One Stop Erotica Shop!

*grins* the Marquis is actually a very well known person within the BDSM world, in some ways he is credited as being the father of BDSM. Here is what google turns up on him: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Marquis+to+Sade&btnG=Google+Search
He was very complicated, and wrote a lot. Beyond that, I don't know much. He was into some very odd stuff, though.
I find it highly interesting that the article cites him and The Story of O for being some of the original Erotica. I also find it interesting that they seem to claim that erotica is so new. What about The Mammoth Book of Erotica? That is on its third or fourth edition if I'm not mistaken, and has been around for several years. What about Penthouse Letters? Thats been published for a long time, and while it is supposedly geared towards male audiences, I guess, it is still fairly well written.

The one thing that I don't care for is that the claimed distinction between Erotica and Pornography. There was a discussion previously, don't remember if it was here or another group) that erotica is somehow on a level above pornography. When I checked the actual definition it states that Erotica is anything written that is designed to arouse; written pornography. People seem to want to butter themselves up and say "I write erotica, its not pornography. Pornography is bad." Which is SO not true. Its simply designed to arouse. The difference is what arouses people. Pornography has standards that range from cheap hotel room flicks with bare lamp blubs for lighting to million dollar productions. The whole point is that it gets people off. It would be really nice if society could stop sugar coating sex and get over the fact that we're all aroused by something, and on a basic level, we want to enjoy sex, and sexuality. This whole "what I'm doing isn't bad, THAT is bad" thing is just silly.

Enough rambling... GREAT article!! Thanks so much for sharing!
-Naughty wildcat