Erotica - 8/29/12

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Today's show is all about erotica, peeps. We talk a bit about the definition of erotica and what makes it different from pornography, but our main emphasis is on the written form of erotica, like romance novels.

Erotica (from the Greek ἔρως, eros "desire"): works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions

A lot of people say that erotica is porn for women, and in a lot of ways that's true, but it also has a literary quality to it when it is done well, and done beautifully, which is something we all agreed on. A good example of this is "Delta of Venus" by Anaïs Nin, which I read a bit of on the July 4th episode. That said, I think that a lot of people separate things that are sexual, and things that are literary, which doesn't necessarily have to be true. In visual art, erotic things are often considered high art, but in the written form, it's called smut. This seems unfair to me, and is something Elissa has experienced firsthand with her erotica, which I read aloud in this episode as well. Hope I've piqued your interest. See you on the other side.

Music you heard:

1. "Up From The South" by The Budos Band

Useful links:

1. Umich Library search of "best erotica"
2. Ann Arbor District Library search for "erotica"
3. Tiny Nibbles
4. Juxtapoz Erotica

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you thought!