need to procreate.

Emotive: A sensory appeal to the emotions that surround a persons sexuality that is portrayed as a real life experience. It is characterized by the five (5) senses acting on the emotions to transform and focus compelling sexual energy, into a form that elevates the physical experience to a higher level of enjoyment.

Imaginative: A sensory appeal to the emotions that surround a person's sexuality, that uses imagination instead of reality to portray a sexual experience. It usually requires the suspension of disbelief. It is characterized by a mood creating ambience that dulls the edges and hightens the pleasure of the raw physicality of the sexual act.

Sublime: A dreamlike perception in the mind, often poetic in nature, that occures at a stimulous level below the threshold of sensation. It is often characterized as etherial, beautiful or awe inspiring.