Eroticism
Encyclopedia
Eroticism is generally understood to refer to a state of sexual arousal
or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse
, desire
, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love
. In her introduction to her book, Totally Heterotica, erotic artist and lesbian theorist Susie Bright
states: 'the very word "erotic" implies superior value, fine art, an aesthetic which elevates the mind and incidentally stimulates the body'. As French novelist Honore de Balzac
pointed out, eroticism is dependent not just upon an individual's sexual morality, but the culture and time that individual resides in as well.
) personified by Eros, the Greek god of love: "erotic" 'is an epithet which is applied to everything with a connection to the love of the sexes; one employs it particularly to characterize...a dissoluteness, an excess'. However, because Eroticism is wholly dependent on upon the viewer's culture and personal tastes pertaining to what, exactly, defines the Erotic critics have often confused Eroticism with Pornography
, going so far as to say: “[Eroticism] is simply high-class pornography; better produced, better conceived, better executed, better packaged, designed for a better class of consumer.” This confusion, as Hunt writes, 'demonstrate the difficulty of drawing...a clear generic demarcation between the erotic and the pornographic': indeed arguably 'the history of the separation of pornography from eroticism...remains to be written'.
ordered system of ideal forms , Eros corresponds to the subject's yearning for ideal beauty and finality. It is the harmonious unification not only between bodies, but between knowledge and pleasure. For Plato, Eros takes an almost transcendent manifestation when the subject seeks to go beyond itself and form a communion with the objectival other: 'the true order of going...to the things of love, is to use the beauties of earth as steps...to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair actions, and from fair actions to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty'.
, who argued that eroticism performs a function of dissolving boundaries between human subjectivity and humanity, a transgression that dissolves the rational world but is always temporary. as well as that, “desire [in eroticism] is the desire that triumphs over the taboo. It presupposes man in conflict with himself'. For Bataille, as well as many French theorists, 'Eroticism, unlike simple sexual activity, is a psychological quest...eroticism is assenting to life even in death'.
and LGBT studies takes the concept one step further, viewing Psychoanalytical and Modernist views of Eroticism as both archaic and heterosexist, written primarily by and for a “handful of elite, heterosexual, bourgeois men” who “mistook their own repressed sexual proclivities” as the norm.
Theorists like Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
, Gayle S. Rubin and Marilyn Frye
all write extensively about Eroticism from a Heterosexist, Lesbian
and Separatist point of view, respectively, seeing Eroticism as a both a political force and cultural critique for marginalized groups, or as Mario Vargas Llosa
summarized: “Eroticism has its own moral justification because it says that pleasure is enough for me; it is a statement of the individual's sovereignty”
Sexual arousal
Sexual arousal, or sexual excitement, is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity. Things that precipitate human sexual arousal are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known as turn-ons. There are many potential stimuli, both physical or mental, which can cause...
or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse
Impulse (psychology)
An impulse is a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one. It can be considered as a normal and fundamental part of human thought processes, but also one that can become problematic, as in a condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder....
, desire
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
. In her introduction to her book, Totally Heterotica, erotic artist and lesbian theorist Susie Bright
Susie Bright
Susannah "Susie" Bright is an American writer, speaker, teacher, audio-show host, and performer, all on the subject of sexuality....
states: 'the very word "erotic" implies superior value, fine art, an aesthetic which elevates the mind and incidentally stimulates the body'. As French novelist Honore de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
pointed out, eroticism is dependent not just upon an individual's sexual morality, but the culture and time that individual resides in as well.
Defining Eroticism
Because the nature of what is Erotic is fluid, early definitions of the term attempted to conceive Eroticism as some form sensual or romantic love or the human sex drive (libidoLibido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
) personified by Eros, the Greek god of love: "erotic" 'is an epithet which is applied to everything with a connection to the love of the sexes; one employs it particularly to characterize...a dissoluteness, an excess'. However, because Eroticism is wholly dependent on upon the viewer's culture and personal tastes pertaining to what, exactly, defines the Erotic critics have often confused Eroticism with Pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, going so far as to say: “[Eroticism] is simply high-class pornography; better produced, better conceived, better executed, better packaged, designed for a better class of consumer.” This confusion, as Hunt writes, 'demonstrate the difficulty of drawing...a clear generic demarcation between the erotic and the pornographic': indeed arguably 'the history of the separation of pornography from eroticism...remains to be written'.
A Psychoanalytical Approach
For a Psychoanalytical definition, as early as Freud psychotherapists have turned to the ancient Greek philosophy's "overturning of mythology" as a definition to understanding of the heightened aesthetic. In the PlatonicPlatonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
ordered system of ideal forms , Eros corresponds to the subject's yearning for ideal beauty and finality. It is the harmonious unification not only between bodies, but between knowledge and pleasure. For Plato, Eros takes an almost transcendent manifestation when the subject seeks to go beyond itself and form a communion with the objectival other: 'the true order of going...to the things of love, is to use the beauties of earth as steps...to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair actions, and from fair actions to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty'.
A French Approach
Modern French conceptions of Eroticism can be traced to The Enlightenment, when 'in the eighteenth century, dictionaries defined the erotic as that which concerned love...eroticism was the intrusion into the public sphere of something that was at base private'. This theme of intrusion or transgression was taken up in the twentieth century by the French philosopher Georges BatailleGeorges Bataille
Georges Bataille was a French writer. His multifaceted work is linked to the domains of literature, anthropology, philosophy, economy, sociology and history of art...
, who argued that eroticism performs a function of dissolving boundaries between human subjectivity and humanity, a transgression that dissolves the rational world but is always temporary. as well as that, “desire [in eroticism] is the desire that triumphs over the taboo. It presupposes man in conflict with himself'. For Bataille, as well as many French theorists, 'Eroticism, unlike simple sexual activity, is a psychological quest...eroticism is assenting to life even in death'.
Beyond Heterosexuality
Queer theoryQueer theory
Queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of LGBT studies and feminist studies. Queer theory includes both queer readings of texts and the theorisation of 'queerness' itself...
and LGBT studies takes the concept one step further, viewing Psychoanalytical and Modernist views of Eroticism as both archaic and heterosexist, written primarily by and for a “handful of elite, heterosexual, bourgeois men” who “mistook their own repressed sexual proclivities” as the norm.
Theorists like Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick was an American academic scholar in the fields of gender studies, queer theory , and critical theory. Her critical writings helped create the field of queer studies...
, Gayle S. Rubin and Marilyn Frye
Marilyn Frye
Marilyn Frye is a philosophy professor and feminist theorist. She earned her Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1969 and has taught feminist philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of language at Michigan State University since 1974...
all write extensively about Eroticism from a Heterosexist, Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and Separatist point of view, respectively, seeing Eroticism as a both a political force and cultural critique for marginalized groups, or as Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...
summarized: “Eroticism has its own moral justification because it says that pleasure is enough for me; it is a statement of the individual's sovereignty”