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Erotic texts have existed since ancient times. Whether they come from Ancient Greece, with early representatives like Alcman or Sappho, Ancient Rome with Catullus or Ovid, or from the East, featuring central works such as "One Thousand and One Nights" or the "Kamasutra"... However, this literary genre, aimed at arousing the reader's sexual desire by exploring the pleasures of love, has been experiencing growing success especially among women for the past decade. How can we explain this? Has the readership also evolved? What do these texts bring to us? Let's take a closer look...
Erotic literature is becoming more mainstream...
While reading steamy stories has long been taboo, erotic books now hold a prominent place on bookstore shelves and in the personal collections of individuals. According to a British survey, 53% of British females claim to have read erotic literature once or twice, or even more. It is especially the book "Fifty Shades of Grey" by the British author E.L. James, whose first volume was released in 2012, that marked a turning point in the history of this literary genre. With a "hot" scene on average every twenty pages, featuring the two protagonists in unique positions and settings, it democratized erotic literature. This genre experienced a new surge during the health crisis, as confirmed by Anne Hautecoeur, the general director of La Musardine, a French publishing house and erotic bookstore.
Erotica reaches a new audience, primarily female!
The book "Fifty Shades of Grey," mentioned earlier, also contributed to the emergence of a phenomenon: "mum porn" – literally, "porn for moms." Examining the evolution of the erotic book market reveals a significant shift in the role of women. On the one hand, they are increasingly consumers, but they also play an active role as authors, with many women now widely recognized. They tend to move away from simple romance styles, offering highly qualitative narratives in which women assert themselves more. The heirs of Pauline Réage (and her "Story of O" that scandalized the 1950s), Catherine Robbe-Grillet, Régine Deforges, Virginie Despentes, or Catherine Millet now go by names like Emma Becker, Zoe Vintimille, Rose Brunel, Virginie Bégaudeau... and stand out with a decidedly feminist touch. This phenomenon clearly reflects the evolution of women's roles in society, openly claiming their right to pleasure from a previously submissive and maternal image. Erotic books, sources of fantasies that weave connections between love and sexuality, seem to meet their expectations more than pornography, which often denies desire and sensuality, offering a stereotyped view of sexual relationships with repetitive, frozen images. Forty years ago, the typical reader was male, mostly older, with San Antonio's books as the main reference. The audience has expanded; not only have women embraced it, but also couples who don't hesitate to visit bookstores for some spicy literature!
Why such enthusiasm?
Similar to general literature, the erotic genre allows the reader to escape from their daily life, immersing themselves in a new spatiotemporal setting and adopting the persona of a character. But the distinctive feature is undoubtedly the sensual dimension, which tends to stimulate the reader's libido by fueling their fantasies. This allows some people to rediscover the path of desire and propose new exchanges or even new erotic practices to their partners. While the hectic pace of work-commute-sleep often undermines libido, couples can draw inspiration from some "hot" scenes to rethink their sexuality, break the routine by exploring different places, positions, and using certain props! Moreover, why not share reading moments to raise the temperature? The reader can explore different degrees of writing, from the "softest" to the "hardest," but unlike porn movies, the cerebral dimension conducive to nourishing one's imagination is activated. Finally, the erotic genre often leads the reader to introspection: depending on the fantasies and desires inspired by scenes in the book, they can reflect and discover more about their own personality.
Must-reads of erotic literature
Here's a small selection of ten works:
Have you had the opportunity, or do you regularly read erotic literature? Do you have any further reading recommendations to share?
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Editor, 02/22/2024
