Transgression as a tool

[yowser]

While I have certainly written some tales close to real life situations (often elaborated, or otherwise modified for story-telling benefits) the vast proportion of my output involve an element of transgression, one way or another.

Of course transgression adds a level of excitement or suspense to almost any kind of story, erotic or not, as there is always another level of tension built in. Will the protagonist(s) be caught out? Seen? Discovered? Their private actions revealed? Have they done something illegal, immoral, or somehow damaging or unseemly?

This effectively means I have written all manner of stories involving activities I have never done, nor would contemplate doing, in real life. I suspect I am not alone.

On the other hand, there are stories/activities 180 degrees opposite to my 'morals' however you want to construe them (or at least my stance on erotic matters) that I will never approach. (I did a thread once on how far a writer could go in creating characters 'different' or opposite to themselves.)

How do you handle transgression as a theme in your stories? Does this element figure throughout your catalogue? Can you give an example of how it worked in one of your stories? Where removal of the transgressive element would have made for a far blander tale? How you milked it for effect?

For me, I think since my very first conscious thoughts, there's always been an allure for the forbidden.

 

[StillStunned]

It's a big feature of my voyeurism stories. The conflict between thrill and worry: hoping to see something, worrying about being caught, despising yourself for being a perv. Telling yourself you're going to walk away, but not just yet, just ten seconds more...

Without that conflict, the narrator might just as well be watching porn in their bedroom.

 

[NotWise]

Tension is often a big part of eroticism, and transgression can lie at the root of tension.

The whole I/T category is transgressive, as is much of the LW content I've seen, which isn't a lot. Maybe the whole concept of extramarital sex gets its popularity from the tension of transgression.

 

[PennyThompson]

Hmm that's an interesting question. I can think of two examples from my work, that have ended up going in different directions!

My very first story basically hinged on a professional transgression between a doctor and a patient, not a super uncommon trope, to be fair It was a bit of naughty wish fulfillment, the desire to have someone in a position of authority give a more inexperienced, shy person an excuse to let loose sexually. But it was also something that would be a clear ethical violation, and that would usually lead to horrific consequences in the real world.

I originally intended to just shrug that off, but as the series progressed it became clear to me that even in an exaggerated sex fantasy world there was an element of unhealthy coercion happening there, and it wasn't fair to my characters to sweep that under the rug. Ultimately by the end of the series, the doctor character had a reckoning and a realization of her wrongdoings, and had to seek a kind of forgiveness and redemption... although it was redemption through vigorous fucking

My other mildly transgressive story is also my most recent story, involving workplace voyeurism of a sort, followed by some behavior that would probably get people fired in the real world. But in this case I chose to write it in a way that there will be no negative consequences, no victims, and no reckoning. It's just a catalyst for liberation and growth, which might be an unrealistic fantasy, but it felt right in this situation!

 

[AG31]

How do you handle transgression as a theme in your stories? Does this element figure throughout your catalogue? Can you give an example of how it worked in one of your stories? Where removal of the transgressive element would have made for a far blander tale? How you milked it for effect?

For me, I think since my very first conscious thoughts, there's always been an allure for the forbidden.

Interesting question. I think I've thought about it now and then. Almost all of my stories involve BDSM, and, from my IRL perspective, are completely transgressive. But I don't think the forbidenness is a factor for me in the appeal of mine and others' stories. It's pretty clear that it certainly is a factor in a lot of erotica, but not for me personally.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Transgression is generally not popular here. There is too much character development in it and character development merely lowers your smut ratio - ie, it's more words to scroll over to get to the sexy bits.

In stroke stories, the readership by and large just wants sexy slutty girl to jump the guy. Why? Because she's horny and he's a nice guy who deserves some free pussy, so what the hell. No tension whatsoever.

In plot stories you can use some transgression but usually don't go overboard with it. Obviously certain categories have specific niches for it. Non-con inherently has transgression for instance. And Romance is the opposite. Your characters ideally should never transgress anything. They must be perfectly deserving of the HEA that is coming or you risk getting shut down. Apparently the Incest crowd does not like transgression either. Perhaps someone with more experience there can weigh in on that. but we hear it all the time, "infidelity and non-con are lead balloons in I/T."

Personally I love transgressive characters. I use them rampantly. All of my main characters have some degree of transgression. If they;re not fully bad and self-serving, then they at least make bad or even selfish decisions that they may regret, that get them into trouble, that they have to either repent for, pay the price for, or dig themselves out of a hole over. This is plot. This is character development. This is what gives a story depth. Why? Because my characters are human and they fuck up. That;s what humans do.

But the more that you use transgressive characters in your story, the harder it will be to score and be popular. Can be done, sure. It does happen, but nearly so often as all of the 4.8 and 4.9 fap sheets with zero tension or depth whatsoever.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Transgression can be against rules of society, or against something internal. "Straight woman goes gay" is a stable in LS, including some of my stories there, and IR is largely about transgression. (Just don't think too much about what they're transgressing against...)

"The Floggings Will Continue..." is my most intentionally transgressive story, since a major party of the story is people being manipulated into doing things they wouldn't normally do. It shows up a bit more subtly in "Loss Function": Nadja is a gay woman in a homophobic society, and that affects her personality.

 

[yowser]

It's probably not worthwhile to get into a discussion of transgression in general, but I posed it as a 'large tent' term. Others have pointed out that it is inherent in many categories: Incest will have a transgressive element, LW for the majority of stories which seem to be populated with acts of cheating or somehow violating monogamy. And those are the two gorilla categories here. But other categories are included as well. If I had to guess, I would say that First time, and yes Romance, likely have the largest percentage of pure 'non-transgression' elements: accounts of first kisses, virginities lost, first experiences, burgeoning relationships, etc. Arousals and attractions not governed much by transgression.

Not that it should have any effect on where this discussion goes (we know it will flow somewhere on its own volition) but I was curious how writers deal with transgression in their characters, or as an underlying factor that affects the story arc they create. Sex is so simple and complex at the same time, I am guessing that the 'forbidden' aspects of it, the kinds of activities you don't share with your colleagues at work or nearby neighbors, often provide some spice to the stew. Sex tends to occupy a unique corner of the human experience, different in quality from most others.

I had to give a glance at my corpus, about half of the tales have built-transgressive elements, perhaps none more so than in a loose series involving a couple bisexual dads with conflicted feelings about their activities together, juggling marriages and trying desperately to cope with their homophobic upbringings and wrestling with the notion of sexual pleasure in general. Throw in the wives and interpretations of monogamy and it gets to be an overheated stew, surely accentuated by the array of illicit elements present.

So have at it, I am hoping for broad interpretation.

 

[SimonDoom]

Transgression is a big feature of my stories. Most of them, I suppose. I use stories (reading and writing) to explore fantasies about erotic things I haven't actually done, and probably will never do, but that I get my kicks imagining doing. Transgressive subjects that have come up in my stories:

1. Incest
2. Exhibitionism and voyeurism
3. The slut/hot wife/girlfriend
4. Sex for money
5. Sex with a toy bear (not sure how to describe that)
6. Dominance and submission/power exchange

For me, crossing boundaries gives erotic stories more sizzle.

 

[NotWise]

I had to go back through my catalog and give some thought to how I've used transgression in my stories. First, everything contains some level of transgression. Erotica itself transgresses a social norm in the US. Tension is often important in erotica, and transgression is a source of tension.

Incest is highly transgressive, but my stories vary a lot in how I emphasize or de-emphasize the transgression. I tend to normalize the incestuous relationship and downplay the transgression.

My stories contain two broad categories of transgression: transgression of social norms, and transgression of relationship norms. Naked House is a non-incest example of a story that uses both. The main characters are nudists, and the relationship that outlives the end of the story involves a generational age gap. The story also violates one relationship to build another. The results? It's one of my least-popular stories, and my best guess as to why is that readers dislike the characters because of their transgressions.

It can work the opposite way as well. In Breaking with Tradition Cosima defies her father and her family traditions (which are generally not popular in current society) to go her own way. The story is transgressive at the personal level, but not at the social level. It's popular, probably because Cosima defies her family's expectations.

So transgression in my stories is not a single tool, but at least three tools: a source of underlying tension, a means of generating controversy, and a means of galvanizing support. I'm sure there are more.

 

[XerXesXu]

A lot turns on what 'transgressive' means to you. To me, it means things that I don't want to do and wouldn't do. I may write about those who transgress getting their comeuppance; I can see how that may be pleasing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

My most transgressive story (using the definition that seems to be bubbling up here - doing something that is against society's mores) is a breastfeeding story: I'll Need to Change the Sheets.

It's my most read story, with a strong score, a collection of positive comments - there's a bunch of people who obviously enjoy the kink.

"Transgressive" isn't a word I'd use to describe it, though. I'd use words like, "taboo", "kink", "fetish", long before I'd use "transgress". Not sure exactly why; maybe because the idea of doing something just because society wouldn't want me to do it is a bit of a meh, erotically. But doing something because, ooo, that's an intensely personal zing, that's different.

As a plotting device, I can definitely see the power of transgression, how it would generate conflict and tension in a story. But then, I don't do much plotting as such - my writing tries to catch mood and emotion. Some of my stories might not even be stories in the traditional sense.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

I think your definition of transgression is different than mine. What you describe feels more taboo to me, which is a feature is my stories if we already go by the teacher/schoolgirl part of my erotica, which is already most of my stuff, both published and unpublished.

Transgressive erotica is what I cook outside of Lit, though some of it bleeds here. Like Marquis de Sade, I am transgressive to add a lot of social commentary and make stance against the hypocresy and the repression of the place I live in, and the extreme polarization that the world is going through.

 

[AG31]

5. Sex with a toy bear (not sure how to describe that)

Will you let us know when you've finally figured it out and have written a story about it???

 

[SimonDoom]

Will you let us know when you've finally figured it out and have written a story about it???

I did: Teddy Bear

That is, I wrote and published. I can't yet say I've figured it out.

 

[AG31]

I did: Teddy Bear

That is, I wrote and published. I can't yet say I've figured it out.

Well, that was fun. I was going to welcome Stephen King to Literotica, until I decided, "No. Not exactly."

 

[TheRedChamber]

Nobody, I dont think, has given a firm definition of transgressive and Im not sure I'm the guy to do it. To me transgressive art is anything that tries to shake up society to put 'the cat amongst the pidgeons'

Thing is, this changes with time. Tess of the D'Urbervilles with its idea that unwed mothers might be worth some sympathy was transgressive in the 19th century. In the 1980s, books and television which dealt with gay relationships in a somewhat open and realistic way were transgressive. In 2025, I'm not sure I even know what counts as trangressive any more.Even less so on a website where Incest is one of the top categories.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

I have to go with @TheRedChamber here - I don't know if we've got a good working definition of transgression here. Because, at least based on some of the responses, it seems like the term is wide enough that I would think the vast majority of stories have some kind of transgression in them.

I mean, if we're talking about transgression as say, 'violating the norms and mores of the society you live in,' you could argue just about any unprotected sex between individuals who are not married is a transgression. At least, there are people out there who would argue that it is. Many of the categories - anal, incest, lesbian, gay, crossdressing, non-consent - all of these would fit that bill just by being in the category.

If transgression means something like "MC does something to another character that character doesn't like or would be seen as a betrayal" then I think that adds a different shade to things.

In the end, I don't know if you can really do a story without some kind of transgression, at least in the most basic sense of the word. It's almost inevitable. Maybe it's the kind of transgression that makes the flavor?

Can you do a completely transgression free story? I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I could see someone writing a story where the main characters are high school sweethearts who never do more than kiss until they're married, and then when they're married they have missionary sex with the lights off for the purposes of procreation. It would be boring as fuck, but you could do it. Anything beyond that and you're probably transgressing at least somebody's view as to what's acceptable behavior, even in 2025.

 

[NotWise]

Nobody, I dont think, has given a firm definition of transgressive and Im not sure I'm the guy to do it. To me transgressive art is anything that tries to shake up society to put 'the cat amongst the pidgeon'

From Oxford Languages:

1. involving a violation of moral or social boundaries.

Do you need more than that?

 

[TheRedChamber]

From Oxford Languages:

1. involving a violation of moral or social boundaries.

Do you need more than that?

Kinda. Murder violates moral boundaries but an Agatha Christy novel isn't transgressive. On the other hand, if your art is truly transgressive eg immoral why are you making it (you sick fuck)

 

[NuclearFairy]

Can you do a completely transgression free story? I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I could see someone writing a story where the main characters are high school sweethearts who never do more than kiss until they're married, and then when they're married they have missionary sex with the lights off for the purposes of procreation. It would be boring as fuck, but you could do it. Anything beyond that and you're probably transgressing at least somebody's view as to what's acceptable behavior, even in 2025.

No, I'm sure there are people out there that think any sort of kissing is wrong, that even after marriage having sex even from the sake of procreation is highly immoral and that holding hands while wearing gloves is skirting a very thin moral line.

 

[NotWise]

Kinda. Murder violates moral boundaries but an Agatha Christy novel isn't transgressive. On the other hand, if your art is truly transgressive eg immoral why are you making it (you sick fuck)

Per the definition, murder would be transgressive. A novel about solving a murder--not transgressive. A novel advocating murder--probably transgressive.

 

[NotWise]

I have to go with @TheRedChamber here - I don't know if we've got a good working definition of transgression here. Because, at least based on some of the responses, it seems like the term is wide enough that I would think the vast majority of stories have some kind of transgression in them.

I mean, if we're talking about transgression as say, 'violating the norms and mores of the society you live in,' you could argue just about any unprotected sex between individuals who are not married is a transgression. At least, there are people out there who would argue that it is. Many of the categories - anal, incest, lesbian, gay, crossdressing, non-consent - all of these would fit that bill just by being in the category.

If transgression means something like "MC does something to another character that character doesn't like or would be seen as a betrayal" then I think that adds a different shade to things.

In the end, I don't know if you can really do a story without some kind of transgression, at least in the most basic sense of the word. It's almost inevitable. Maybe it's the kind of transgression that makes the flavor?

Can you do a completely transgression free story? I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I could see someone writing a story where the main characters are high school sweethearts who never do more than kiss until they're married, and then when they're married they have missionary sex with the lights off for the purposes of procreation. It would be boring as fuck, but you could do it. Anything beyond that and you're probably transgressing at least somebody's view as to what's acceptable behavior, even in 2025.

In US society, eroticism is inherently transgressive. Eroticism is not the norm. The categories you list (anal, incest, lesbian, gay, crossdressing, non-consent) all add another level of transgression.

"MC does something to another character that character doesn't like or would be seen as a betrayal" isn't necessarily transgressive at all. Whatever it is that MC has done can be completely within the bounds of moral and social norms, but seen as somehow objectionable by someone with a different point of view.

I'd say, in the US, you can't write an erotic story that isn't transgressive, but there are shades of transgression.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Per the definition, murder would be transgressive. A novel about solving a murder--not transgressive. A novel advocating murder--probably transgressive.

I guess, if your art is immoral according to society, you're making it either a) because you don't think it is immoral and want to persuade others b) because you deliberately want to shock or c) (in erotica) because your kinks cross moral boundariesn

 

[NotWise]

I guess, if your art is immoral according to society, you're making it either a) because you don't think it is immoral and want to persuade others b) because you deliberately want to shock or c) (in erotica) because your kinks cross moral boundariesn

I don't think the definition requires that you know the artist's motivation.