The Erotic Vs. The Pornographic

In her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”, Audre Lorde notes that although the erotic is a natural source of power for women “[w]e have been taught to suspect this resource, vilified, abused, and devalued within western society.”

I suppose that is why I had such a sense of apprehension when it was time for me to write my first sex scene. It was not gratuitous sex, thrown in to catch the reader’s attention. It was the natural outgrowth of the plot. At first I considered skipping it all together, shame-facedly moving on to the next scene with little more than a metaphorical reference a la early Hollywood. But I couldn’t do it. I had to be true to my narrative craft and acknowledge that this scene was crucial to the characterization of one of the main characters. So, I sat down and began to write.

Audre Lorde writes:

[W]e have often turned away from the exploration and consideration of the erotic as a source of power and information, confusing it with its opposite, the pornographic. But pornography is a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling. Pornography emphasizes sensation without feeling.

After I posted my sex scene at Editred for my peers to critique (I have a couple faithful readers who have been work-shopping this first novel with me), I realized there was no mention of breasts or throbbing members. Well what kind of sex scene is that, I thought. There was, of course, caressing, undressing, and the ultimate climax, but I suddenly began to feel like I had still managed to skirt the issue.

Then I read Audre Lorde’s words and realized that maybe I hadn’t. Oh it’s a rough draft, and it will need some revision, but I doubt I will insert any breasts or throbbing members. The scene was an exploration of the characters hidden feelings and desires, the need for a temporary connection with another. I think these are all things that are best represented through the sensual not the physical.

Thank You Audre.