What Does "Erotic" Mean to You?

[Guest]

 

[McKenna]

.

 

[gauchecritic]

Erotica (along with beauty) is in the aye of the beholder.

What everyone seems to be saying is that erotic isn't fucking.

Mills and Boom versus Common Lit. stories.

A glance versus a cock (or cunt).

Soft porn versus hard core.

This is plainly untrue.

Erotica and pornography are defined by the society that promotes them.

For me, sex is erotic, violence is pornographic.

Ok. Pornography is literally "Writing about prostitutes" (dictionary.com)

Erotica: "Literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire" (dictionary.com)

To my surprise Dictionary.com actually backs me up with its definition of pornography:

Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.

The presentation or production of this material.

Lurid or sensational material: “Recent novels about the Holocaust have kept Hitler well offstage [so as] to avoid the... pornography of the era” (Morris Dickstein).

So it looks like pornography (first definition) and erotica are actually exactly the same thing.

But before you pick at it and make it sore, yes I can see the difference. Erotica is literature and pornography is writing. Pornography is pictures and erotica is art.

So do you read literature or writing? Do you look at pictures or art?

Gauche

Edited to add: I'm not allowed to comment on McKenna's beauty only her mind as I got a right bollocking last time I did, from someone not many posts from here.

 

[Guest]

... For me, sex is erotic, violence is pornographic.

Good point, Gauche, about violence. I regard more than the sexual as pornographic.

So do you read literature or writing? Do you look at pictures or art?

Both. And I like to fuck or have sex (sometimes make love, much rarer).

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Both. And I like to fuck or have sex (sometimes make love, much rarer).

Perdita

Ditto, I like a lot of variety, too.

I also like to fuck, as well as be fucked.

Or, have a quick shag.

And, make sweet love.

They are all variations of the same thing, just as pornography and erotica are variations of the same thing.

I like your take on it, Gauche.

Lou

 

[sweetnpetite]

I totally agree with everything you said!

I love porn. I've been suprised to see even on lit, so many who seem to look down on it, or would prefer that their work not be labled as such. Then again, there are just as many who feel the same as you and I.

What is most erotic to me is accidentally brushing against me, kisses with desire, being willing to go slow.

*Erotica* to me, is showing the erotic in everything. Sensuality. Something like the ticking of a clock, or the peal of an apple. Erotica is definatly *not* telling me how wet she is, or how hard he is, or how much saliva they exchanged!!!

I think I'm getting pickier as time goes on. I'd love to find some explicit porn that was also erotic. Something that strattles an R rating and an X.

And why does it always have to be pounding into her and Harder Harder, Faster Faster? I mean pounding hard and fast is great, but it's not the only thing that's great

I don't want romantic- I want dirty. But I want dirty, "this is so good, I could do it all night long" ANd I don't think that you always have to describe every instant, where every body part is ect, ect. To me, it seems like there's a lot of overrighting in porn, but that also seems to be what the people like. Any suggestions on who writes good, erotic dirty nasty hot porn/erotica without the constant play by play- I'll take.

Ok, now I'm off to read what the rest of you wrote.

Can you define, in one short paragraph, what you find to be erotic? What words and images does that one word conjur up in your mind? Is it the gentle touch of a lover's hand on your knee? Is it the slightest glimpse of cleavage, inadvertantly shown between the buttons of a blouse? Is it the talk of things to come - a promise made by a lover, of tender kisses all over your body?

I set the two words "erotic" and "pornographic" very far apart. To me, one word means the sensual, provocative, alluring and almost teasing side of human nature. The other is the overtly sexy display of our sexuallity - leaving nothing to the imagination.

If you had to choose one over the other, which would you go for? An erotic image or story, or a pornographic one?

For me, I love erotica and I love porn. Porn is more readily available, and easier to acheive. Erotica is rarer, and done well, quite literally blows me away.

I find the subtleties of erotica to be a greater turn on than the all out in-your-face sex of porn. If I'm in a certain mood, though, only porn will do.

How do ya'll feel about this?

Lou

Edited, because I'm fussy.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Or here's another definition:

Erotica takes your breath away

while porn tells you that he took her breath away.

 

[Guest]

Or here's another definition: Erotica takes your breath away
while porn tells you that he took her breath away.

Ha, ha. I think in porn he just takes; no breathing necessary .

Perdita

 

[sweetnpetite]

Ha, ha. I think in porn he just takes; no breathing necessary .

Perdita

LOL, your right.


In erotica he takes her breath away,

in porn he just takes her.

**

Porn makes you horny, but erotica turns you on!

 

[Carl East]

Tatelou, that av is what I would class as very erotic.

Carl

 

[Guest]

Thank you.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I use the terms erotica and porn interchangably when I'm being casual, but I believe there's a difference. My working definition of pornography is that it's anything that's specifically targeted at arousing feelings of sexual excitement, and has no other purpose beyond that. Erotica, on the other hand, explores the meaning and experience of sex in the context of human life. Erotica should engage your mind as well as your gonads.

For me, the core of erotica involves the relationship between our sexual selves and our social faces. Most of the erotica I like concerns some conflict between the two, whether it's people surrendering to their desires or the discovery of erotic elements in ordinary everyday life. It's the tension between the public and the private, the selfish and the social. That's probably why I find stories of loving sex between a man and woman to be pretty bland: there's no dramatic tension.

---dr.M.

 

[Carl East]

Tatelou, that av is what I would class as very erotic.

Carl

Tatelou, you little tease. I demand you return that av immediately if not sooner.



Carl

 

[rgraham666]

guachecritic's point that violence is pornography has got me to thinking.

To be perfectly honest, I have more experience with violence than sex. And I have pondered long and hard… (You in the back! Stop laughing!) about violence.

I'm of the opinion, for the moment, that the difference between erotica and pornography is in the point they make. Erotica has a point to make and says something to us about human nature and our lives. Pornography is simply about sex or violence with no connection to the world.

So when it comes to sexuality, erotica would be 'Desert Hearts' (movie), or 'Lolita' or 'Portnoy's Complaint' or 'Clockwork Orange' (books and movies). And pornography would be 'Debbie Does the Devil in Dallas Part 69' (I have no idea if such a movie exists I'm making a point.) or 'Penthouse Letters' would be pornography.

For violence, "All Quiet on the Western Front" (book and movies) or 'Platoon' would be erotica, and Freddy, Jason et al. would be pornography.

 

[Guest]

re. pornographic violence

rgraham666: you make a good point. For me:

Mel Gibson's "Passion": pornography

Pasolini's "Gospel of St. Matthew": erotica (and art)

Perdita

p.s. The erotic can exist in religion or spirituality. Read some of the Psalms or Teresa de Avila.

 

[CharleyH]

Between Lou and Colly's descriptions . . . and many others here, I would have to agree.

However, Guche brings up a good point. Fucking is erotic.

The difference between erotic fucking and porn fucking is the command, poetry, semiotics of the language.

Porn fucking is, in my perspective, written in an abrubt, quick, and unimaginitive way.

Erotic fucking is written with the creative use of language.

Also - yes, depends on society for dictionary definitions - depends on law. Anyone ever get arrested for writing erotica? LOL

There's a piece of trivia worth knowing!

 

[Guest]

Charlie, I thought saying that fucking is erotic went without saying, but you've got me thinking (not semiotically though, how un-erotic ).

Yes, fucking is as erotic as fuck. Personally I've rarely found "making love" erotic, even if it includes fucking. Interesting, now that I've thought about it. Will have to think more.

Perdita

(Will be getting back to you soon on the gaze thang.)

 

[CharleyH]

Perdita,

hm. Well making love is definately romantic? And there's nothing more erotic to me than a well-dressed, intelligant woman spinning words I can't understand.

Is this a fetish? Is there such a fetish?

 

[gauchecritic]

However, Guche brings up a good point.

Does this mean I have a designer ID now?

Gucci

 

[Guest]

Does this mean I have a designer ID now? Gucci

Loud larf here. It took me a minute, was just about to worry on you, Gouache.

Perdu

 

[Guest]

... there's nothing more erotic to me than a well-dressed, intelligant woman spinning words I can't understand. Is this a fetish? Is there such a fetish?

We can make it a fetish, Ch. And I can make you understand.

Perdu

 

[CharleyH]

Gauche/ Gucci

When I get excited - I just can't type!!!!

 

[sweetnpetite]

I don't think that sex- in and of itself- is that erotic.

 

[HomerPindar]

An old tag line:

Imagination is the aphrodisiac.

And, for me, seduction is sexier than sex.

Erotica gets my imagination working, porno had best get my body working, or it's not doing its job.

HomerPindar

 

[sweetnpetite]

Anticip-