favorite historical eras / locations?

[fogbank]

I'm considering doing some writing around the early settlement of western canada--the era when women had existed almost exclusively in brothels, and suddenly there are regular women who will have sex for their own enjoyment at no expense... so really it's about the decommercialization of sex, a process that has probably happened thousands of times throughout history, but which is very different from current trends.

What historical eras and locations do you think are most ripe for erotic literature? The repression of Edwardian England? The liberal attitudes of ancient Rome? Maybe the decadence last years of the romanov dynasty in Russia?

 

[silverwhisper]

to be honest, i'm not a fan of historical fiction as a rule, erotic or otherwise, but that said...

me personally, i'm a big fan of sexual awakenings, so edwardian england has a certain appeal in some respects, but the very thing that makes it appealing is also the thing that annoys me: it would be too annoying to me to create the backstory and loving attention to detail it would require. the frisson of sexual tensions however is one of my favorite styles of wine. :>

ed

 

[mrmgp]

I've always been partial to ancient Rome, the Revolutionary War period, Edwardian era, and World War II era.

 

[Elayne]

How come no one ever considers the Mongols?

I've never read any good Mongol themed erotic literature.

Poor Mongols.

 

[mrmgp]

How come no one ever considers the Mongols?

I've never read any good Mongol themed erotic literature.

Poor Mongols.

I think John Wayne's movie The Conqueror pretty much ruined any hope of future Mongol-themed romance or erotic tales.

 

[Elayne]

It's sad that a movie I've never seen is ruining generations of Mongols.

Seriously though, I've seen a number of Victorian themes, a few Romans themes, and I believe an Edwardian theme.

But I rarely seen Mongols, geisha, or tantric lovers from the Far East.

I'd have to say I like the decadent Romanov idea though. Definitely something that could be a great thread.

 

[fogbank]

I like the Mongol idea; its a gorgeous era with the combination of tribal, nomadic lifestyle (lots of tents lined with fur rugs), and then the fantastic riches that they began to accumulate as they began to conquer the asian steppes. And since I have had sex in Mongolia, I think I am qualified to write this one! (Although it wasnt with a Mongolian woman. It was in a ger , though.)

 

[mrmgp]

to be honest, i'm not a fan of historical fiction as a rule, erotic or otherwise, but that said...

me personally, i'm a big fan of sexual awakenings, so edwardian england has a certain appeal in some respects

You would probably like the 1976 Koo Stark film Emily.

it would be too annoying to me to create the backstory and loving attention to detail it would require.

It's not so much the painstaking attention to detail of the backstory as making sure that you don't throw in ananchronisms or have characters talk in ways that they wouldn't have in past eras. For example, you couldn't write about a woman's tryst with a 17th Century French Musketeer and have anyone refer to the woman's genitals as a pussy since that term didn't come along until 19th century England (it stemmed from prostitutes being referred to as "cats" since they seemed to have so many horny males hanging after them like tomcats). You couldn't write about a Flying Tigers pilot getting shot down over a 1939 China where he finds a lonely, hot and horny young Chinese woman with whom he has a fling and have him a) be a Flying Tiger in the first place, since they weren't started until 1941, and b) have him in his dogfight with a Zero since that Japanese plane wasn't introduced into combat in China until August 1940. You don't have to go in depth in your study of history, but it helps to research a few things here and there to make sure a historical romance has a realistic feel to it. It's a little more challenging than writing a contemporary story, but not so much that authors should feel too daunted to take on the task.

 

[Erotic-Kiss]

All that said... and to prove myself completely devoid of any worldliness.... I'm still going to choose the "western U.S. expansion" and/or "cowboy" era. Mainly because of the absolute wildness of it, the shortage of women (who weren't working in brothels, as was mentioned earlier in Canada) and the extreme social morays that seemed to melt away in the face of desire/passion or boredom.

 

[Guyanonymous]

What about Europe or the US in the 20's - an altogether debauched era of fun and promiscuity - at least in the culture centres like Paris and New York.

Great outfits, good lines, and a lot of available background to flesh out the story.

D

 

[Erotic-Kiss]

What about Europe or the US in the 20's - an altogether debauched era of fun and promiscuity - at least in the culture centres like Paris and New York.

Great outfits, good lines, and a lot of available background to flesh out the story.

D

That would be great... and I concur about the great outfits!

 

[Guyanonymous]

And what about the periods of time surrounding a)Salem witch trials b)the Spanish inquisition, or c)the 60's as birth control became widespread and the sexual revolution began

 

[BedtimeStories]

What historical eras and locations do you think are most ripe for erotic literature? The repression of Edwardian England? The liberal attitudes of ancient Rome? Maybe the decadence last years of the romanov dynasty in Russia?

Any Century's/Country's witch trials. Perhaps the Witch Judge or even jailers taking their liberties out of the accused.

Any kind of Pirate theme.

Any kind of Medieval/castle theme with a young chambermaid being taken by whatever royalty lives in the castle.

Any kind of era/theme where you can work in BDSM, forced submission, slavery, etc.

 

[Never]

Japan under the shogunate.
pre-Columbus Aztec.
Early Sumerian.

 

[snooper]

... pre-Columbus Aztec. ...

I started to write in this era - do you have any idea how much research you need, and how difficult it is to find accurate information?
And I wondered how the reader would get on with all those (unpronounceable) names.

 

[Never]

You might want to try 'The Aztecs' by Richard F. Townsend.

 

[Michi_Knickers]

18th century europe. lots of heaving bosoms and randy aristocrats hehe I would have been a humble serving girl and the wicked master of the house has his way with me!

 

[rounder03]

Favorite eras:

1. Medieval Europe
2. Ancient Rome
3. Pre-Civil War South (lots of good interracial themes)
4. Crusades
5. Revolutionary War American Colonial period
6. American 1800's West

Regarding the need for historical accuracy, I agree that a little research is helpful; however, I don't think that one has to strive for perfection in every detail in order to please the fans of "historical" erotica. For instance, I think most would forgive small errors in details (most of the "classic" movies we enjoyed for years contain many of these factual errors...yet that didn't prevent us from being entertained). Heck, most of us don't even notice these errors unless we are historians or archaeologists. That being said, I think the most glaring errors (whether literature or cinema) occur in the dialogue. The characters should speak (and act) in a manner consistent with the era in which they live; otherwise, the illusion is spoiled. I'm sure everyone has read stories or seen movies in which the characters used modern slang or exhibited attitudes not prevalent in those days. That (to me) is far worse than having the characters use the wrong weapon or having the chronology be off by a year or two. I wish more writers would attempt historical erotica...I think many are scared off by the idea that they don't know their history well enough and that they will make mistakes.
BTW...in some cases, the setting itself can make the story more erotic by increasing the "taboo" factor (for instance, lesbianism in the 1800's was far less acceptable than it is today).

Writers who want to attempt this genre might try reading Marcus Van Heller's historical tales (House of Borgias, Loins of Amon, etc.) or might check out The Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica.

 

[Barry C]

Historical Events not a specific era

The idea would be when the European powers colonised the rest of the world places such as Australia are very exotic locations and a lot of testosterone with few woman to satisfy that need and little chance to say no cant run anywhere.

 

[snooper]

... That being said, I think the most glaring errors (whether literature or cinema) occur in the dialogue. ...

Oh, no. The biggest laugh was the famous Roman Soldier wearing a wristwatch ...

 

[rounder03]

Oh, no. The biggest laugh was the famous Roman Soldier wearing a wristwatch ...

Haw Haw!!! Now, that IS a good one! Guess the sundial on his wrist kept getting in the way of his spear-throwing! Or maybe he was an extra who wanted to make sure that he didn't miss the catering truck for lunch.

 

[Mikro]

French Revolution

I'm considering doing some writing around the early settlement of western canada--the era when women had existed almost exclusively in brothels, and suddenly there are regular women who will have sex for their own enjoyment at no expense... so really it's about the decommercialization of sex, a process that has probably happened thousands of times throughout history, but which is very different from current trends.

What historical eras and locations do you think are most ripe for erotic literature? The repression of Edwardian England? The liberal attitudes of ancient Rome? Maybe the decadence last years of the romanov dynasty in Russia?

For me it would have to be the time of the French Revolution.

Every citizen in France had right's, and if you didn't want somebody to have any right's all you did was report them to the Citizens Comittee and they and their family all lost their head's. (No pun intended)

The women were suddenly free of any restriction's and did what or who ever they wished, nobody dared say no. A great and terrifying time in history.

And then of course along came boring nutty King George (i think) and stopped it all spoilsport

 

[snooper]

For me it would have to be the time of the French Revolution.

Every citizen in France had right's, and if you didn't want somebody to have any right's all you did was report them to the Citizens Comittee and they and their family all lost their head's. (No pun intended)

The women were suddenly free of any restriction's and did what or who ever they wished, nobody dared say no. A great and terrifying time in history.

And then of course along came boring nutty King George (i think) and stopped it all spoilsport

Ignoring all the apostrophes on plurals, I am sorry to have to tell you that King George was never the King of France.

 

[Mikro]

Ho Hum

Ignoring all the apostrophes on plurals, I am sorry to have to tell you that King George was never the King of France.

Der! Ho Hum

 

[rounder03]

Ignoring all the apostrophes on plurals, I am sorry to have to tell you that King George was never the King of France.

Well, quite possibly he was...at least in his own mind (see "The Madness of King George" movie). All kidding aside, that sort of minor' error should be avoided in historical fiction.