Humor and Erotica

[SimonDoom]

Do you think humor and erotica mix? I get the feeling that opinions on this subject are all over map.

If you DO like it, what do you like about it? What kinds of things make you laugh in an erotic story? What things don't?

I've been thinking about it because I just published my second story in the Humor and Satire category today -- https://www.literotica.com/s/a-story-and-its-readers. Like my last Humor story, it's a kind of "meta-story," playing with conventions and reader expectations. In this case the first half is a very short over the top cuckold story, followed by a series of "comments" that I intended to represent (I hope amusingly) the gamut of the responses one gets to cuck stories. I was partly inspired by all the crazy comments I've received and read over the years to my cheating wife/hot wife stories, and also by Nabokov's Pale Fire.

It's not intended to have any serious purpose or satirical intent. It's played purely for cheap laughs.

I think sex and erotica are, if you look at them a particular way, inherently funny subjects. They bring out so much human vanity, insecurity, pretension, and folly. Think about the movie American Pie, for example--very sexy and very funny at the same time.

 

[Bamagan]

Personally, I think humor mixes well with just about anything, with the caveat that one person's knee-slapper is another's tooth-grinder or eye-roller. I'm a fan of puns and other word-play and try to include it in most of what I write.

 

[NotWise]

I recall a long-ago thread on humor in erotica, and the considered opinion of one respected member that humor was inconsistent with erotic tension.

To each their own. I love writing what I think are wry or funny scenes, but I prefer having my characters pull them off, rather than the narrator.

I can't speak for the readers. Some may like it, some may not.

 

[SimonDoom]

Personally, I think humor mixes well with just about anything, with the caveat that one person's knee-slapper is another's tooth-grinder or eye-roller. I'm a fan of puns and other word-play and try to include it in most of what I write.

I figured you'd be on the "pro" side. I agree, though, taste in humor is so personal that it's a genre where it's especially hard to please everybody.

By the way, I have you (in alter ego form) as one of the "commenters" in my story posted today. I think you'll be amused. There are about five other Author's Hangout contributors similarly featured.

 

[mildlyaroused]

I'll preface this by saying that I don't read the Humour & Satire genre, and I probably won't ever write there - so what I say next applies more generally to serious (played straight) stories with elements of humour on the side.

I think it works (I don't think humour and erotica are inherently at odds), but it is tricky to make it work. For me, the humour has to be derived from the characters: it has to reflect their personalities, histories and dynamics. This is especially true if you have a moment of humour or satire in an otherwise steamy scene. It's hard not to break the mood. It has to be something which the characters would believably indulge in, which does happen in real life, but which often reads awkwardly on the written page.

These things apply to writing in general. It's incredibly difficult to write humour. Not least because you don't have the charisma of actors or the presence of visual comedy to rely on. Maybe for this reason, almost all of the humour in my novels or erotic stories is a subtle and understated sort of irony. Others may be more skillful in writing overt humour. I've never been good at writing it, because I always find the funniest things in real life to be highly spontaneous!

TLDR: I like to read it when it's done well, but I'm not skillful enough to write knee-slappers or give advice on how to do so...

 

[ElectricBlue]

Do you think humor and erotica mix? I get the feeling that opinions on this subject are all over map.

I'm not sure that good humour, especially satire, is particularly erotic. I tend to walk away thinking, yeah, the satire's pretty clever, the spice, not so much.

 

[MyBareTorso]

I've posted a few stories in the "Humor & Satire" category, and these were some of my most enjoyable to write, and also the ones that satisfy me the most when I re-read them (yes, yes, l do that occasionally... I admit it!)...whether they're funny or not is for others to judge, but I absolutely believe that sex and humour can not only happily co-exist, but also enthusiastically fornicate!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Elements of humour in a erotic story can work. I use it regularly, mainly if I don't want my characters to be taking things seriously. Eg - some banter from my still to be published summer story between a guy and his lesbian friend.

"Thanks you two. You're the best!" Jane gave us both a quick peck on the cheek and skipped off, to the amusement of the others on the table.

"Well, I guess we'd better go as well," Kim said, and finished her drink.

"Suppose so." We said our goodbyes and jumped in the ute.

"Going to bed straight away?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm tired, but not sleepy tired, if you know what I mean. Any ideas?"

"Well, we could watch some tv, or maybe Uno..."

"You know? You know I don't swing that way, Andrew."

"Oh plah… You know what I mean. Uno, not you know. I know when it comes to games, you prefer poke-her, but I only found a pack of Uno cards."

 

[pink_silk_glove]

By the way, I have you (in alter ego form) as one of the "commenters" in my story posted today.

Really? How did you manage to change to a large annoying font?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Humour in conversation works well. I'm not sure I could find a scene plausible and characters likeable with no humour at all, though depends on the story.

I've done one story in H&S which was for Geek Pride - a bunch of board games geeks have a game and some sexy chat (and a blow job involved), solely to get to a bunch of frankly terrible boardgame-related puns. 50 of them.

The game in the story - there's no rule in Settlers of Catan *stopping* you trading a wheat or brick card for say a rock or wood plus a blow job - is somewhat erotic. The pages of punning conversation really aren't, but I couldn't resist.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Personally, I don't usually find stuff in H&S funny. Not a criticism. I generally don't find written humor funny, even if someone reading that same material out loud could have me on the floor laughing.

On the other hand, in stories that don't focus on teh funny, I think it adds something if the characters have a sense of humor.

Not to self-promote, but let me self-promote: "Coffee With Blushes" was originally, "Coffee With Laughter". The two main characters are close friends who enjoy cracking each other up. (I changed it because blushing seems more obviously sexy, and all three of the characters blush. Only two of them laugh.)

-Annie

 

[MajorRewrite]

I like erotic stories to be fun. What’s better than sexy AND funny in one story?

One of my stories, Intervention Wife, wasn’t originally intended to be funny but it quickly went that way and I went with the flow. The characters took control of the plot. The supportive comments were very gratifying because you can never be sure that humor will work.

 

[Bazzle]

Do you think humor and erotica mix? I get the feeling that opinions on this subject are all over map.

If you DO like it, what do you like about it? What kinds of things make you laugh in an erotic story? What things don't?

I've been thinking about it because I just published my second story in the Humor and Satire category today -- https://www.literotica.com/s/a-story-and-its-readers. Like my last Humor story, it's a kind of "meta-story," playing with conventions and reader expectations. In this case the first half is a very short over the top cuckold story, followed by a series of "comments" that I intended to represent (I hope amusingly) the gamut of the responses one gets to cuck stories. I was partly inspired by all the crazy comments I've received and read over the years to my cheating wife/hot wife stories, and also by Nabokov's Pale Fire.

It's not intended to have any serious purpose or satirical intent. It's played purely for cheap laughs.

I think sex and erotica are, if you look at them a particular way, inherently funny subjects. They bring out so much human vanity, insecurity, pretension, and folly. Think about the movie American Pie, for example--very sexy and very funny at the same time.

Hey Simon,

I tried to write a humorous fan fic of Willy Wonka for the smoking community. It sort of worked.

Think humour is sometimes the wrong emotion erotica is trying to get to?

 

[AlinaX]

I recall a long-ago thread on humor in erotica, and the considered opinion of one respected member that humor was inconsistent with erotic tension.

Was that me?

 

[SyleusSnow]

I like erotic stories to be fun. What’s better than sexy AND funny in one story?

Exactly. The humor and satire category here doesn't get much love. Regardless, I think all erotica benefits from dashes of humor.

I wrote a WIWAW in this exact topic comparing one story with lots of humor and another written specifically to be comedic: WIWAW: A Farcical Flop. One was well-received. The other was not.

 

[AwkwardMD]

 

[AwkwardMD]

Real talk, there's a difference between writing comedy and writing a story that is funny/humorous/satirical. It would probably be hard to write comedy with sexy bits unless you're really into clowns, but a story that is funny/humorous/satirical can easily also be sexy in the same way that people themselves can be funny and sexy.

EDIT: I have written satire with sexy bits, and nobody ever told me it doesn't work.

EDIT 2: Editing Boogaloo: I lowkey wish I could convince a dozen of you to read Terrible Company to see if I succeeded in making actual satire, or if I just made the thing I thought I was satirizing, but Terrible Company is novel-length by the standards of the 90's and two novels in length by the standards of modern day publishing.

 

[Euphony]

humor was inconsistent with erotic tension.

Whoever it was, respectfully disagree.

As with any tool, it's how you use it, whether you maintain a balance and if you don't break flow in service of getting another, or worse cheap, laugh.

Humor between prospective couplings is connective. In jokes, playful digs, and just generally trying to raise your partners mood all work to increase will they/won't they tension of a reader 'shipped pair.

Trouble is, too many have a narrow view of sex as mostly genitals coming together or well tread societal scripts (roses, jewelry, romantic dinner, etc.)

Most are considering suitability long long before that, during little exchanges and the everyday, where humor not only fits but shines.

 

[yowser]

Sex is hard to write. Humor is hard to write. Put them together and it's like adding another one and a half twists to a Yurchenko vault. (Which doesn't mean you can't get a spectacular result.)

One observation: seems like everyone thinks they can write good sex. But a lot of writers recognise how hard it is to do good humor. With both, I'll assert, good timing is everything.

P.S. Simon, I thought your story was brilliant, and captured the bizarre flavor of LW commentary perfectly. My only wish is that it had gone into the LW category, but I totally understand why you decided as you did.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I think it's possible to write humor and satire into erotica. The situations themselves (if not the actual sex acts) can be both erotic and somewhat funny.

One of my stories in February ("I'll Hande It - 750 Words") takes a rather cheerful, lighthearted look at the stay-at-home wife in how she manages her household budget to help relieve her husband's stress.

And two years ago, I wrote my "The Users Guide - A Geek Pride Story" as a satirical guide to the wife's sexual behaviors, which then leads into her trying out the mentioned group of guys available for her relief.

Note, both of these and others of mine are in Loving Wives", and only rated near 3.0. I find it amusing to incorporate some satire with a high-energy, sexy wife (not a bimbo, but just high sex drive) to poke at the LW haters.

 

[MrPixel]

Playful humor is a big part of what I write. My characters have fun, sometimes silly fun. The MMC always has a pun or other wordplay in his basket of tricks, and willingly accepts payment in the form of mock slaps and eye-rolling.

 

[SimonDoom]

My sense of those who are more skeptical of the mix is that what they're saying is that they're looking for a particular sort of experience from an erotic story, and that the introduction of obviously humorous elements ruins or diminishes that experience. If that's so, I can understand that. To be blunt about it, if I'm using a story as an aid for sexual relief, laughing might get in the way of what I'm trying to accomplish. That's rarely what I'm looking for in an erotic story, so it doesn't necessarily interfere with my enjoyment.

 

[Lifestyle66]

My sense of those who are more skeptical of the mix is that what they're saying is that they're looking for a particular sort of experience from an erotic story, and that the introduction of obviously humorous elements ruins or diminishes that experience. If that's so, I can understand that. To be blunt about it, if I'm using a story as an aid for sexual relief, laughing might get in the way of what I'm trying to accomplish. That's rarely what I'm looking for in an erotic story, so it doesn't necessarily interfere with my enjoyment.

But some people find slap-stick comedy humorous, even though it's not funny to the recipient. An exhibitionist story, for example, might have a woman whose dress is caught in an escalator, ripping it off and leaving her exposed and embarrassed. Sexy and funny? Yes, to many people, but obviously not to her. EDIT: "Benny Hill" often used those kinds of slap-stick skits.

So, it probably depends on the reader's individual tastes and prejudices whether it works.

 

[SimonDoom]

Sex is hard to write. Humor is hard to write. Put them together and it's like adding another one and a half twists to a Yurchenko vault. (Which doesn't mean you can't get a spectacular result.)

One observation: seems like everyone thinks they can write good sex. But a lot of writers recognise how hard it is to do good humor. With both, I'll assert, good timing is everything.

I totally agree with this. I think it's easier to make a reader come than to make them laugh. I find that many writers can, with moderate skill, write a scene I find sexy and erotic. Far fewer writers can write a scene I find genuinely funny. Combining the two things is a tall order for an author.

P.S. Simon, I thought your story was brilliant, and captured the bizarre flavor of LW commentary perfectly. My only wish is that it had gone into the LW category, but I totally understand why you decided as you did.

Thanks for the kind remarks. I knew all along it was going in H&S, not LW, because its primary purpose is not as an LW story but as a comedy. The LW portion of the story is just the prelude; the meat is in the comments, and I wanted the focus to be on the humor rather than to be any sort of serious commentary about the LW category or its readers. I'm playing the whole thing for silly laughs.

I'm sure I would have far, far higher views by now if I'd published it in LW, but I doubt I would have had so many engaging comments, and that matters more to me. The engagement level for this story has been extraordinarily high by my usual standards. Only a little over 1000 views, but already 63 votes and 19 mostly positive comments. The vote:view and comment:view ratios are by far my best ever.

 

[SimonDoom]

But some people find slap-stick comedy humorous, even though it's not funny to the recipient. An exhibitionist story, for example, might have a woman whose dress is caught in an escalator, ripping it off and leaving her exposed and embarrassed. Sexy and funny? Yes, to many people, but obviously not to her.

So, it probably depends on the reader's individual tastes and prejudices whether it works.

I'm one of those people. I recall a scene in the TV sitcom Modern Family where that happens to Claire. It was a funny scene, but it was titillating and sexy, too. Exhibitionism, one of my favorite categories, is a category that lends itself to humor and erotica, because many people find the "being embarrassed by being nude in public" theme to be very erotic, but it's inherently ripe for comic treatment, too.