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Where do you draw the line between erotic and vulgar? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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[–] 25 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Generally speaking, I think it has to do with intent:

Erotic = intended to arouse / is sexual in nature.

Vulgar = intended to offend / is characterized by a lack of social acceptability.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Yeah, and the same themes can go either way. An edge lord trying to push boundaries might write acts that are downright tame for sadomasochistic erotica.

    And I think tone is vital here. I've read some stuff that could have been rewritten as horror, but the tone is sensuous.

    Lines do get blurred though, pulp erotica is a classic example. My knowledge of it is largely in lesbian pulp, but at the time you couldn't get away with writing a happy love story between two women, especially not an erotic one. You could however write a somewhat vulgar story about a good girl being seduced by a dangerous woman so long as the ending was unhappy for the women.

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