Wow, there’s been some ruffled feathers within the Erotic Romance community lately, mainly due to one of our very own authors daring to speak her mind. Who’d a thunk it? Where did Polite Society Hell go? Woo Hooo, I say!!!
Apparently said author described her work as ‘porn’, which as I understand it upset a few people, authors and readers alike. My question is, so fucking what?
I have been on lists where the very same authors and readers who have lambasted the above author, have also described this genre as nothing more than porn, of course it’s been done, in a ‘wink-wink’, tongue-in- cheek way, but does that make it any more acceptable?
It seems to me, that if you’re not one of the celestially revered authors, whom everybody absolutely loves, and adores, it’s not acceptable to offer up such controversial thoughts. Yech!
I understand that authors who eke out a living writing romantica are probably incensed over having what they do downgraded as porn, but hell, is anybody gonna tell me that some of the content within romantica/erotica books is not pornographic in detail sometimes?
Ok. I’ll tell ya what, look at the sentence below, and you tell me that this isn’t in the least bit pornographic:
“You have the most beautiful cunt I’ve ever seen,” he said hoarsely, “so wet and juicy, so tight and swollen”
Go on, try to convince me that the above excerpt from a well known erotic romance author isn’t pornographic…. Go on, I dare you.
It may not be ‘porn’ per se, but it definitely has pornographic undertones.
The problem that authors have with being lumped in the same genre as porn, is that the word itself, has negative connotations. You can’t help but think of bad movies, with silicone enhanced barbie dolls, giving somebody as mortally UGLY as Ron Jeremy a blowjob (that’s right folks, I know who he is!). That happens only in porn movies right?
In my mind, erotic romance evokes a more sensual vision of sex, and incorporates love and romance, whereas, porn is just sex, nothing more, nothing less. This is why I believe, authors are so upset about one of their own apparently ‘rubbishing’ the entire genre.
Hell, I’ve read books that were supposedly erotic romance, but in reality were nothing more than porn-with-a-story-line. I know you’ve all read at least one of these kinda books, you know you have, so don’t deny it.
This whole argument is as bad as romance writers trying to tell the world that they don’t write romance books, they write stories about relationships (what a load of bollocks.) Denial is not just a river in Africa people.
As far as I’m concerned, if somebody tells me that what I read is porn, am I gonna go crazy? Am I gonna list the main differences between porn and erotic romance? I don’t think so, do you know why? Because I don’t give a shit that’s why. Is it gonna stop me reading erotic romance, just because somebody called it porn? Yeah, whatever!
Do I myself view erotic romances as porn? Not really, but erotica has it’s own name, so out of respect for the genre and the authors, that’s the name I use, but do I think said author should be hauled over the coals for telling it how she thinks it is? DO I BOLLOCKS!!! Translation for you Americans out there ‘Hell, no, and find another soap box to stand on!!’
Kim
April 24
12:32 pm
I totally disagree with your post, I think that it’s an absolute travesty to put erotic romance and porn in the same context, to me it’s like comparing apples and oranges, they are completely different things. I think it’s wrong that an author who writes within this genre should classify her work as porn, because it then leaves the rest of the erotic romance community in no man’s land.
It makes me wonder how this author ever sells any books with such a sad attitude.
Beth
April 24
2:44 pm
Hear, hear. You’re totally right, Karen. The problem is that women define “porn” as some awful, heinous, horrible crime against womanity and of course they don’t want to be identified with that dirty-birdy stuff. But someone blatantly and blunty writing about the attractiveness of plump, wet cunts? That’s gloriously pornographic, and so what’s wrong with that? NOTHING. Sheesh.
Karen Scott
April 26
1:01 am
Kim, let’s agree to disagree huh? I don’t have a problem with anything the author said, as far as I’m concerned, she had every right to express her opinion.
Beth, yay, somebody who agrees with me, that is such a rarity!! You are totally right, women do think of porn as something dirty, that cannot be possibly associated with them. I think it’s time for us to wake up and smell the coffee and admit that we like sex too, and porn is only a dirty word because we made it so.
Paz
April 27
6:34 am
Beth, cute photo!
I think the author has a right to describe whatever she writes whichever way she wants.
I read, in two places, the author’s response to the controversy and I had to agree with what she wrote. She clarified that she said that she writes “women’s porn” and she explained her reasoning. Now probably that isn’t much better to many who are angered that she used the word porn, LOL! But personally, I don’t see or have a problem with what she wrote. She made a lot of sense.
Bottom line is that I like to read what I like to read and anyone can call it whatever they want.
Last thing: The author pointed out that her opinion didn’t hurt anyone but others response to her comment were very hurtful. I think that’s a shame. Just because people don’t agree with her comment doesn’t mean that they had to become personal and nasty. I guess that’s life, huh? But I still say we’re still entitle to our opinions… And on that note, I enjoy reading everyone’s opinions here. Karen, keep yours coming!
Paz
Karen Scott
April 27
4:12 pm
Here, Here Paz, it’s certainly not a subject that would get my knickers in a twist! I like reading other people’s comments too, they don’t have to agree with me, (most probably don’t) in fact I like reading the ones who have a different viewpoint from mine, it keeps things interesting I think!