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As I lurk at the Erotica forums I have seen the term "porn" used in comparison to "Erotica". I get what Erotica is, but what is writing porn? And how does it differ from Erotica? Thank you!
Porn vs. Erotica?
- Thread starter Snowybunny12
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It's often a case of knowing it when you see it, but to me, porn seeks only to sexually arouse. It has little or no character development, no conflict beyond searching for that Big O, and not much in the way of plot beyond how the characters hook up.
Others will define porn differently, of course.
Erotica, whether erotic romance or garden-variety, tells a story featuring developed characters. The sexual activities often drive the plot, which may revolve around the main character's awakening or new openness to his or her sexual nature or needs.
Maryn, sure others will not agree, and cool with that
Others will define porn differently, of course.
Erotica, whether erotic romance or garden-variety, tells a story featuring developed characters. The sexual activities often drive the plot, which may revolve around the main character's awakening or new openness to his or her sexual nature or needs.
Maryn, sure others will not agree, and cool with that
I pretty much think the same thing as Maryn. Porn has very little plot or conflict outside of getting aroused and climaxing.
Erotica on the other hand has a strong plot, with conflict, character development with sex and foreplay drizzeled in (kind of like a spice). Erotica can have a lot of sex or close to none at all. But the sexual tension will always be present. It just depends on what fits with the plot.
Obviously, if two characters are about to save the world and there's a time limit, having sex probably isn't the first thing on their to-do list. Note, this is also something that bugs the hell out of me in movies.
"Run, before they catch you!"
"Wait, let me kiss you first."
Five minutes later, characters run away. Umm, what happened to the urgency?
Anyway...yeah. So, that's my take on it.
Erotica on the other hand has a strong plot, with conflict, character development with sex and foreplay drizzeled in (kind of like a spice). Erotica can have a lot of sex or close to none at all. But the sexual tension will always be present. It just depends on what fits with the plot.
Obviously, if two characters are about to save the world and there's a time limit, having sex probably isn't the first thing on their to-do list. Note, this is also something that bugs the hell out of me in movies.
"Run, before they catch you!"
"Wait, let me kiss you first."
Five minutes later, characters run away. Umm, what happened to the urgency?
Anyway...yeah. So, that's my take on it.
Katie Elle
Banned
The problem is the real definition is "erotica is good and porn is bad" and how one divides them is subjective. Depending on the individual could be plot, taste, morality, text vs. pictorial, or just how its marketed or who publishes it.
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I think people just use "porn" as an insult. It has no real meaning. If people call my work porn I don't really care. It's basically slut-shaming for writers and it only works if you are ashamed.
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Agreeing with Veinglory. We could argue all day long about what the differences are between erotica and porn, but at least in my experience, porn is used negatively and erotica (somewhat) positively to describe the very same things. I don't really care what people call my work -- one man's porn is another man's erotica -- but I do grind my teeth over the intent behind their word of choice. Look down your wrinkled nose at me when you say it, and "erotica" becomes just as judgmental as "porn."
I don't see any judgement call on how some of us have distinguished between the two, although I agree it happens more often than not.
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Oh, no, I don't mean in terms of how people have distinguished between them here. But in general, when discussing the subject with people who don't write this kind of material, that's been my observation.
Let's see. Let me count the ways:
In erotica, the pizza boy doesn't get fucked every time.
Erotica is a story with sex as an integral part. In porn, there is no story.
Erotica is what women read. Porn is what men keep under the bed.
Others will say that the line is so thin and dependent on who's doing the judgment, that there's no point in making a distinction.
I just call it all smut, and myself a smutwright.
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Pornography means 'sex writing'. I think we need to welcome the work back from the ghetto of negativity. Any work that writes about sex positively can be legitimately and positively be seen as as porn. Including nice stories with plots and metaphors and the like.
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To me, this would be porn because, like others have said, there is no plot over than "She spread her legs and opened her mouth..."
Erotica has a plot and usually the sex moves the story somehow.
Erotica has a plot and usually the sex moves the story somehow.
To me there seems to be a fine line between the two. There's a place where it grays a bit and it can be confusing. I think the difference is what's predominantly present and what you, yourself think of it. If you think you're reading porn, it's probably porn. If you think you're reading erotica, it's probably erotica. If it's all the same to you, call it sexy fun times and have a glass of wine. 
This is a question that confuses me too. I always imagined that a reader would be attracted to erotica/porn for the sex. Stories about sex. Sexy stories, where characters have sex in a sexy fashion.
Sex with a bit of story, rather than story with a bit of sex.
Sex with a bit of story, rather than story with a bit of sex.
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I think the first mistake is to think they are mutual exclusive genre categories.
The second is to think 'porn' is a writing genre category at all.
The second is to think 'porn' is a writing genre category at all.
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I love all the mixed-opinions! And I agree that porn is more sex and less plot- in the same way that most old paintings are not considered porn vs. some of today's paintings. Paintings of nudity/sexual content were meant to tell a story and add feeling to it, but painting depicting nudity now a days is more to be "dirty" or spark controversy.
If I'm reading it to get off, it's porn.
Author intent and content are irrelevant. It's reader intent that matters.
Author intent and content are irrelevant. It's reader intent that matters.
Like Manet's Dejeuner sur l'herbe which was the cover art on The Economist recently, with the faces of Sarkoczy and Hollande photoshopped on the two gents. Story on the French elections summarized perfectly.
I see this thread as a piece of music, Variations on a Theme by Maryn.
Trevor, now stuck with a Paganini ear-worm
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It's an irregular conjugation:
I write sensitive portrayals of human love, you write erotica, he writes porn.
Erotica v. porn is a price point:
A paperback printed on cheap newsprint and sold under-the-counter at the bus station is porn; the exact same text printed on low-acid paper and bound in tooled leather, sold in an upscale shop, is erotica.
(Bawdry is easy to tell from erotica, though: Bawdry makes you laugh. No one is ever going to confuse a dirty joke with pornography.)
I write sensitive portrayals of human love, you write erotica, he writes porn.
Erotica v. porn is a price point:
A paperback printed on cheap newsprint and sold under-the-counter at the bus station is porn; the exact same text printed on low-acid paper and bound in tooled leather, sold in an upscale shop, is erotica.
(Bawdry is easy to tell from erotica, though: Bawdry makes you laugh. No one is ever going to confuse a dirty joke with pornography.)
I read something somewhere, but I don't remember where, but it went something like this this: "Erotica is using a feather, porn is using the whole chicken."
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To me, there really is a difference. Porn is the written slap of flesh on flesh. It's the hooker in the alley, the pool boy in the cabana or the quickie in the cab. One person is the narrator, and the other? It's an object--a thing that has no particular identity, but has the right body parts.
Erotica, on the other hand, requires the addition of emotion. Erotica can't exist in the vacuum of complete lack of emotion. Sex might drive the plot and must drive the plot, but there's feeling involved. It might be love, or anger or hurt or laughter. Without emotional presence by at least one of the parties, erotic, as a term, struggles.
There's nothing wrong with either, but I do consider them distinct and separate.
Erotica, on the other hand, requires the addition of emotion. Erotica can't exist in the vacuum of complete lack of emotion. Sex might drive the plot and must drive the plot, but there's feeling involved. It might be love, or anger or hurt or laughter. Without emotional presence by at least one of the parties, erotic, as a term, struggles.
There's nothing wrong with either, but I do consider them distinct and separate.