Jun 22, 2012
Enjoy Pornography in Public: Erotic Literature!
If you haven’t heard about the latest literary sensation, Fifty Shades of Gray, you might be living under a rock. This series of erotic fiction is important for several reasons. It’s been a very long time since a work of erotica was ranked so highly on bestselling book lists. And since its main audience is middle-aged women, they are now flocking into our stores to experiment with elements of their sexuality they never before would have allowed themselves to explore.
Erotic literature is so extremely influential because it does something for women that ordinary pornography doesn’t: it feeds and stimulates the imagination, which, for women, is one of the most important parts of sex. And now, after reading the series, many women are becoming awakened to desires they may have repressed because they seemed wrong or strange.
Fifty Shades is nothing new, however. Erotic fiction has been an important part of literature for several centuries. Many erotic novels written in the past were dismissed as trash, and the writers of which were even jailed. But today many of this “filth” is considered extremely important high literature. If you loved Fifty Shades of Gray and are interested in reading more, this writer has many recommendations for you.
The latter portion of the18th century brought many famed works of erotic fiction. One of the earliest, more conservative (but wildly descriptive) these is Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, which follows a young woman left destitute who is led into the prostitution industry. The chapters chronicle her experience with her many lovers and clients, yet in the end she learns her lesson and reverts back to proper morality.
Less apologetic are books by the famed libertine the Marquis de Sade, the very man for whom “sadism” is named. Philosophy in the Bedroom is a detailed, descriptive account of a brother and sister who joyously corrupt a very young girl, including vivid descriptions of incest, orgies, and many varying taboo sexual acts including many different parts of the body. My personal favorite by Sade is Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue. The heroine, a virtuous orphaned young girl, has only her morals as a shield against continuous attempts at corruption. Sade’s work is thoroughly pornographic, but the lewdness is accompanied by incredibly nuanced and witty arguments concerning politics and religion.
If you’re more into the “M” of S/M, a must-read literary classic is Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (yes, as in masochism). This work still inspires today’s concept of “kink”: whips, boots, leather, slavery, contracts, cruelty and punishment abound in this beautifully written love story.
My all-time favorite work of erotic fiction is Story of the Eye, by the French surrealist George Bataille. By far the most outrageous, strangest, grotesque work of erotica I’ve ever read, you will never be able to look at eyes or eggs in the same way. The story follows a young male narrator and his lover who find pleasure in billowing sheets, constipation, urinating on soft-boiled eggs, religious relics, and bullfights. Bataille revels in defilement and blasphemy, and although this novel might not turn you on in the traditional sense, it will fascinate, seduce, and make you reconsider altogether what you normally conceptualize as the erotic.
If these stories sound a little more brutal or shocking than your liking, return to the 20th century and indulge in the ethereal feminine writing of Anais Nin. Her most famous collection of erotic tales, Delta of Venus, is sensual yet subtle, voluptuous in the most gentle, breathtaking manner. The stories are short, and her imagination will transport you from artists’ manors in Europe to the bordellos of Latin America. Her desire knows no bounds, and breaks down all classical binaries surrounding sexuality.
The best part about erotic fiction, of course, is reenacting the scenes in your own bedroom. Downtown Blue Boutique has everything you need to play out either the kinkiest bondage scenario, or the most romantic, ardent, lovemaking session. Or perhaps you just need something to use yourself while you read in bed. Come see us at our brand new location and tell us what books you love!
Related Posts:
Recent Comments