Are Erotic Narratives Written by Women Different from Those Written by Men - Essay Example

ARE EROTIC NARRATIVES WRITTEN BY WOMEN DIFFERENT TO THOSE WRITTEN BY MEN? Erotic literature since ages has been a subject of controversy and debate and is still considered by many literature critics as something futile and worthless to be ethically culpable and misogynistic. In consideration to the polemics involved in the context of this genre, people who are involved in producing such literatures classified as erotic, indulge themselves in a debate that revolves around either repetition or textual and sexual politics of this genre, writers who produce literature categorized as erotic necessarily implicate themselves in a debate that centers on either the repetition or the re- framing of certain -figuring of certain caucus. Erotica may be thought of as a literary or pictorial portrayal that arouses or sexually stimulates using soft, sensual imagery, and how a male and a female creates such an interest among its audience is something that interests a lot many critics from time to time. The term ‘erotic’ is never associated to any consistent or stable category because it is always subjected to social traditions and civilizations which are further affected by the religious beliefs and didactic convictions. The twenty first century still holds on to the debate that whether the erotic narratives written by men are different from those of women (Winnett S, 1990). It was observed in 1960s and 1970s that the ‘feminist’ erotica swiped away the America Literary market, exploring the’ sexual revolution’ from a female perspective. Despite the last decade' anxiety and obsession in relation to the delight and contentment of the text and sexual difference, few of the theories have pointed out the relation of narrative and pleasure with the difference between women's and men's perspective on erotic narratives. The Erotic thoughts in Latin American Literature narrated by women provides a critical framework that provides the most intimate , poignant and sexual needs of a women (Sierra A I, 2006). Reading and writing about romantic love is strongly associated with women in the contemporary western cultures. It is crucial when discussing erotica and the difference in narrative styles of men and women, to demarcate the differences in pornography and erotica which is nothing but the concept of suggestiveness. Erotic writings tend to allude to sexual acts or reveal or describe them in alleviated manner whereas Pornography describes the blunt sexual acts so uses a bold and frank language, when women talk about erotic they tend to arouse sensuality rather than animalizing the entire act which is often seen in the male traditional sexual writings because they tend to lack emotional touch that is the strength of the feminine writing and in itself a distinctive characteristics that differentiated male narratives with the female erotic narrative (Nin A, 2007). Without emotions and feelings, sexual writings are transformed into pornographics often found in the male scripts. According to Papachristou, women realize that "language is often inadequate”, love narrations demand reinvention of language. He further adds on that the traditional and conventional male writings are not acquiescent to allow variations between pure words and expressions of deep emotions and feelings which mark the difference between the male and the female work (Nin A, 2007). It is seen in the past that women writers have been accused of indiscretion when writing erotica but now the opinion and views of many critics have changed (Christmass P, 2005). A major difference in the male and the female erotica narratives is a change in the culture, in the current times of sexual openness and honesty, more women are coming forward and revealing their sexual dissatisfaction, female narrations focus on erotic behaviors and sexual fantasies-and not on appearances as observed in the male writings, especially stereotype writings. The most prominent characteristic of erotica that is associated with the women narratives is that the subject matter and the theme both appeals to and interests them more than men. Women erotic writings can help in the evolution of a true sexual revolution for them by showing support and encouragement for efforts to achieve it which is actually missing in the male writings.  Eminent and renowned people like Fernandez Olmos and Paravisini Gebert have viewed and commented that that when it comes to female erotic expression there exists certain gap in the erotic writings. In 1950 and 1960s and even found in the current times, female erotic scriptures were mainly in prose and not in poetry as in comparison to the male writings which is another point of difference in the writing styles between the two genders (Sierra A I, 2006). Moreover the erotic prose fiction initiated by women writers was basically due to the international movements for the rights of the women, a remarkable difference in writing is noticed when the idea behind the narration is reflected, men’s erotic writing tend to reflect more on pleasure and excitement while female writing delve deep into the crux, passion, sentiments behind a women feelings when sexual desires are confronted, this area of reflection and thought is missing in the male writings. The disparity and divergence in the writing styles is obvious as women is a true provider of language, she is able to expose the ambiguities embedded in the subversion of the conventional society’s females roles more aptly and strongly than men, they are more socially committed than men which is reflected in the female writing. Male writings are different from female writing due to a psychological disparity in the genders as well, there are significant differences between the male and the female brain due to which they don’t think, behave and respond in the same manner, as far as erotic narratives are concerned, both the male and the female cadres have absolutely different perspectives while writing which gives rise to divergence (Sierra A I, 2006). Male writings exhibit narrow issues and wedge out irrelevant information and distractions while Women incorporate everything that they encounter in their normal day to day life portraying erotica from a broader, massive vantage point. It is reflected through the writings that Men are able to segregate information, stimulus, emotions, and relationships and create a perfect blend of what arouses interest in erotic readings while women tend to link everything together trying to interrelate all aspects and generate meaning to each and every emotion and phase of the script. Men’s narrations are more dominant, aggressive and engrossed on the physical aspects of sex (Sierra A I, 2006). It is often found in works of erotica, that females writers do not incorporate much of nude pictures, rather they are more fascinated by pictures of couples, in however sterile a sexual context may be, female writers are not found exaggerating male genital like male readings where special focus and close up is taken on female genitals. In simpler terms sex for men is an impersonal-pornography which is something that is completely ignored when a female touches on the subject. The aspects are not completely about creating a physical relationship but the emotions, apathy and love that is highlighted in the writings. The main aspects or facet that makes the two genders separate is that men focus on sex while women focus on relationships. Men highlights flesh to arouse desire, interest and passion whereas women generates an urge for love through their writings, just similar to the what boys demand for when they are young that is balloons, toys, and carburetors and what girls lure for that is contact, empathy, and company. Stories reveal that female mind functions in such a manner so as to place priority on relationship while the male scripts aim on achievement as clearly illustrated in the book written by Anne Moir and Davis Jessel (1992). The manner in which sex is narrated and portrayed are also completely astray , more use of romantic words, images and themes are used imbibing more of sense of affection and commitment, use of props in stories like flowers, oils, candlelight, satin sheets, sounds, textures, aroma, aroma are more frequently used than men. More scenes of kissing, hugging, stroking, cuddling would be seen than simple aggressive narrations as found in the male writings, in other terms women writings are found placing the act of intercourse within a wider physical context (Kastlemen M, Viewed on 5th November, 2008). Distinctness is depicted n both the writings as Female sexuality is displayed via a broader lattice of emotions and sensations engulfing a more extensive social and environmental context while men's sex drive penned down is far more focused on the act of copulation itself. Some writings from the male’s perspective may be extremely harmless, uninteresting, or meaningless to a woman perception or vice versa (Kastlemen M, Viewed on 5th November, 2008). Moreover it’s not just a matter of writing something on erotic that the women have created their space in the field but novels such as meninas (1973), Animal dos motéis (1981), Lumpérica (1983), and Solitario de amor (1988) display the tumultuous historical contexts in which they were thought off. For instance in 1980s Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil were subjected to cruel and deadly military regimes. Under such a situation the women writers took a bold step to fight against their countries dictatorships and challenged the dominant, brutal, conventional norms of women’s sexual behavior in their respective patriarchal societies, and managed to create some subversive novels, such revolt and purpose behind writings is not seen in the male scriptures (Sierra A I, 2006). The erotic literature written by the women in the 70s, 80s, 90s and even today contributes to the different strategies and dynamics of the feminist regime. Erotic literature played a vital role in Tierney-Tello’s understanding of l’écriture feminine where the writings did not focus on the male gaze but, rather, on the female gaze, an eroticism which was centered on the woman’s body as a subject that anticipated and received pleasure in and of itself (Sierra A I, 2006). Female narratives are more bend towards bringing the essence or existence of love through fine words that represents the women’s point of view of sex and relationship. Men have been dominating this sphere since long, due to which its hard to accept a females stand or desire, infact women find a safe haven for their secret desires through writing of erotic and the enjoyment and delight that a women feels by living vicariously though another's story helps her to cope with the more mundane aspects of the day to day lives they live. Aretino Pietro in his book , “A Discipline Born in the Blood’ clearly mentioned that Italian erotic literature is a prominent educational resource for males as a textual discipline because they do not have the art and skill to address the erotic that comes very naturally to a women (Turner J, Turner G J, 2003). In Aretino’s Ragionamenti the eroto informative and moralistic synthesis is replaced by travesty and imitation of intellectual pretension and spoof against the prostitute. Many of the past works have supported the fact that men’s erotic writing are amplifications of erotic images and more visuals and primeval in comparison to the female erotic writings that have an added and enhanced erotic content in the emotional development of the relationship. An interesting difference in male and female erotic writing styles has now in the twentieth century has become perceptible. Stories which are narrated by men tend to more visual and explicit in comparison to the female writings that are more inclined towards emphasizing feelings and the total relationship (Hughes A, Ince K). It is seen that women erotic writers have to find varied ways around the dictates of censorship in comparison to men writers; hence the entire debate about difference n writing styles cannot be comprehended until unless the rules and regulations are clearly defined. The female writings are considered to be a source of titillation and transgression which is not there in male writings exploring new avenues of expression. Female tend to use more subtle language and soft words then men who prefer harsh and stubborn straight forward language. Women writers are recognized especially for the completion and totality of opus and composition. Another key issue that might be considered while comparing the erotic writings of men and women revolves around the link and the interconnection that is visible in the female work representing the historical period and the twentieth century from a holistic point of view raising all sorts of social, economic confrontations faced by the females in the struggle of expressing one’s inner desire and sexual needs. Female’s desires are the main force of her distinctive narratives that distinguishes it from the male fictions that are goal centered. Male writings are just reduced to that of an object while female authors display an associated and affiliated interest in independent pleasure and lack of interest in penetrative sex. Instability of gendered subjectivity gives rise to heterogeneity of range of portrayal and delineation of desires. Women writings are often seen avoiding the foregrounding the body and its sexuality and on the other hand male writers have transformed women into a demolishing and demoniacal entity. Authors like Brulotte G, Phillips J (2006), that fine distinctions, myth, suggestions , fables and metaphors are the forms which are visible in the women erotic writings, they do not confide in the broadstream of what men feel to be sexy. For instance we take up some erotic works and analyse their style we can certainly interpret the kind of texture and content that female incorporate in their work which differentiates them from men. One such analysis was made by Kanfo D (2003), who acknowledged in his paper “Surrealism: Desire Unbound” , stating that maximum work presents vicious solutions to male gender anxiety whereas female representation of work is in contrast with male-generated art and reflects how women artists reclaimed their gaze and desire. In one of the books, Sade's Philosophy in the Boudoir was published in Revolutionary France, at the end of the eighteenth century. In this book first time the word 'sadism' was named after him, displaying many different meanings both sexual and non sexual to indicate forms of pleasure in inflicting pain or suffering on others. Sade’s work used a highly graphical description of sex to affirm nature’s perceptible and evitable amoralism. Sade’s writing is based on some philosophical propositions that acclaim cruelty, brutality as characteristics of human nature which is itself a part of sexual activity. Such works reveal the intensity of power. Such writings are devoid of objective validity which is a key feature in the female writings. Glorification of malevolence is what we find in an erotic expression such as one referred above (Brulotte G, Phillips J (2006) ‘Venus in Furs’ draws themes and character inspiration heavily from Sacher-Masoch’s own life. Sacher-Masoch's fantasies and fetishes, were attempted his fantasies with all his mistresses and wives. After his love-affair with Fanny Pistor, Sacher-Masoch’s married his first wife, Aurora Rümelin, and compelled her into living out the experiences which he penned in his s book "Venus in Furs", against her will. The books brought forwards a surprising exploration of masochism, narcissism and sexual power, a blend of philosophy and pornography is revealed whereby the idea of voluptuous cruelty is displayed. His work, Sadism is nothing but eroticization of dominance and control which can be traced back to the French literature under the name of Comte Donatien-Alphonse-Francois, marquis de Sade (1740-1814), whose personal life and erotic writings were filled with incidents and images of sexual cruelty. Gebhard pointed out that sadomasochism was a part of our culture which rests on dominance and control in social relationships and that aggression is socially valued. Male writings depict such aggression and view sadomasochism as a love of pain whereas female writings are simply in contrast to such notions. It cannot be denied that majority of published writers for romance have been males as they able to attract a larger audience in comparison to females due to their writing styles, however the genres has evolved and changed both in retort and reaction to external social factors and imitation of other erotic works, but from the eighteenth century onwards romance has started to be identified as feminine mode of writing. Since the napoleon era, a radical separation between the male and the female arenas have been made, in which romance, the importance that it holds to a marital and domestic arrangement emphasizes on the personal experience and kind of life seen by the individual, its exploitation as a narrative formula with its roots in myth and fairly tale belonged strongly on the feminine line. The female erotic writings were more recognized for their virtues finesse, sensitivity, and spontaneity while male erotic works were more in demand for their imaginations, creative capacities which was subdued in female literary writings. Female writings depict more of idealism, realism ad social texture of their times as mainly found in the French narrative fictions which are more emotion centered (Feminine Genre, retrieved on 6th November, 2008). Men are the portrayers of sexual passion, but women are no less in .In the new erotic writing by women, sex is presented by women considering a social and political ideology, and above all raises the objectivity of female subjectivity experiencing and identifying its own self. Women writers have been constantly condemned and criticized for their narrow and reiterative range of concerns with more of irrationality and emotions flooding in their piece of work. The role that gender plays in the construction of the erotic literature is due to the evolving and prevailing social practices and ideologies, male and female subjectivities are differently constituted due to their upbringing. Many feminist critics such as Greer 1970, Firestone 1972 etc (Feminine Genre, retrieved on 6th October, 2008) have disapproved and abhorred the women taste for romance but yet female narrative make sense of experience in which fears are also explored and dreams are indulged also, dangers are boldly confronted and combated while hilt of happiness is fantasized, such range of emotions are certainly lacking when male erotic fictions are considered. Feminist narratives deal with anticipation rather than sex itself. References Winnett S, 1990, PMLA, Vol. 105, No. 3, Special Topic: The Politics of Critical Language pp. 505-518 Sierra A I, 2006, Erotic Bodies/Erotic Politics In Latin American Women’s Writing, retrieved on 6th Oct, 2008, http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/ETD-db/available/etd-03292006-145055/unrestricted/Dissertation.pdf Nin A, 26th September, 2007, Anais Nin’s ‘Delta of Venus’ - Feminine Identity Through Pleasure - A Mini Analysis, retrieved on 6th November, 2008, http://blogs.crikey.com.au/literaryminded/2007/09/26/anais-nins-delta-of-venus-feminine-identity-through-pleasure-a-mini-analysis/ Christmass P, 13th October 2005, Anäis Nin's Erotica: Written for the Male Voyeur? Feminisms along the edge, retrieved on 6th November, 2008, http://www.chloe.uwa.edu.au/outskirts/archive/volume2/christmass Moir A, Jessel D, 1992, Brain Sex: The Real Difference Between Men and Women, Delta Publishers Turner J, Turner G J, 2003, Schooling Sex: Libertine Literature and Erotic Education in Italy, France, and England, 1534-1685, Oxford University Press Brulotte G, Phillips J (2006), Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature, Published by CRC Press, 2006 A Feminine Genre; Romance and Women, retrieved on 6th November, 2008 http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-924984-9.pdf Read More