Historica Erotica Volume 20

Favorite story title s from the book? Both of them left me considering the characters situations. Lists with This Book. Nov 23, warhawke rated it really liked it Recommends it for: People looking for quick hotness. Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 is a collection of erotic short stories by twenty two authors. It has a good mix of sexual orientations, racial diversities and variety of sex acts. I don't re-read books but I can certainly come back to read my favorite stories in this one.

I read 10 of the stories, and below is the brief summary of it. You can avoid reading if you wan Genre: You can avoid reading if you want to go in totally blind. A boss gave his assistant a long weekend to relax only to have her erotic dream come to life. On a solo trip, she must find someone who could satisfy her while bringing her husband near without being together. Somehow all the pain made every sensation more extreme, even the feel of him moving in and out of me. A woman joined a leadership development training to advance her career ended up conquering her fears in the most pleasurable way.

A husband in post apocalyptic world went all the way to grant his wife the pleasure of her favorite toy before the world fell into chaos. Into my corset and chemise until he cups my breasts. A student attracted to the scent of a sexy gardener that led to an unconventional study and "research" method.

I think my younger self wrote a fanfic that started like that. A woman reliving her teen crush nostalgia with a 90s has-been actor at Comic Con. I can hear them now, in my mind. The way he wrapped his tongue around words like cunt and cock. I hear every nuance, every inflection, and sear them into my mind. A woman rediscovering her sensuality after an accident that robbed her of her sense of hearing. The ending was beautiful in non sexual way. A butch girl formed a "connection" with a trucker while waiting in line for the public restroom. Charles, facing my front, gazes into my eyes as he tweaks my nipples and then amuses himself by lightly slapping my breasts, making them swing back and forth.

A sub had a busy evening entertaining her Dom and his friend. View all 13 comments. Feb 14, Jillyn rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is one of the best Cleis Press anthologies that I've had the pleasure to read so far. As the title and synopsis suggest, these stories are focused on female erotica.

There are twenty-two short stories included in this collection, each of them talking about females and sex in some capacity. Honestly, I was blown away by the amount of diversity that spans across these stories 4. Honestly, I was blown away by the amount of diversity that spans across these stories. There are young women, middle aged ones, older ones still. There are Asian women and black women and lesbians and those who are in transition, those who are butch and those who are femme. There are dominant women and submissive women. It's a great sampling of different women, and it was a really, really refreshing change of pace.

These women are found in a variety of different genres, including historical fiction and even post-apocalyptic. I wasn't expecting that, but it was definitely welcome. There's also a huge amount of variety when it comes to the sex and erotica bit. No matter where your interests lie on a scale from vanilla to kinky, there's a story here that you're sure to enjoy.

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2. Erotic literature - Wikipedia.
3. The Afrikaners Emancipation.
4. In 7 Tagen fit fürs Bewerbungsgespräch (German Edition);
5. The Bookmans Wake (Cliff Janeway Novels (Paperback)).
6. We Two Together!

There's bathroom play, there's BDSM, there's spanking, there's toys, there's voyeurs and exhibition. And then there are stories that are simply two people finding pleasure and passion in one another, no bells and whistles needed. It's a lovely sprinkling of different things. As this is an anthology, of course there were stories that I enjoyed more than others. I preferred some authors' writing styles, some kinks are not my own, etc.

Instead of going over all 22 stories and giving my opinions, I'm going to highlight my four favorites. I know my regular readers are thinking "but you always do three! But this time I just could not narrow it down. That's how happy I am with BWE. These stories are in no particular order. The first story I wish to spotlight is called "Demimonde" by Valerie Alexander. This is a historically set short story that features a tall, dark, and handsome man, a seance, and a widower. It had just the right amount of "action" and scene build up, and honestly Ms Alexander knows how to write a man.

I'd like one of him please, to go. The next story is called "Ophelia the Second", which is about an understudy, a gorgeous Shakespearean actor, and a passionate night off the stage. I love Shakespeare, and Hamlet is one of my favorite plays, so I loved that incorporation into the story.

The third story is called "Starstruck" by Lazuli Jones. I adored this one. This story includes an ebony-skinned actor who once played a hero, a grown up nerdy fan girl, and a convention. I wish this one would happen to me, for sure. The final one is called "Enter Me" by Tabitha Rayne. This one stood out to me, because the female is deaf. It added a really unique dynamic to the story, and I don't think it's anything I've ever read before.

It was very well written. If you're into girls loving men, or each other, and you're looking for a book to warm up those cold February nights, look no further than this collection. You can read it in one go, or take it slow and read each story separately. There's a huge amount of variety, and I wasn't disappointed. I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose. This is an anthology of erotic short stories from different authors. I read only two of them—I wish I had time to read the rest, but C'est la vie. So… here go my reviews: Ivy has worked fo This is an anthology of erotic short stories from different authors. Ivy has worked for Lennon for a couple of years and they have had an ongoing sexual tension since then. I loved reading this sinners short story. Something really cool happened to me when I was reading it.

I was lying in bed, reading my paperback—Yeah! Hahaha that is old news, anyway.

So, great Original Sinners short story, kinky, funny, sexy. Read and excerpt in bestwomenseroticaoftheyear. Her writing style was unique, it was my first time I read in that style, it was weird at the beginning but I got used to it pretty quickly. It was like if the female main character was talking directly to the male main character. I ended up loving it. This was the story of Sunny and her husband. They always had an open relationship and right after they got married, they starting having threesomes with other men and women when they traveled. This short story was all about those sexy times, and the final one was when Sunny had to travel alone.

Go read it and enjoy it yourself. Great story, sexy, romantic and awesome. Dec 28, Emmanuelle Maupassant rated it it was amazing Shelves: I received an advance review copy of this edition, from the editor, Rachel Kramer Bussel. Readers familiar with Rachel's erotic fiction anthologies know that they are guaranteed a rollercoaster ride. This edition certainly meets the mark, being not only skin-tinglingly exciting but diverse across ages, ethnicities and writing styles.

I read the collection within a weekend, eyes bulging and, inevitably, wobbly-legged: Paying homage to their transportational power, the story is both original and moving. Here, we observe the power of the long tease, of role-play and power-play. Her dialogue is faultless; her details crystal shards of anticipation. On the theme of allowing our desires free reign, there is Tiffany Reisz 's 'The Assistant' in which our heroine attends a masked party and, safely behind her veil of anonymity, enters into an encounter more thrilling than she could have imagined: He was fucking her so hard now she could feel it in her stomach.

For those daring to enter the dark recesses of a sex dungeon, there is Rose Caraway 's 'Carnalarium', in which all pleasure and pain awaits. Here, the true theme is not simply the lure of the forbidden but the agony of parting from a lover, allowing them to be free. Rose's tale explores the nature of 'possession' and of love. However, there are deeper themes swimming beneath: The story navigates smoothly towards its highly charged threesome, ending, at last, with the words: Kramer Bussel's own addition to the collection, 'Flying Solo' is both tender and sexually thrilling.

We peek through the lens at a marriage, like most others, of mutual love and respect, except that, here, there is some extra spice in the mix. Our happy couple regularly invite a third person into their bed and, in doing so, enhance their understanding of and admiration for one another. Also well-delivered is L. Marie Adeline's 'Matilda's Secret'. Again, we are invited to explore the theme of an older woman's sexual self-esteem, and the complexities of desire v.

Recruiting men for S. T an agency orchestrating women's sex fantasies we glimpse 'behind the scenes'. Another little gem in the anthology is Lazuli Jones' 'Starstruck': Tara Betts ' 'A New Canvas' is a poetic rendering, in which we can feel the artist's pen drawing upon our heroine's skin. Valerie Alexander 'Demimonde' is sexy vignette of a woman's secret fantasies, daring parlour games, and an illicit liaison in her carriage, in 19th century New York.

Waters ' 'Ophelia the Second' is a subtle journey through the attraction between actors on and off-stage, and Ria Restrepo 's 'Restitution' offers a wonderful twist no spoilers! So many stories, and perspectives, each awaiting the reader's own interpretation. Take to your bed for the weekend, and snuggle down with this anthology. Just remember that I warned you Feb 28, Angie Elle rated it it was amazing. Thank you to Rachel Kramer Bussel, the editor of this book, for providing a print copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Assistant -Tiffany Reisz 5 stars I feel like Tiffa Thank you to Rachel Kramer Bussel, the editor of this book, for providing a print copy in exchange for an honest review. What I really enjoyed about this story aside from the heat level was the emotional intensity TR managed to weave with such a small word count.

But the story as a whole was well written, and I do love it when an author explores the concept of open marriage. It read as an erotic letter from a wife to her husband, which would probably leave most men squirming for relief. It takes place two months after an accident that left a woman deaf, and she and her significant other have yet to regain physical intimacy.

This was hot, but also a bit tender as a man and woman try to regain their physical bond. The three stories I read from this book were incredibly erotic, just as the title claims. Jan 29, Ameliah Faith rated it it was amazing. Suitably Named This is a jammed packed book full of erotic goodness.

It contains twenty two stories by different authors. There are straight couples, lesbians, trans-gendered pairings, some romantic, some BDSM, some quick hook ups and some that may last for years. Some of the stories are tender and beautiful and some just down and dirty. Really there is something for everyone, except male on male. I've included a few of the stories that were most memorable to me. Ophelia the Second by Jade A Waters is a sweet story. Nat fancies herself Ophelia the second, she is an understudy and desperately in love with Phillip who plays Hamlet.

He wishes Dear Nat was in the lead roll. After a show one night Phillip invites Nat home to run lines Suddenly being the second isn't so bad. In Rachel Kramer Bussel's Flying Solo we see a woman alone who reminisces about her honeymoon where they picked up a woman to join them.

She picks up a man at the airport and go to his hotel. After he is told her husband is fine with them hooking up, he insists she call her husband who listens in on them doing the deed. Star Struck by Lazuli Jones is a gentle story with endless possibilities for a romantic HEA Happily Ever After Angela is a huge fan of a 90's superhero show and in particular the character Tecton, her geeky adolescent crush. Now she is in her 40's waiting in line at a sci fi convention to get his autograph.

She spots Desmond aka Tecton alone in a bar and they begin to have a conversation. She makes him feel special and she begins to see him not as a character but for the man he is. Later in his hotel room its Desmond she is with and not the superhero she use to get off thinking about. He is just as taken with her. L Marie Adeline brings us Matilda's Secret. A 50 yr old woman trains a 32 yr old man to satisfy the female clients at S.

The problem is that Jessie falls in love with Matilda. He leaves when she won't let him into her heart. Several years later hes back and has a young son. After trying to find him a younger woman she gives up and allows herself to love and be loved. One of my two top favourites is Enter Me by the talented Tabitha Rayne. It is so full of emotions, sad, scared, joy, peace A woman who was in a crash is suddenly left deaf feels alone and trapped by the loss.

When she is finally intimate with her man she breaks past the fear and can remember hearing him. She is not so trapped anymore. Just serious Awwww factor here! Finally we have my other favourite Lighting the Pyre by Theda Hudson. This story is very memorable and beautiful. It is also a lesbian tale so that's another big win for me. Brin has beaten breast cancer and gets a tattoo to cover the scars on her chest. She is angry and feels dead inside. With the love and strength of her partner she begins to feel alive and whole again.

I just really love this one! This was a fantastic book with a whole lot to offer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Ok, I've been sitting on this review for almost two weeks struggling to figure out the best way to do it. I really wanted to try and do a rough mini-review for each of the 22 stories but that is just not gonna happen. I'd be banned from posting reviews, the thing would be so damn long. I'll start out with this.

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Every time she comes out with an anthology I'm equal parts excited and nervous. I'm always excited because she has an exceptionally keen eye for well done er Ok, I've been sitting on this review for almost two weeks struggling to figure out the best way to do it. I'm always excited because she has an exceptionally keen eye for well done erotica.

I'm always nervous because I know I'm never going to read a RKB anthology and not be faced with some type of scene I'm not sure how to handle. Which I love because she's always opening my eyes to new types of stories and characters that I've never imagined before. I'm now going to bunch together some of the titles into specific groups to tell y'all how I felt about them. I also apologize for not knowing off-hand who the authors of each story was. I don't have my copy with me right now to go and check. I know I'll be going back and reading many of these stories again and again.

Thank you Rachel Kramer Bussel for the signed paperback copy in exchange for my honest review Feb 01, Lucy Felthouse rated it really liked it. The Best Women's Erotica series has had an overhaul. There's a new editor - the inimitable Rachel Kramer Bussel, and a slight tweak in the title format, as well as a change of hands for the publisher itself. Best Women's Erotica of the Year Volume 1 was sent to me for review, and I was eager to see if the changes were noticeable. Bussel's been editing for a long time and obviously knows her stuff, so as I expected, the quality of the stories was high.

Granted, there were two or three in there tha The Best Women's Erotica series has had an overhaul. Granted, there were two or three in there that really didn't do anything for me and I skipped over them altogether, but to me, that's the nature of anthologies. You're unlikely to like every author's writing style or story topic, and it's a personal thing. But the vast majority of the stories were excellent, and of course, very hot. My particular favourites were Jade A. I did notice a few errors throughout, which I'd not noticed in Cleis Press anthologies before.

A good proofread would have fixed them easily, so that was a shame. Overall, though, this is a good collection, and a great way to dip in and find some erotica authors you enjoy, so you can go out and see what else they've written. Mar 14, Tracey rated it it was amazing Shelves: This collection of erotic fiction featured the much needed diversity that Dirty Dates was missing.

I can't tell you how happy it made me to see a sexy viable man described with dark skin. It literally made me squeal with joy. But the assortment of love interests were not the only reason I loved this volume. The writing was really really good. I found myself wishing that more than half of these a free copy of the book was given to me by Rachel Kramer Bussel for an honest review Can I just say wow!

I found myself wishing that more than half of these stories were full length novels. Everything was unique and intriguing and sexy and awesome. The stories that really struck a cord with me were: I have complete faith that Bussel will deliver no less. Oct 27, Absynthe rated it it was amazing Shelves: Outstanding anthology of female-centric erotica. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves diverse storytelling in their erotica. My favorite, of course, was Tiffany Reisz's The Assistant. Dec 14, Ren rated it liked it Shelves: Some short stories is too vanilla for me despite this entitled as "erotica" , some are "wtf I just read", some make me yawn aka pretty boring and some make me beg for more.

A New Canvas For a first story, it's pretty yawn for me. Didn't left impression too to make me want to read another. But, hey, this is still the beginning. Demimonde Pretty generic historical romance. Didn't find it erotic at all if you can say that 3,5 stars A very diverse erotica anthology, written by women and for women. Didn't find it erotic at all if you can say that quick tumble in the carriage is erotic , except that the heroine find her awakening.

Disappointed that the author didn't explore much to the masquerade debauchery. Ophelia the Second Inspired by Hamlet.. Too simple for me and not erotic at all. Gosh, did I need to continue the rest? Well, I can endure this. Revisiting Youth The first diverse story finally. Set in Japan about widower past her 30 40 maybe? Have menage with young men. I like that the author write about love hotel, as a manga reader, I appreciate this, lol.

Date Night Story is usual but the sex steamy. If you want to spice up your relationship with your husband, that is. Flying Solo Wow, just wow. I might be find the first gem. Never read any by Rachel Kramer Bussel whom happen to be editor of this anthology and may check her others work. A good combination between 1st PoV and 2nd PoV as well, which is rare. Steamy is another bonus. Drawn by Nic A quickie story. Not enough to burn. I have no slightest idea who this Nic is. The Ropes Old flames rekindle in the outing. Maybe you may consider to go to company training if it will end you up with your office crush.

So hard to imagine they have sex in the height and just by ropes.

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1

I keep screaming "what if they fall?? The heroine is PoC, past her prime she's about ish , and nerd. I like that finally she can meet her teenage crush and well.. The Altar of Lamented Toys The world might be near its ending, but not your love and passion. You can always find the heat in the hopeless situation. A nice erotic short story in the post-apocalyptic era. Matilda's Secret This story maybe part of the author's series, but can be read as stand alone as well. Its also give a nice ending, not just a quick meeting or open ending.

I can said it almost the same with Flying Solo, but just with a little spice aka no actual sex. Enter Me This is the first time I read a story about deaf character. The author masterfully write what its feel to can't hear anything, how its affect the character's life. I can relate a bit since my hearing is not good I'm not deaf, just my right ear is not functioning properly. The story feel melancholy too me, but also hopeful.

Took me a little bit to realize one of the characters is trans. It's a nice and steamy story and the author insert some insight how the trans character family treat him with his condition. A little bit sad, tbh. Lighting the Pyre A story about breast cancer survivor. Start with her having tattoo and then have outdoor sex with her girlfriend. In ancient Sumer, a whole cycle of poems revolved around the erotic lovemaking between the goddess Inanna and her consort Dumuzid the Shepherd. Many erotic poems have survived from ancient Greece and Rome.

The Seven Beauties Persian: This poem is a part of the Nizami's Khamsa. During the Renaissance period, many poems were not written for publication; instead, they were merely circulated in manuscript form among a relatively limited readership. This was the original method of circulation for the Sonnets of William Shakespeare , who also wrote the erotic poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. In the 17th century, John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester —80 was notorious for obscene verses, many of which were published posthumously in compendiums of poetry by him and other Restoration rakes such as Sir Charles Sedley , Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset , and George Etherege.

Though many of the poems attributed to Rochester were actually by other authors, his reputation as a libertine was such that his name was used as a selling point by publishers of collections of erotic verse for centuries after. One poem which definitely was by him was "A Ramble in St. James's Park " in which the protagonist's quest for healthy exercise in the park uncovers instead "Bugg'ries, Rapes and Incest" on ground polluted by debauchery from the time when "Ancient Pict began to Whore".

This poem was being censored from collections of Rochester's poetry as late as , though, in line with a general change in attitudes to sexuality, it was dramatised as a scene in the film The Libertine about his life based on an existing play. Farmer; the three volume Poetica Erotica and its more obscene supplement the Immortalia both edited by T.

A famous collection of four erotic poems, was published in England in , called An Essay on Woman. Robert Burns worked to collect and preserve Scottish folk songs, sometimes revising, expanding, and adapting them. One of the better known of these collections is The Merry Muses of Caledonia the title is not by Burns , a collection of bawdy lyrics that were popular in the music halls of Scotland as late as the 20th century.

One of the 19th century's foremost poets— Algernon Charles Swinburne —devoted much of his considerable talent to erotic verse, producing, inter alia, twelve eclogues on flagellation titled The Flogging Block "by Rufus Rodworthy, annotated by Barebum Birchingly"; [16] more was published anonymously in The Whippingham Papers c. He followed up in with another erotic collection in prose poems— Songs of Bilitis Les Chansons de Bilitis , this time with strong lesbian themes.

Lawrence could be regarded as a writer of love poems, he usually dealt in the less romantic aspects of love such as sexual frustration or the sex act itself. Ezra Pound in his Literary Essays complained of Lawrence's interest in his own "disagreeable sensations" but praised him for his "low-life narrative. He called one collection of poems Pansies partly for the simple ephemeral nature of the verse but also a pun on the French word panser , to dress or bandage a wound. From the age of 17, Gavin Ewart acquired a reputation for wit and accomplishment through such works as "Phallus in Wonderland" and "Poems and Songs", which appeared in and was his first collection.

The intelligence and casually flamboyant virtuosity with which he framed his often humorous commentaries on human behaviour made his work invariably entertaining and interesting. The irreverent eroticism for which his poetry is noted resulted in W H Smith 's banning of his "The Pleasures of the Flesh" from their shops. Canadian poet John Glassco wrote Squire Hardman , a long poem in heroic couplets , purporting to be a reprint of an 18th-century poem by George Colman the Younger , on the theme of flagellation.

The Australian poet Colin Dean [23] as listed in the Australian Literature Resource database has an immense output of erotic verse e. As an example he shows a keen interest in Indian thought and literature and has written many erotic poems on Indian themes: Indian mythology; classical Sanskrit plays; Indian philosophy; Indian folktales and translated Sanskrit poetry.

Some of these works are: Erotic fiction is the name given to fiction that deals with sex or sexual themes, generally in a more literary or serious way than the fiction seen in pornographic magazines and sometimes including elements of satire or social criticism. Such works have frequently been banned by the government or religious authorities. It should be noted, however, that apparently non-fictional works dealing with sex or sexual themes may contain fictional elements; calling an erotic book 'a memoir' is a literary device that is common in this genre.

For reasons similar to those that make pseudonyms both commonplace and often deviously set up, the boundary between fiction and non-fiction is often very diffuse. Erotic fiction is credited in large part for the sexual awakening and liberation of women into the 20th and 21st centuries. The Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter later made into a film by Fellini is an ancient Roman novel, which has partially survived, narrating the misadventures of an impotent man named Encolpius, who has been cursed by the god Priapus. The novel is filled with bawdy and obscene episodes, including orgies, ritual sex, and other erotic incidents.

From the medieval period, there is the Decameron by the Italian Giovanni Boccaccio made into a film by Pasolini which features tales of lechery by monks and the seduction of nuns from convents. This book was banned in many countries. Even five centuries after publication copies were seized and destroyed by the authorities in the US and the UK. For instance between and eight orders for destruction of the book were made by English magistrates.

From the 15th century, another classic of Italian erotica is a series of bawdy folk tales called the Facetiae by Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini. The Tale of Two Lovers Latin: Historia de duobus amantibus written in was one of the bestselling books of the 15th century, even before its author, Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini , became Pope Pius II. It is one of the earliest examples of an epistolary novel , full of erotic imagery.

Erotic literature

The first printed edition was published by Ulrich Zel in Cologne between and The 16th century was notable for the Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre , inspired by Boccaccio's Decameron and the notorious I Modi which married erotic drawings, depicting postures assumed in sexual intercourse, by Giulio Romano , with obscene sonnets by Pietro Aretino.

Aretino also wrote the celebrated whore dialogue Ragionamenti in which the sex lives of wives, whores and nuns are compared and contrasted. This manuscript claimed that it was originally written in Spanish by Luisa Sigea de Velasco , an erudite poet and maid of honor at the court of Lisbon and was then translated into Latin by Jean or Johannes Meursius.

The attribution to Sigea and Meursius was a lie; the true author was Nicolas Chorier. A unique work of this time is Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery , a closet play by the notorious Restoration rake , John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester in which Bolloxinion, King of Sodom, authorises "that buggery may be used O'er all the land, so cunt be not abused", which order, though appealing to soldiery, has deleterious effects generally, leading the court physician to counsel: An early pioneer of the publication of erotic works in England was Edmund Curll — who published many of the Merryland books.

These were a somewhat peculiar English genre of erotic fiction in which the female body and sometimes the male was described in terms of a landscape. This was included, in abbreviated form, in The Potent Ally: Other works include A New Description of Merryland. The rise of the novel in 18th-century England provided a new medium for erotica.

One of the most famous in this new genre was Fanny Hill by John Cleland. This book set a new standard in literary smut and was often adapted for the cinema in the 20th century. Peter Fryer suggests that Fanny Hill was a high point in British erotica, at least in the eighteenth century, in a way that mainstream literature around it had also reached a peak at that time, with writers like Defoe, Richardson and Fielding all having made important and lasting contributions to literature in its first half.

After , he suggests, when the Romantic period began, the quality of mainstream writing and of smut declined in tandem. The castration of imaginative English literature made the clandestine literature of sex the most poverty stricken and boring in Europe". Meanwhile, French writers kept their stride.

One genre, which vies in oddness with the English "Merryland" productions, was inspired by the newly translated Arabian Nights and involved the transformation of people into objects which were in propinquity with or employed in sexual relationships: The climax of this trend is represented in French philosopher Diderot 's Les Bijoux indiscrets in which a magic ring is employed to get women's vaginas to give an account of their intimate sexual histories.

In the late 18th century, such works as Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue and Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade were exemplars of the theme of sado-masochism and influenced later erotic accounts of Sadism and masochism in fiction. De Sade as did the later writer Sacher-Masoch lent his name to the sexual acts which he describes in his work.

In the Victorian period, the quality of erotic fiction was much below that of the previous century—it was largely written by 'hacks' [ citation needed ]. Some works, however, borrowed from established literary models, such as Dickens. It also featured a curious form of social stratification. Even in the throes of orgasm, the social distinctions between master and servant including form of address were scrupulously observed.

Significant elements of sado-masochism were present in some examples, perhaps reflecting the influence of the English public school , where flagellation was routinely used as a punishment. By one who knew this Charming Goddess and worshipped at her shrine It first appeared in and was written by one Gordon Grimley, a sometime managing director of Penthouse International. Clandestine erotic periodicals of this age include The Pearl , The Oyster and The Boudoir , collections of erotic tales, rhymes, songs and parodies published in London between and The centre of the trade in such material in England at this period was Holywell Street, off the Strand, London.

An important publisher of erotic material in the early 19th century was George Cannon — , followed in mid-century by William Dugdale — and John Camden Hotten — An important and entertaining conspectus and evaluation of 19th-century pre and earlier underground erotica, from the author's own private archive, is provided by Victorian writer Henry Spencer Ashbee , using the pseudonym "Pisanus Fraxi", in his bibliographical trilogy Index Librorum Prohibitorum , Centuria Librorum Absconditorum and Catena Librorum Tacendorum His plot summaries of the works he discusses in these privately printed volumes are themselves a contribution to the genre.

Originally of very limited circulation, changing attitudes have led to his work now being widely available. Towards the end of the 19th century, a more "cultured" form of erotica began to appear by such as the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne who pursued themes of paganism, lesbianism and sado-masochism in such works as Lesbia Brandon and in contributions to The Whippingham Papers edited by St George Stock, author of The Romance of Chastisement This was associated with the Decadent movement , in particular, with Aubrey Beardsley and the Yellow Book. But it was also to be found in France, amongst such writers as Pierre Louys , author of Les chansons de Bilitis a celebration of lesbianism and sexual awakening.

Pioneering works of male homosexual erotica from this time were The Sins of the Cities of the Plain , [61] which features the celebrated Victorian transvestite duo of Boulton and Park as characters, [62] and Teleny, or The Reverse of the Medal Important publishers of erotic fiction at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th were Leonard Smithers — [63] and Charles Carrington — , [66] both of whom were subject to legal injunctions from the British authorities in order to prohibit their trade in such material.

Because of this legal harassment the latter conducted his business from Paris. Vladimir Nabokov 's Lolita is often described as an erotic novel, but other critics view it more as a literary drama with elements of eroticism. It published a mix of erotic fiction and avant-garde literary works. Another trend in the twentieth century was the rise of the lesbian pulp fiction.

Many of the authors were women themselves, such as Gale Wilhelm and Ann Bannon. Many male homosexuals also enjoyed gay pulp fiction , which borrowed the same sexploitation format as the lesbian books. Chinese literature has a tradition of erotic fiction dating back to at least the 16th century.

The critic Charles Stone has argued that pornographic technique is the "union of banality, obscenity, and repetition," and contains just the "rudiments" of plot, style, and characterization, while anything that is not sexually stimulating is avoided. If this is the case, he concluded, then The Lord of Perfect Satisfaction is the "fountainhead of Chinese erotica," but not pornography. The most famous sexually explicit novel is the Jin Ping Mei written by an author who used only a pseudonym his real name is unknown. There is also a tradition of erotic fiction in Japan.

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Some portion of this is doujinshi , or independent comics, which are often fan fiction. Plots revolved around humor and entertainment at the pleasure quarters. It is a subgenre of gesaku. In Indonesia, a mysterious erotic writer known only as Enny Arrow [94] wrote countless novels from the late s until the early s which were secretly circulated through magazine sellers. Most of the novels are known for their vulgar and hyperbolic, sometimes comical language. They are now regarded as classics by some Indonesians and have been scanned for historical purposes.

In the 21st century, a number of female authors have risen to prominence, including Alison Tyler , Rachel Kramer Bussel and Carol Queen. Janine Ashbless, Kristina Lloyd, and Portia da Costa are well known for their erotic novels and short stories. Kristina Wright [95] is well known for her bestselling genre themed anthologies through Cleis Press , including steampunk erotica, [96] paranormal erotic romance, [97] and fairy tale erotica, [98] [99] exemplified by authors such as Shanna Germain [] and Michelle Augello-Page.

Other authors celebrate the term 'erotica' but also question why literature 'with the sex left in' should be considered outside literary fiction. The debate has been rekindled by the release, in , of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy written by E. The phenomenal success of her erotica for every woman, dubbed 'mommyporn', has given rise to satires like Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by 'Fanny Merkin' real name Andrew Shaffer , a book of essays called Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades ed.

Lori Perkins , a parody called Fifty Sheds of Grey [] and editors of erotic imprints re-evaluating the content and presentation of the genre. A development in contemporary erotica has been that, contrary to some previous views that it was mainly a male interest, many women readers are aroused by it, whether it be traditional pornography or tailor-made women's erotica. Romantic novels are sometimes marketed as erotica—or vice versa—as "mainstream" romance in recent decades has begun to exhibit blatant if poetic descriptions of sex.

Erotic romance is a relatively new genre of romance with an erotic theme and very explicit love scenes, but with a romance at the heart of the story. Erotic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction and utilizes erotica in a fantasy setting. These stories can essentially cover any of the other subgenres of fantasy, such as high fantasy , contemporary fantasy , or even historical fantasy. The extents of the genre to break existing conventions and limits in subject matter have managed to shock popular audiences, with genres such as monster erotica emerging with the ease of digital publishing.

Erotic fantasy fiction has similarities to romantic fantasy but is more explicit. Erotic fantasy can also be found in fan fiction , which uses plot elements and characters from popular fiction such as television series, movies or novels. Erotic fan fiction may use characters from existing works in relationships undreamed of by their creators, such as " slash " homoerotic fan fiction.

Fan fiction and its Japanese counterpart, doujinshi , account for an enormous proportion of all erotica written today. The Internet and digital revolution in erotic depiction has changed the forms of representing scenes of a sexual nature. One researcher [] concluded that erotic literature was available among the poor and performed at public readings in 18th-century Britain.

Erotica was present on the Internet from the earliest days, as seen from rec. This news group was a moderated forum for the exchange of erotic stories that predated the creation of the World Wide Web. Most of this migrated to the alt. The vast majority of Internet erotica is of an amateur nature, written for the enjoyment of the author and readers instead of for profit. Increased interactivity and anonymity allows casual or hobby writers the opportunity not only to author their own stories but also to share them with a world-wide audience.

Many authors adopt colorful pseudonyms and can develop cult followings within their genre, though a small number use or claim to use their real names. Among transgender or genderqueer authors it is a common practice to adopt a feminine or masculine alter-ego, although it is not unheard of for a writer to use his or her own given name. Prostitution was the focus of much of the earliest erotic works. The very term " pornography " is derived from the Greek pornographos meaning "writer about prostitutes", originally denoting descriptions of the lives and manners of prostitutes and their customers in Ancient Greece.

According to Athenaeus in The Deipnosophists these constituted a considerable genre, with many lubricious treatises, stories and dramas on the subject. Accounts of prostitution have continued as a major part of the genre of erotic literature. In the 18th century directories of prostitutes and their services, such as Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies — , provided both entertainment and instruction.

In the 19th century, the sensational journalism of W. Stead 's The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon about the procuring of underage girls into the brothels of Victorian London provided a stimulus for the erotic imagination.