Earthly Delights

[GuiltyCowboy]

Did anyone read Sheila Heti’s short story Earthly Delights in the August 3rd issue of The New Yorker magazine?

I think it could almost be a Lit story. Funny, thought-provoking and original - and all about sex and the mysteries of lust.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/earthly-delights-fiction-sheila-heti

 

[SyleusSnow]

Did anyone read Sheila Heti’s short story Earthly Delights in the August 3rd issue of The New Yorker magazine?

I think it could almost be a Lit story. Funny, thought-provoking and original - and all about sex and the mysteries of lust.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/earthly-delights-fiction-sheila-heti

Fun story. Yes, it could be a Lit story. I'm not smart enough to get most literary fiction, but this is certainly more explicit that other New Yorker pieces I've read.

 

[SimonDoom]

Interesting story. I don't think it would make it as a Lit story, however, because it breaks the underage rule.

Also, while there's plenty of sex in the story, the sex isn't arousing. It's not in any way a "stroker." The story muses on the ambivalence of lusting after something and actually having it. In most (though certainly not all) Lit stories, the pleasure of sex is clear cut, not ambivalent, so as to provide a satisfying experience for the reader.

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

Interesting story. I don't think it would make it as a Lit story, however, because it breaks the underage rule.

Also, while there's plenty of sex in the story, the sex isn't arousing. It's not in any way a "stroker." The story muses on the ambivalence of lusting after something and actually having it. In most (though certainly not all) Lit stories, the pleasure of sex is clear cut, not ambivalent, so as to provide a satisfying experience for the reader.

Fair point about some of the teen content. One of the rare instances in which a mainstream publication is more permissive than a porn site!

And while the story is not arousing in a Lit sort of way, I myself found the sexual details surprisingly effective. Perhaps that's because they were exactly that: surprising for appearing. Unlike in a Lit story when you expect it, can see it coming.

Ditto with it being satisfying - any story that makes me think about it beyond the final sentence is satisfying in my book, because it means it's brought me into the story, made me grapple with its ideas. I look for that in Lit stories too. No reason erotica shouldn't aspire to that. Though obviously I take your point about people wanting a quick fix.

 

[SimonDoom]

Fair point about some of the teen content. One of the rare instances in which a mainstream publication is more permissive than a porn site!

And while the story is not arousing in a Lit sort of way, I myself found the sexual details surprisingly effective. Perhaps that's because they were exactly that: surprising for appearing. Unlike in a Lit story when you expect it, can see it coming.

Ditto with it being satisfying - any story that makes me think about it beyond the final sentence is satisfying in my book, because it means it's brought me into the story, made me grapple with its ideas. I look for that in Lit stories too. No reason erotica shouldn't aspire to that. Though obviously I take your point about people wanting a quick fix.

I liked the story and found it satisfying in its own way, so I agree with you about that. It's a different sort of satisfaction than what one typically gets with Lit stories. I can't think of too many Lit stories I've read that approach the subject the way this story did. It might be a good thing if more Lit authors wrote stories like that.

Another thing: the story is short by Lit standards. It's about 4000 words. A good reminder that quality doesn't require length.

 

[GuiltyCowboy]

It might be a good thing if more Lit authors wrote stories like that.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I came here initially - and naively - expecting the site to be a hotbed of people exploring the complexities of the erotic imagination. Plenty of people do of course, and do so with tremendous elan, but I was surprised by the dominant story styles.