A short history of smut

Smut is a kind of erotica: a type of literature or art made intending to arouse the reader or viewer.

People love to argue about smut vs. erotica, and I’ve written about what smut is before, so I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the differences here.

The term “smut” goes back to the 1600s, when the noun became tied to a meaning of “indecent or obscene language” and became more widely used in the 1800s. Prior to that it mostly meant “a black mark or stain” or “soot or sooty matter”.

Some people like to use the word “smut”, other people don’t, and you can describe romance literature without using the word (which saw a new rise to the fixture it is today through fanfic and the rise of the internet).

Erotica isn’t a new invention, though. It’s ancient.

Erotic literature and art in ancient times offer a fascinating glimpse into the ways human desires and passions have been depicted and celebrated throughout history.

While much of the classical world was steeped in myths, legends, and epic tales, there were notable instances of more intimate narratives.

Daphnis and Chloe by the second-century A.D. Greek novelist Longus, stands out as a unique work in the context of ancient Greek storytelling.

This love story deviates from the traditional Greek tragic arc by concluding with a happy ending, a rarity in an era where tales of tragedy and turmoil often took centre-stage.

Daphnis and Chloe resembles a modern novel more than does its chief rival among Greek erotic romances, the Aethiopica by Heliodorus, which is remarkable more for its plot than for its characterisation.

Aethiopica is set in an exotic and romanticised version of ancient Ethiopia and centres on the love story between the noble Theagenes and Chariclea, a princess who is believed to be of Ethiopian descent.

While both Daphnis and Chloe and Aethiopica contributed to the development of the novel as a literary form, Daphnis and Chloe is often considered a closer precursor to the modern novel due to its straightforward, character-driven narrative and exploration of intimate and emotional aspects of human relationships, making it more relatable to contemporary literary tastes.

More common than literature was erotic art.

• Ancient Greece
  • Erotic poetry: The ancient Greeks produced some of the most well-known erotic poetry. Sappho’s works, for example, explore love and desire between women, while the poetry of poets like Anacreon and Ibycus featured sensuous themes.
  • Pottery: Greek pottery often depicted explicit sexual scenes. The famous red-figure and black-figure pottery of ancient Greece frequently featured graphic representations of sexual acts, serving as both art and, in some cases, educational tools.

• Ancient Rome
  • Art and frescoes: Roman art and frescoes in places like Pompeii and Herculaneum often depicted explicit sexual acts and scenes. The House of the Vettii, for instance, is known for its erotic frescoes.
  • Literature: Works like Ovid’s “Ars Amatoria” and the “Priapeia” contained playful and erotic themes, offering guidance on love and desire.

• Ancient Egypt:
  • Love poetry: Ancient Egyptian love poetry and songs often celebrated romantic and erotic love, including the famous “Love Songs of Shu-Sin.”

• Ancient Mesopotamia
  • Art: Artefacts and artwork from ancient Mesopotamia, such as the “Inanna Descent to the Underworld” and the “Plaque of the Enthroned Ishtar,” contain sexual and erotic symbolism.

Smut in Medieval times.

A notable example of erotic literature from the medieval period is Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, which offers a fascinating insight into the indulgence of smutty content during a time marked by the Black Death and social upheaval.

The Decameron is a collection of 100 tales told by a group of young women and men who have retreated to a countryside villa to escape the horrors of the Black Death in Florence. The frame narrative features ten characters, seven women and three men, who each tell a story per day for ten days. These stories encompass a wide range of themes, including love, morality, wit, and, importantly, eroticism.

Given the context in which The Decameron was written—a period of crisis, death, and uncertainty—it’s not surprising that the tales in this collection occasionally veer into more erotic territory. Boccaccio’s work reflects the desire to escape from the grim reality of the plague and indulge in the pleasures of storytelling and, at times, sensuality.

The tales within The Decameron include humorous and risqué elements, including sexual innuendos and explicit descriptions. Some stories contain sexual encounters, while others feature themes of seduction and desire. The collection also doesn’t shy away from irreverent humour and includes instances of sexual humour and jokes, including the famous “Potiphar’s Wife” tale.

Erotica and sensual literature from non-European sources often reflect the sensibilities and values of their respective societies and, like their European counterparts, explore themes of desire, love, and intimacy.

1. Arabian Nights (One Thousand and One Nights): This collection of Middle Eastern folktales and stories, originating from Arabic, Persian, and Indian cultures, contains many tales with erotic elements. Stories like “The Tale of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghdad” and “The Story of King Shahryar and Shahrazad” contain sensuous and romantic themes.
2. Kama Sutra: The Kama Sutra, attributed to the ancient Indian sage Vatsyayana, is an ancient Indian text that explores human relationships, sexual desire, and positions for sexual intercourse. It’s considered one of the earliest works on the art of lovemaking.
3. Chinese erotic literature: China had a rich tradition of erotic literature and art, including works like “The Jin Ping Mei” (The Plum in the Golden Vase) and “The Carnal Prayer Mat.” These texts often featured explicit sexual content and were considered classics of Chinese erotic literature.
4. Japanese Shunga: Shunga is a genre of Japanese erotic art and literature that emerged during the Edo period. This art form featured explicit depictions of sexual encounters and was often created in woodblock prints. Examples include works by famous artists like Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro.
5. Persian poetry: Persian poets like Rumi and Hafez, known for their mystical and romantic poetry, often explored themes of love and desire in their works. While not explicit in the way some European erotica might be, their poetry is rich in sensuous and romantic imagery.
6. African erotic art: Various regions in Africa have a history of erotic art, often tied to fertility and rites of passage. These works can be found in sculptures, paintings, and textiles, reflecting the diverse cultures and traditions of the continent.

All these works offer a glimpse into the diverse ways in which different societies approached and depicted these themes in their art and literature.

Renaissance smut.

Erotic literature in the Renaissance, which spanned roughly from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe, was a period of significant artistic and cultural transformation.

During this time, there was a revival of interest in the classical cultures of Greece and Rome, which included a rekindled fascination with themes related to human desire, sensuality, and sexuality.

This period witnessed the creation of various works of erotic literature that reflected the changing societal norms and intellectual trends of the era.

The Renaissance was marked by the rise of humanism, an intellectual movement that emphasised the importance of human experience and individualism. Humanism encouraged the exploration of the human body, emotions, and desires, which found expression in both art and literature.

Some notable works of erotic literature from the Renaissance:

1. The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre: Marguerite de Navarre, a French writer and sister of King Francis I of France, authored The Heptameron, a collection of short stories. Like The Decameron, by which it was inspired, it includes tales that explore themes of love and desire, often through the lens of courtly and extramarital relationships.
2. The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: A mysterious and enigmatic work of erotic literature, this 15th-century Italian book is a combination of love story, allegory, and dream narrative. It features elaborate woodcut illustrations and explores themes of love and desire through its protagonist’s dreamlike adventures.
3. “The Ragionamenti” by Pietro Aretino: Also known as Sei giornate, are a pair of erotic Renaissance dialogues (1534, 1536) taking place across six days. In the first Ragionamento of three days, between Nanna and Antonia, the two women discuss the life options open to Nanna’s daughter, Pippa, to become a nun, a wife or a whore. In the second Dialogue, between Nanna and Pippa, the relations between prostitutes and their clients are discussed.
4. Shakespearean Sonnets: Some of William Shakespeare’s sonnets contain themes of desire and passion, including the famous “Sonnets to the Dark Lady” series, which explore the complexities of love and lust.

The Renaissance was a time of great cultural experimentation, and this included the exploration of erotic themes in both literature and art.

These works not only reflected the changing social and cultural dynamics of the period but also contributed to the evolution of the novel as a literary form and the depiction of human desires in a more complex and nuanced manner.

Victorian erotica.

The Victorian era in England is known for its stringent social and moral codes.

In contrast to the prevailing norms of the time, some authors explored and even celebrated the more sensual and taboo aspects of human desire.

Not much is known about the life of the artist using the pseudonym of Martin van Maële. He was born in France, in 1863, and worked as an illustrator in Brussels and Paris, drawing artworks to accompany poems by Paul Verlaine, a novel by H.G. Wells, and French translations of Sherlock Holmes stories.

Throughout the course of his life, van Maële created stacks on stacks of erotic illustrations, allowing others to glimpse into the most private nooks and crannies of his mind’s eye. The explicit drawings range from playfully sexual to graphically bizarre, showing religious symbols interwoven with surrealist visions like penis-geese and horny skeletons.

— Priscilla Frank, Dive Into The Fantasies Of An Obscure 19th Century Erotic Illustrator (NSFW)

One of the most notable works of smut from this period is My Secret Life by “Walter”, a memoir describing the author’s sexual development and experiences, and was first published in a private edition of eleven volumes, at the expense of the author. The work itself is enormous, amounting to over one million words, the eleven original volumes amounting to over 4,000 pages.

The text is repetitive and highly disorganised and the literary quality is negligible, but its frank discussion of sexual matters and other hidden aspects of Victorian life make it a rare and valuable social document. According to Steven Marcus, it is virtually the only source for information on London’s houses of prostitution, in which Walter spent many hours. It has been described as “one of the strangest and most obsessive books ever written”.

— Wikipedia, My Secret Life (memoir)

Despite the controversy and suppression it faced in the Victorian era, My Secret Life is now regarded as a valuable historical document and an example of how some individuals in the past navigated and expressed their desires in a repressive social environment.

It serves as a testament to the enduring human fascination with eroticism and the creative ways in which authors have explored these themes throughout history.

A word (of warning) on the Marquis de Sade and his writings.

The Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), was a French nobleman, writer, and philosopher known for his provocative and highly controversial works of literature.

He is most famous for his explicit and often sadistic writings, which explore themes of sexual deviance, violence, and extreme libertine behaviour.

The Marquis de Sade was born into a prominent aristocratic family and his life was marred by a series of scandals and criminal activities, including sexual assaults and acts of cruelty (rape, murder, and poisoning among them).

De Sade’s deviant behaviour led to multiple imprisonments, and he spent a significant portion of his life in various prisons and asylums.

Today de Sade is best known for his literary works, which include novels, plays, and essays. His writings are characterised by their explicit sexual content, sadistic themes, and philosophical exploration of human nature.

Though he’s today hailed as one of the prominent libertine writers, his most notorious works include “Justine,” “Juliette,” and “The 120 Days of Sodom”, novels that depict graphic scenes of sexual violence, cruelty, and depravity.

De Sade emphasised the unrestrained pursuit of pleasure as the rejection of societal norms and morality.

He rejected the constraints of morality, religion, and societal conventions, arguing that if there is no higher right or wrong, the only “true” thing to do is to follow your every whim (no matter the cost to other people, yourself or society).

He viewed violence, cruelty, and sadism as integral components of human nature.

De Sade’s name has given rise to the term “sadism,” which describes the enjoyment of inflicting pain or suffering on others.

While the Marquis de Sade’s works are widely regarded as obscene and offensive, they have also been studied as literary and philosophical texts that engage with questions of human nature, morality, and desire.

His writings have had a lasting impact on discussions of censorship, freedom of expression, and the boundaries of art and literature.

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