In Defense of Smut: Erotica as a sociopolitical window and Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic”
Smut, erotica, and “spicy romance” are frequently discarded, criticized, and even banned on the grounds that such materials are obscene, pornographic, and vapid.
Much of this criticism is rooted, of course, in puritanical misogyny.
In her essay, “Uses of the Erotic,” Audre Lorde linked the erotic with power and resistance, and contended that to know oneself, to live fully embodied, and to nurture the empowering force of pleasure and intimacy is itself an act of self-respect. The erotic is therefore a threat to the dominant social power structure which seeks to suppress feminine expressions of the erotic in particular.
Lorde’s definition of the erotic was held as distinct from the pornographic, a descriptor often used to criticize the erotic romance genre.
The pornographic is “a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling. [It] emphasizes sensation without feeling.” The pornographic is most often centered around the patriarchal gaze. It is performative, and intended for consumption, not for intimacy.
The erotic, in contrast, is “a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings.” It is “that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and use of which we are now reclaiming.” The erotic is a holistic, internally satisfying source to which we may be spiritually connected. It is celebration, joy, pleasure, satisfaction, intimacy, and a guiding force toward fulfillment and liberation.
Erotic knowledge also has a political function. Intimacy in all its forms builds bridges between people, and “lessens the threat of their difference.” Furthermore, in “building our capacity for joy,” we prepare ourselves to “demand from all of [our] life that it be lived within the knowledge that such satisfaction is possible, and does not have to be called marriage, nor god, nor an afterlife. This is one reason why the erotic is so feared.” To be deeply connected to an internal, embodied sense of pleasure makes us intolerant of less satisfying conditions, of exploitation, of injustice, and of cruelty.
Erotica and erotic romance most often focus on women’s sexual pleasure and agency. The genre is also shaped by the continuing contributions of Queer authors, whose representations of the erotic have been among the most influential in the explorations of gender, identity, and the body. In this moment of reactionary politics, these stories of embodiment, pleasure, and affirmation are especially powerful.
The normalization of “spicy romance” also works to undermine a culture of shame and stigma that has historically surrounded sexuality, especially for women and Queer people. It further offers a place to explore topics like reproductive justice, contraception, consent, abortion, and body boundaries, narrative that engage historical taboos to work to counter the effects of rape culture.
Erotica also often engages with body politics–how the body is made both metaphorically and literally a place for the exercise of control and the expression of power. The vampiric desire of classic works like Dracula reveal social anxieties about class, gender roles and purity, for example. More modern works of “monster romance” engage concepts of “the Other” and typical gendered power arrangements.
A genre that is anchored by pleasure, agency, and happily-ever-after could never be apolitical, and is not inherently anti-intellectual.
These stories can and do reflect and reinforce our existing social realities, or they can subvert and challenge them. The erotic as depicted in literature offers us a valuable insight into our surroundings and our internal selves, and we should resist attempts to disregard or disvalue it.
Some definitions:
erotica: literature that is centered around sexual desire, and the development is driven by this sexuality. It is artistic, sensuous, and aesthetic.
smut: in casual use, “smut” is often used interchangeably with “erotica” or to describe romance novels with sexual content. It has a more negative connotation, and may be used to refer to something that is gratuitously sexual without artistic value. In the literal sense, “smut” means “filthy,” “dirty,” or “obscene.”
romance: a story that centers around a romantic relationship and resolves with a “happily-ever-after” or a “happily-for-now.”
spice: a slang term for on-page depictions of sexual content.
Read Audre Lorde’s Essay here: C:\Users\Darkwater\Desktop\Audre_Lorde_cool-beans.wpd
BN Russo 