Due to very peculiar circumstances, I wrote the first part of my erotic novel before I’d actually read much erotica myself. I’ve tried to make up for this deficit by reading 40-50 erotic books over the last few months. I’ve covered an eclectic range within the BDSM sub-genre, including: old and new, mainstream and alternative, high-brow and low-brow. So now I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts on the subject.
People have been producing and consuming erotic literature for thousands of years. There have always been female erotic writers, but historically, most of these books were written by men, for men. After a few waves of feminism, this has turned around dramatically, and now most erotica is written by women, for women.
Another difference between historic and modern erotica is that writers have become much more graphic and explicit when it comes to describing sex. This isn’t surprising when one thinks of the stuffy Victorian era, but it’s harder to explain when it comes to more sexually liberated societies of the medieval and classical ages. Even in places where orgies and sex-slaves were socially acceptable, erotic writers generally avoided specific sexual details and instead used innuendo and romantic poetry to imply and allude. (I know I must be wrong about this, so if you know of any graphic and explicit old erotica, then please let me know.)
The quality standard varies significantly across the genre. The best erotic novels rank alongside the greatest literature there is, whilst there are vast swathes of poorly-written books. The classic masterpieces are intellectually-stimulating and packed with intriguing philosophical, psychological and political ideas. But I also enjoy the cheap-and-cheerful end of the spectrum. Sometimes I just want to get down and dirty… and don’t want to get overly distracted with higher matters.
Erotic romance is the most popular sub-genre of erotica and many top-selling books fall within this category. Romance books traditionally focus on the relationship between a man and woman. Often written from the female POV, or sometimes ‘his-and-hers-style’, with perspective alternating between the hero and heroine.
The leading man tends to be the most important character in erotic romance novels. He’s the one who’s supposed to seduce the female reader and give her the sexy book-boyfriend experience she paid for. Meanwhile, the female lead just needs to be sympathetic enough that the reader can easily slip into her shoes. Therefore, I tend to define mainstream erotic romance according to the particular archetype that the leading male fits into. Most of them can be categorised as either: Princes, Knights or Vampires. There is much overlap between these categories, with some erotica heroes fitting into all three.
The Prince archetype is epitomised by the billionaire playboy. He’s mega rich! Think of anything… either: it’s something he could buy, or it’s something he already owns. He offers the heroine/reader a glimpse into his glamourous lifestyle of lavish luxury. Going out with a man like that, would be totally life changing. I’ve heard these kinds of books described as ‘money porn’, suggesting a lot of their appeal lies in the fantasy of infinite wealth. With readers celebrating as the humble heroine is led into a whole new world of fantastical affluence (and effectively, becomes a Princess).
Another part of the Prince’s appeal is his sheer power. His money enables him to do what he likes, when he likes, without answering to anybody. He has a whole legion of sycophantic staff running around after him and generally making him look/feel powerful. One call to his PA could set hundreds of minions to work on whatever he wants doing. There’s no one above him – he’s right at the top of the pile – at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy – one of life’s ‘winners’ – a triple-starred Alpha Male.
Erotica heroines never put up much resistance to the Prince’s advances, but the small amount they pretend to offer generally constitutes the biggest setback ever suffered by our hero… in any area of his life. It makes him wild with jealous rage: usually he can possess anything he likes, but the most precious thing he’s ever wanted to own now dares to resist him! The strange yearning to be ‘possessed’ is often expressed in BDSM erotica (and is shared by submissives of either gender). Sexually-submissive women often like the idea of being a prized possession. The Prince flatters this fantasy, because only the most precious of treasures are owned by royalty.
The ease with which they’ve cruised through life often makes Princes spoiled. They can be prone to teenage-style tantrums when they don’t get their way. From my perspective, it’s a serious turn-off when a grown man starts smashing up his own possessions because the woman he’s dating refuses to answer his calls. But even these kinds of Princes are popular in the mainstream, with their behaviour generally excused, because they’re passionate and in love (and, oh… so red-blooded).
The second archetype of hero, I’ve observed, is the Knight. He’s a warrior: gangster, biker, street-fighter, etc. The core part of his appeal is very simple: he’s strong and tough. A proper Alpha Male on the most primal of levels. Readers go weak-at-the-knees thinking about how hard he is, and moisten as they watch him dispatch his rivals the old-fashioned way. Just look at those big, muscly arms… imagine what effective protection he could provide for a female and her offspring.
One general rule is that a Knight must be chivalrous. Yes, he’s terrifyingly powerful and violent, but he’s not a total psychopath, because he follows some kind of moral code. Perhaps he only uses his power against people who genuinely deserve it. Or at least, he only uses violence against other men, with women safe (outside of consensual BDSM).
Erotic romance heroes often prove their worth (and physical strength) when called upon to defend the heroine… and her honour. Perhaps leaping into action to fight off a random bad-guy… or beating up her abusive ex-boyfriend. Sometimes they’re required to go further and hunt down/maim/murder every man who’s ever wronged the heroine over the years (that’s chivalry, I guess:)
The Knight is the champion of the Lady who rings her flowers around his lance. He not only offers protection in the present and future, he even goes back into the past and brings justice where there was none before… like a true hero should.
The honour code followed by many Knights is actually ridiculous, when one analyses it closely. Often the code is really pretty immoral, or the hero simply fails to follow it in practice (due to love, passion, etc.). In these cases, the whole chivalry-thing looks like a thinly-veiled charade – invented to morally justify the fact that the writer, and readers, are expressing love for manly violence.
I’ve never been a fan of trying to morally justify BDSM fantasies. I don’t think we need to. It’s not humanity’s fault we evolved in a universe where violence is useful for survival. And it’s no coincidence our erotic fantasies are often immoral, because our morality was invented in deliberate opposition to the anti-social aspects of our sexual instincts. So we shouldn’t be surprised, or ashamed, to have such fantasies… there’s no morality in thought.
The Vampire archetype is very popular in erotica. This makes sense, because vampire stories have always had an erotic atmosphere, with strong sexual overtones. The classic myths include plenty of: bondage and discipline; domination and submission; sadism and masochism… all the fundamental elements of BDSM.
Vampires are the ultimate predators: stalking by night, hunting their prey down and then consuming them… feasting on their blood. This taps into the primal emotions connected with being hunted – the terrifying thrill of being pursued – of being devoured by something higher up the food chain. And an undead lord is the ultimate Master. He’s exceptionally strong and impossibly powerful. He owns his slaves’ souls for eternity – they are totally possessed. He can even use hypnotic spells to control their minds directly. A sub couldn’t hope to be dominated more comprehensively. Hot!
A Vampire’s bite promises death, but can also bestow immortality… and all kinds of other cool superpowers. Thus, these heroes offer their heroines a whole new world of magic and sexy darkness. Being chosen as a dark lord’s eternal bride is a great honour (and deeply romantic;) Who could resist that?
The Princes, Knights and Vampires of BDSM erotic romance have much to offer their heroines. They not only fulfil her fantasies of being hunted, dominated and possessed, but also satisfy her dreams of wealth, power, security, justice, immortality… and the ability to fly! They revolutionise the heroine’s previously mundane/shit existence, transporting her to a whole new world. And of course, the reader gets to come along, as well. These book-boyfriends offer women substantially more than men in the real world… no wonder they’re loved so much.
These three archetypes don’t cover everything, of course, especially as the scope of erotic romance broadens to cover less-traditional romances, such as same-sex relationships. One interesting ongoing development involves applying the traditional romance plotline and style, to stories about three-way or multi-partner relationships.
One intriguing view, I’ve heard, is that most erotic romance novels are based on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ – a 4000+ year-old story, popular with ancient Europeans. Disney tends to sugar-coat things, but older tellings of the tale are darker. A woman is abducted by a monstrous beast of a man – fierce, powerful and violent… red blood pumped with animalistic, primal energy. He seems utterly untameable. Yet he falls in love with our heroine… and she falls in love with him. Beauty willingly returns to her abductor after initially escaping (and after rejecting the advances of a more orthodox suitor). Beauty’s love changes the Beast – civilises him – and he becomes a Prince (although, hopefully he’s still a beast in the bedroom;) Most modern erotic romance novels essentially follow the same storyline… and most heroes share core characteristics with the Beast, especially if one reads ‘untameable outcast’ as ‘man who is resistant to forming loving relationships’.
So perhaps that’s the true reading of the classic romantic storyline: Beast conquers Beauty, then Beauty tames Beast.
