An Essay on Erotica VS Pornography

I have been a member of WDC now for almost ten years. I’ve been writing and publishing erotica for just about as long. I have been published in several other genres over the years but I have found far much more success with having my erotic published, even in the narrower markets of the GBLT and Erotic Horror subgenres. I have a specific style that has worked for me but admittedly, I still struggle with confusion over what makes something erotic verses pornographic. I have found myself defending my craft, particularly when confronted by someone labeling what I do as “writing porn”. I find that I do have some idea of how to define the genres for me personally and that my own writing – my comfort zone – seems squarely rooted in the realm of Anais Nin and DH Lawrence rather than Penthouse Letters.

As co-leader of the group Sensual Infusion, I have had to ask myself over and over to redefine the genres during the course of reading and reviewing contest entries from a far more subjective stance. In the last year in particular, with the commercial success of works like Fifty Shades of Gray, the question of what makes a piece Erotica–has become more and more of an engaging question. Our little group, in my humble opinion, includes what I would qualify as some of the most prolific and talented writers on WDC…and having such a pool of resource to draw from, I decided to take the question to the group. The brief survey had an overwhelming amount of responses and revealed to me several key points I wanted to share with the group and the wdc community.
When asked the basic question on whether or not they believed there was a difference between the genres of Erotica and Pornography, nearly 95% of respondents indicated that there was a distinct difference between the two…here are a few examples of their insightful observations:

“Yes there is a very distinct difference between the two. Erotica full fills our need to connect with our sensual/emotional side. To connect with the writer/story/characters on a deeper more personal level it is not purely about the sexual aspect. While pornography is the complete opposite. Graphic and intense with a strong focus on the sexual act itself and nothing more.”

“Context. Erotica is a gentle hand that touches intimately; pornography is slap in the face.”
Some writers further contended that Pornography was rooted in perversion and fantasy and that Porn exists solely for the commercial purposes of arousing the readers. In essence, some insisted that Erotica is about the art form itself and that Porn is about the gratification of sexual release. "

“Commercial Erotica is generally more plot-driven than pornography. Commercial Erotica uses sex as the punctuation, as a plot device where pornography utilizes sex as the object. Erotica can exist without the sexual act, pornography cannot.”

And, as far as Erotica possessing more credibility…

“Believable realistic characters behaving in a realistic adult way.”

“Certain words are changed out. Situations are different. Erotica has plot like that is going somewhere and sex is part of the journey. Porn does not. In Porn, Sex IS the journey.”

Most writers cited that for a story to be Erotica, it had more attention to the emotional reaction of the characters, their back stories, their intimate involvement with each other on several layers, not simply the physical. They used words like emotional, intimate, caring, warm and sensual to describe what Erotica represented to them.

While there appeared to be a general consensus, there were also those that responded that Erotica and Pornography are one in the same and the only difference is in the interpretation by the readers themselves. Several writers refused to recognize the genres as having any distinction other than one which might exist in another medium such as film.

I really appreciate each and every one who took the time to participate in the survey. A special thanks to the writers who came out for the Erotica Vs Pornography competition as well. The two part round asked them to craft a story they believed was Erotica and then rewrite the same story as Pornography for the second and final installment. It was not easy for some of them and I commend all the writers for their work. I wish to recognize ☮ The Grum Of Grums as my official winner for this two-part competition for what in my opinion, was a wonderful attempt at demonstrating the differences between the genres. I strongly encourage you all to check out both his versions of A Literary Affair "Invalid Item"  and "Invalid Item" . Please take a moment to stop by the ports of all our participants…dblameck (David) , pinkbarbie and Vixey Todd and give them your thoughts.

Lastly, Wikipedia defines Erotica as follows: “Erotica (from the Greek ἔρως, eros "desire") is any artistic work that deals substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing subject matter. All forms of art may depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, photography, drama, film, music or literature. Erotica has high-art aspirations, differentiating it from commercial pornography.[1] Another category is amateur pornography which includes non-commercial works.”

As someone who considered themselves a writer of Erotica, I am interested to see where the world takes these genres. As a fan, I am delighted to see recent commercial success of Erotic bringing pioneers like DH Lawrence back into the light and providing new generations of readers and writers to appreciate his work – once banned – for all its wonderful merits. Regardless of your personal opinion, thank you for continuing to support the genre, our contest and our group. Look forward to seeing everyone in the Spring.