When does Romance become Erotica?

[alexbeecroft]

:boat: I'm wondering about this for a lot of reasons, but in particular because I noticed that Captain's Surrender has been given Linden Bay's highest rating or heat level.

Now I happen to know that out of 184 pages, there are about one and a half pages worth of sex scenes. (I'm talking bedroom scenes, not just kissing.) These sex scenes are relatively explicit - let's say, they name certain body parts ;) But still, two and a half sex scenes in a whole book - it's not what I'd call erotica.

Which makes me wonder how you define erotica in the first place. Does 'Romance' have to have no sex scenes at all? Does *any* m/m action automatically mean that a book is considered erotica - even if there's more sailing than sex?

I'm puzzled! :confused: Can anyone help me sort this out?

[hollie]

xmasreindeer it probably is because its m/m but how do you get half a sex scene??

[alexbeecroft]

xmasreindeer it probably is because its m/m but how do you get half a sex scene??
LOL! I probably should be all mysterious about it, but really it's just like a scene on TV when the camera sweeps in on the action and there's a couple of lines of dialogue, and it sweeps out again, leaving them to get on with it in private. Kind of like that :)

[hollie]

xmasreindeer ok so now you said it that was obvious

[Karenne]

ohh...I just saw this on MySpace. They are asking something along this line and asking for people to submit their answers:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=280278475&blogID=332558631

xmastreedecor

[alexbeecroft]

xmasreindeer ok so now you said it that was obvious
*g* I'm glad it made some sense :)

[alexbeecroft]

ohh...I just saw this on MySpace. They are asking sometehing along this line and asking for people to submit their answers:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=280278475&blogID=332558631

xmastreedecor
Ooh, thanks Karenne! That looks interesting. I'll toddle along there and give my opinion, which is that I don't actually know and I wish someone would tell me! ;)

[Karenne]

xmasrofl Yeah..let ME KNOW when you find out!xmastreelights

[alexbeecroft]

xmasrofl Yeah..let ME KNOW when you find out!xmastreelights
LOL! It looks as though we have to wait until March 10th to find out.

[Wulfila]

While I would define erotica by looking at the sheer quantity of sexually explicit content in a book (and also by considering the question how much of a plot exists), I believe that some ratings are also triggered by the quality and/or details of such scenes. Anything that deviates from the expected and "normal" can probably push something into erotica territory rating-wise while a similarly explicit, more conventional scene would not be noticed equally much.

[alexbeecroft]

While I would define erotica by looking at the sheer quantity of sexually explicit content in a book (and also by considering the question how much of a plot exists), I believe that some ratings are also triggered by the quality and/or details of such scenes. Anything that deviates from the expected and "normal" can probably push something into erotica territory rating-wise while a similarly explicit, more conventional scene would not be noticed equally much.
Yes, it seems clear from Linden Bay's rating system that anything 'non-traditional' automatically gets their highest rating. In a way, if I was rating Captain's Surrender as fanfiction, it would still get an NC-17 because at least one of those sex scenes is fairly explicit. But it does seem confusing when that puts the book in the same class as others where there's a sex scene every page. I guess it will just have to find its own level via reviews and word of mouth - and I shouldn't expect that to happen before it's even out!