Erotic Literature

[Druidic]

And let us not forget the classic "Autobiography of a Flea." Heh, heh.

[Druidic]

The Tides of Lust by Samuel Delaney. I loved Nova but I hated this SM book which went nowhere (I sold my pink copy for a nice sum some years ago.) It was the beginning of the end of my interest in Delaney. Grateful I never read Hogg.

Farmer's Image of the Beast, published by a pornographic publishing house. Not really erotic but a good book. Joan of Arc carrying around Gilles de Rais' snaky head in her vagina. (an image hard to beat, hard to forget.) I never got around to reading the sequel, Blown.

[cannibal cop]

American Psycho

[Druidic]

Ramsey Campbell once laughed at a critic who wrote that only horror stories aimed at a physical response. He was right to do so. A true erotic work aims for arousal and nothing more.

If you get heavily into character development, philosophical insights, true eroticism is weakened.
Like Poe, I believe in unity of effect in all things. Particularly my own writing.

[Druidic]

Of course there are always exceptions to everything.
J. R. Salamanca's Lilith.
A brilliant study of evil and innocence.

[Druidic]

I've seen too many great--not merely good--books fall into reader neglect that it's become depressing. Gore Vidal's "Messiah," Endore's "The Werewolf of Paris," Salamanca's "Lilith", Sloane's "To Walk The Night" and "Edge of Running Water," Durrenmatt's "The Assignment" and "The Execution of Justice", Leiber's "Our Lady of Darkness," the horror stories of David H. Keller ("The Worm," "A Piece of Linoleum," "The Silver Bridle"). All I can say is if you believe excellence brings it's own rewards, you're setting yourself up for a grievous disappointment.

I've never seen crap replace quality so

fast

before.

Well, I'm gone.

[Ibrahim]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

Have also been reading those letters and agree that Eloise (Heloise?) says some surprising and passionate things in those letters, but isn't he older, not younger, than her?

You're probably right; i had assumed that Abelard would not have accepted her as a pupil at an age at which she'd hardly have the proper preparation & education to take up such studies as she did.

As to the spelling of her name- as with most European languages at that time, i don't think French had a fixed spelling, not the way ours is apparently cast in stone nowadays?

[Ibrahim]

Quote Originally Posted by Druidic

A true erotic work aims for arousal and nothing more. If you get heavily into character development, philosophical insights, true eroticism is weakened.

Is it, though? Is there no philosophical side to it? We are talking about Eros, after all. There is room i think for a metaphysics of ecstacy, or at the very least a recognition of the wide scope of sensuality, of the conditions that may heighten arousal.

[qcrisp]

Just realised I actually do have a recommendation here. The Key, by Tanizaki Jun'ichiro.

[qcrisp]

I can't find the film clip I mentioned, of Henry Miller, but he is mentioned here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hi..._.26_criticism