Smutory: A History of Smut
Mirror, mirror on the wall.. who's the sexiest scholar of them all?
It's Me!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have climbed the academic ladder to become a smut historian. I am just waiting for my diploma to arrive from Etsy!
Anyway…what did I actually do this past month?
Well, I set out on a mission to learn more about smut and how it evolved over the centuries. First, I wanted to get a very sound understanding of what smut actually is. I wondered: what is classified as smut? What is the difference between romance and erotica? And how can I gain an understanding of the authors? I then took that knowledge and applied it, by reading smut from many different time periods.
Okay, so, that was a lot of academic talk, but what did I actually learn?
Smut is so much more than people like to give it credit for. I say this because it is not just some provocative thing that exists just for arousal. Of course, it is there for that too, but it is also a literary tool that many well-known authors have used in order to tell profound stories of human connection.
Contrary to popular belief, smut is not a genre, but rather a literary device. It is a type of scene in which sex is described in great detail. You can find smut in memoires, fantasy novels, sci-fi epics, ancient texts, and obviously in romance and erotica books. Some scholars say its purpose is to arouse the reader. Others believe that the character development coming from these scenes can be profound. Smut’s purpose is to capture a key element in many people's lives and to show the impact sex can have on a story or character.
The two most common genres that contain smut scenes are romance and erotica. Let me clarify: a romance novel is a story that hinges on a romantic plot line. In contrast, an erotic story depends on a sexual plot. If sex was removed from erotica, the story would not exist. For many, this difference is hard to differentiate because isn't every erotica a romance, just more focused on sex? Fair question, but no. Though smut may be a vital part of some romance stories, there are many romance books that are smut free. An erotica is a story where the most profound - if not all - character development and plot takes place during sexual scenes. Erotica could also be about an individual's journey through sex, whereas romance looks at a relationship between two or more individuals. Now, like with anything, authors can play with these genres and create exceptions to the rule but for our purposes, let’s keep this difference in mind.
Why is this exciting? Because we get such a wide selection of sexy stories. Now that we understand what smut is, we need to read some
One of the main things I wanted to learn is how long smut has been around. Has smut evolved with society? I would venture to say yes, but let’s find out.
In order to find the answer, I had to research different historical periods and their texts. I learned a ton of stuff, but beautifully, along the way, I fell in love with humankind a bit more.
Here it is: Smut History
Or, as I like to say,
SMUTORY
2nd or 3rd CE (or AD)
Daphnis and Chloe written by the poet Longus is a pastoral prose piece that is considered the first romance story to date. Not only was this the first written romance but it also was the perfect story with which to start my journey.
This story is in its most basic sense a story about what love is and what you do when you feel it. Whether love is something you have experienced or not, I’m sure you have an understanding of what love is. This story is about kids who were raised in Ancient Greece, who had never heard of eros, i.e. sensual or passionate love.
The story follows Daphnis and Chloe as they spend their childhood years together in a field herding goats and sheep.The two grow and observe the world around them. As they come into adolescence their hormones change and they start to be curious about their bodies and each other. The story takes them through conversations about love with their elders and many trials that test their love. Together they explore love on every level, emotional and physical. They share tender moments where they express both their fears and excitement when it comes to touching one another.
The beauty of this story was how human it felt. At first, there was an element of unrelatability because our modern minds cannot fathom how someone could not know what love is. Yet, as I read the story, I realized that their confusion and uncertainty, nerves and excitement, feel authentic and universal. These two kids are the same as every adult I know who has at one point felt shy, nervous, excited, aroused, or curious by the prospect of love. In today's society we understand the nuance and range that exist within sex and relationships and that everyone is different and wants different things. Furthermore, there are people who do not feel romantic feelings or do not like them. As a whole though, the majority of people can relate to these feelings.
Daphnis and Chloe is a story that beautifully highlights love, carnal desire, and what it is to love someone. It validates that stories of love and desire go as far back as stories about humans do.
14th Century
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, is a medieval collection of stories, written during the Black Death, a bubonic plague pandemic. Clearly, this was an extremely bleak time. In response, some authors produced work that would provide laughter and levity.
The Decameron aims to do just that. It’s basically a bunch of dirty tales. The book follows a group of people who are quarantaining together outside Florence, Italy. As one can imagine, when people who are stuck in a villa with very little to do, there is going to be debauchery. So in these stories, sex is everywhere, whether that is the characters having it or it’s in the stories they tell at their gatherings. They also tell dirty jokes that everyone loves.
One of these jokes was particularly funny to me. It’s about a young woman who would like to be serving God. A lecherous, old man tells her that God would appreciate her “putting the devil back in hell.” Let's use our imagination for a minute. Imagine a man has a body part that every once in a while “emerges” when it's “angry” and that this member is given the name “devil.” Now let's say that a woman has a “space” within her that the devil longs to be in and we call it hell. Then we can safely assume that God would be very pleased if we put the devil “back where he belongs.” Have you caught on yet? That young woman is happy to participate in anything that will help God! Eventually, she even decides that she quite enjoys helping God in this way and wants to help God ALLLLLLL the time. But the lecherous, old man can’t help God as often as she would like. So when news comes that she needs to return home, marry a young man, and inherit a fortune, he sends her off willingly. Now she gets to live in the city, in a fancy house, with her handsome husband AND gets to enjoy her religious practices :)
Needless to say, the people of medieval Italy found ways to bring laughter to the world. This effect is very often true for smut: smut makes people happy and feel less alone.
1888
My Secret Life is a memoir anonymously published over seven years with 11 volumes. It follows the sexual life of a gentleman in Victorian England.
This memoir is a perfect example of what happens when you tell a society that something is forbidden: people want to do it all the time! If you are familiar at all with your Victorian English history, you will know that sex was on everyone's minds! The good, the bad, and the damned. If you are unfamiliar, here is what you need to know: the Victorian era is thought of as a time when virtue, purity, and modesty were paramount. Yet, at the same time, sex and conversations about sex were synonymous with Victorian England.
So why is that? At the end of the 19th century, a “middle class” started to develop in England. A bi-product of this is that the individuals who rise up in social standing need something to validate their new-found status. Most often they become a very religious and righteous group. They can rationalize: “Of course we have been given luck and wealth because we are good in the eyes of God.” Obviously there is much more to this phenomenon, but for our purposes, what you need to know is that this was a time when a pious gospel was being spread. But, if history has taught us anything, it's that people are people and they are going to have sex, whether they are poor and sad or rich and bored.
But you may be saying, “Wait, Liv, isn't the Victorian era when all the brothels were popping up?” Why yes, my smut enthusiasts, that is also true!
The Victorian era had an abundance of art and stories talking about sex. To me what makes this era stand out compared to previous periods of time is that sex sure got a hell of a lot more interesting in these stories. See, pleasure houses, brothels, kink palaces, fantasy gardens, or whatever you want to call them, were extremely common in Victorian England. These places allowed people to practice any kind of sex they were interested in. BDSM was very popular at this time, specifically flogging. Get this: flogging was so common that it used to be called the British vice!
The story of My Secret Life is a great snapshot of the time. It is extremely sexual but a bit removed in its storytelling. I can confidently say this is the most vulgar and sexual thing I have ever read, while also being the most clinical and unsexy thing I have ever read. The memoir is basically a bunch of journal entries that are set up in a “this-happened, then this-happened” kind of way. The narrative arch is so loose, it feels more like reading a study. Another aspect that makes it feel clinical is the language. It was very aggressive and vulgar coming from a character who is so obsessed with sex. It makes your skin crawl a bit. Also, the way women were used in this book was deeply upsetting. The lack of consent was abysmal. Now I will say, I only read excerpts of the book because it is over 1 million words long. While I had planned to read more, I could not stomach it. So there's a chance that I missed some real genuine connection or an overarching message but, honestly, I doubt it. One day, I might be strong enough to go back and finish it but that day is not today.
What we can take away from the success and popularity of this gentlemen’s memoir is that people were fascinated by smutty books. People searched out underground erotica so they could read about sex. Pornography and smut have shown us for centuries that people are interested in sex on more than just a physical level, but on an emotional, intellectual, and philosophical level as well.
1940’s
Little Birds Erotica by Anaïs Nin is a collection of erotic short stories. The book was published in the early 1970’s but all stories were written and sold separately in the 40’s.
Basically, from the Victorian era and the Industrial Revolution onward there was always an underground presence of erotica, normally sold at “adult bookstores” or published in “nudy magazines.” Much like in Victorian England, the 1940’s and 50’s in America with McCarthyism and ideals of wholesomeness, this was a time when anything with sex positive language and art were cracked down on. But did that stop the production or the existence of smut???
Say it with me, class! No! People will be people. People will have sex!
So erotica still existed and many famous authors during this time would sell salacious erotica under pen names in order to make money. I wanted to look specifically at Anaïs Nin because she is considered one of the first female authors to be credited with writing erotica. Today, romance and erotica are heavily dominated by female authors, but that has not always been the case.
From her incestuous relationship with her father, her two husbands, to her many lovers (many of whom were authors and women) Nin had a wealth of experience to pull from, for her stories. What fascinated me most about her was her way of unapologetically writing erotica that was taboo, kinky, and salacious. Her stories are rooted in the deepest, darkest parts of desire. Her work does not pass judgment on itself or the curiosity of her characters. It simply is. Nin understood that what she was writing was pornography. If she judged it or made a social agenda of it, it would not have had the desired effect nor would people have read it. And in the end, she wrote it because she knew people would read it and she needed the money to buy food.
Though Nin wrote short stories, she definitely brings us to narrative storytelling. This work feels the closest to the modern-day novels. Daphnis and Chloe and The Decamerone use an old style of narrative that feels more like oral storytelling or theater, whereas My Secret Life is like an essay. Nin’s work is really the first time in this study where we start seeing smut in the form of narrative fiction.
1970’s
The Falcon and The Flower by Virginya Henley is a perfect study of a bodice ripper novel. Bodice Rippers are a type of romance novel that are synonyms with the genre in publishing throughout the 70’s. At the time of publication, these books were considered periode pieces. Today, we file these types of books under the historical romance subgenre. However, Bodice Rippers are not just historical romance books from the 70’s, they also have defining characteristics.
One of those distinct characteristics was the super sexy cover where the female character’s bosom is nearly spilling out or her dress and it is in the process of being removed by Fabio (Fabio was not the only cover model, but definitely the most famous one). The sexy cover actually highlights the other defining aspect of Bodice Rippers, one which ended up leading to the demise of these books. It’s the glaring lack of consent that pervades these books.
So I just want to say: “Fabio, you must ask before you ravage a maiden’s bosom!”
One thing we need to remember is: the books we’ve looked at so far are all set in time periods when women were still considered men’s property. Women were sold from father to husband, regardless how they felt about the arrangement. Now add the element that high-born ladies often were uninformed about the topic of “the marriage bed” i.e sex. They only truly understood what sex was, once they were experiencing it. And it was mostly “happening to them” rather than being active participants. With that background you can see how these stories would often run into issues with consent, not to mention trust, connection, and love.
The Falcon and The Flower definitely had this problem. Though we saw a narrative development from our previous books in the study, this story also had some very questionable attributes, like the fact that the heroine repeatedly has to fight off the hero's sexual advances. Throughout the entire book, the hero wants her but she doesn't want him. Seems like a very problematic premise to base a romance book on!!! She repeatedly asks him not to touch her and he simply does not listen. Tragically, the hero ends up being a way more likable character then she ever does. So the reader is put in this odd place of hating his behavior but disliking her so much that you kinda feel bad for him. Problematic!
Obviously, there were Bodice Rippers that were exceptions to this rule, but most were questionable from a feminist perspective. These books, at the time, had a huge readership. They were a clear jumping off point for the romance genre and its following, but as the genre expanded so did women's voices and rights. The 70’s were all about sexual empowerment and gender equality. If these books were supposed to be written by women for women, then let's start making books that have relationships that are actually aspirational, right?
2010’s
Fifty Shades of Gray by E. L. James is one of the biggest examples of how far the genre has come.
In the 90’s when the internet was invented, one of the things it did was give people a voice. Publishing had previously been by invitation only. A published book got into your hands because someone at a publishing house deemed it worthy of publication. But with the internet that middle man was erased. Obviously, traditional publishing still exists but now authors who aren't represented, or don’t have a publishing deal, can still get their writing in front of eye balls. You can upload anything to the internet for anyone to see. In the beginning, this was done through personal blogs, and sites like AO3, Tumblr, and eventually Wattpad.
But the kinds of stories that were predominantly published on the internet were Fanfiction. Fanfiction really started with Star Wars. People loved the story and loved the characters but saw different plot possibilities. And thus Fanfic was born. The readers of Harry Potter took the torch and ran with it. To this day there are still more Harry Potter Fanfic pieces written than any other.
This could be alternate endings, like what if Voldemort didn't lose, or alternative romantic plots. The most beloved option being Hermione and Draco love stories. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of “Dormine” Fanfic pieces out there. You can also find Fanfic about artists and celebrities. Harry Styles is immortalized in thousands of Fanfic pieces on Wattpad.
Fifty Shades of Gray comes from this genre. FSG is in fact a Fanfiction of Twilight. Before FSG was ever edited or published traditionally, it was the story of Edward, the billionaire CEO Dominant, and Bella, the English lit student. But FSG went on to be so popular that the story had to be edited and changed before it could be published traditionally due to copyright laws. Now the Fifty Shades franchise (the book, movies, and merchandising) is probably the most successful Fanfiction to date.
But why did this story get so popular? Well, if I analyze it in comparison to what we have been reading in Smutory so far, we have finally gotten to first person narrative fiction in our romances. I cannot highlight the importance of Anastasia’s voice in this book enough. After the distance romance readers were feeling from Bodice Ripper books, first person narrative became the gold standard to bring the reader into the character’s head to feel their desire. This is paramount with a book like FSG.
The story follows Anastasia Steal, a 22-year-old woman who meets the charismatic, yet jaded CEO, Christian Gray. His interest in her is clear from the beginning but when he explains that he is a Dominant who is looking for a Submissive, Anastasia (a virgin) feels out of her depth. This book could have all the warning signs of a messy, toxic, and potentially problematic story. But E.L. James uses Anastasia’s POV to help the audience see that yes, this is a complicated dynamic, but also there is undeniable desire. Through my studies there is no faster way to take a reader out of the work than if the smut doesn't feel wanted. But if the characters have mutual desire, their readers are more likely to connect with the romance.
Something else that we can not skip over when looking at the history of Smut is the way the female gaze and voice has changed over time. It is a well-known fact that in today's world, romance and erotica are read predominantly by women. But that shift took time. When I looked at the erotica I studied in this timeline, like My Secret Life and Little Birds, I noticed that they were written for a male audience. When Bodice Rippers came around, there was a shift to the female audience but, the male gaze within publishing was still present and true female gaze was not established.
FSG is where I really started to notice a shift in gaze and Anastia’s voice is that of a modern woman. Yes, one could argue that a story about a young woman contemplating being a Sub is perhaps not the most feminist story. But I believe it is feminist because this is a book in which the heroine gives into every fantasy and desire she has. She also has agency and pushes back when she questions things and Christian has no choice but to listen. For centuries, women have been told not to be sexual beings, especially when they were unmarried. But desire is a natural thing that happens. Anastatia listens to her “inner goddess” as the book says, and it seems to have resonated with millions of women across the globe, given how popular this book became. Now, I would say that there are much better books that exist for female sexual empowerment today (and I do ;) ) but for the time period, FSG was a game changer.
2020
BookTok by all of us. Lol, but it's the truth.
So we have discussed that the internet gave more people the opportunity to become authors, and some even became traditionally published authors after that. This then directly correlates to having much more content available to readers. With more content came more variety and diversity. We are now in a time where you can stand in a never-ending stream of romance and erotica book options.
And why is that so beautiful?
Because, not everyone is into everything. Imagine for instance that kinky books like FSG make you uncomfortable or bring up difficult emotions, but you love stories about love. Today, there are thousands of stories for you to read that have no dark themes in them. Another example would be if you are queer and you have a hard time finding stories that represent your experience. Well, now there are tons of options for every kind of relationship, spanning many different genres and subgenres. Representation within romance helps grow the audience. The more people who see themselves or what they want for themselves in these books, the more people will read them.
But I mentioned BookTok at the beginning of this. BookTok is a large group of content creators on the social media app TikTok whose content surrounds books and reading. So where does that come into this study, you ask? Well, BookTok, and specifically romance books, became really popular during lockdown in 2020. And why might that be?
1) I personally believe that romance got so big during Covid because the stories are often happy and light (not looking at dark romance with this statement, lol) and they kept people's minds on all the good and positive things in this world. It’s just like what the Decameron did during the Black Death. ALSO, if not most importantly, the books contained Happily ever afters. It is no secret that romance novels are pretty predictable; 95% of the time they end with a HEA. Reading a book in which readers knew that a couple would get together and would be happy, gave the readers sense of control they were so sorely lacking in real life.
2) People were isolated. They had no connection with the outside world except for social media. Many people were online 24/7. What else was there to do? Places like Facebook and Instagram, where everyone was giving life updates and thoughts on politics felt heavy. Now, while this also happened on TikTok, for the most part Tik Tok became this place for laughter, jokes, and the silly side of lockdown. People fled to the app to connect with people and share in the light. That's where BookTok really comes into play. People were able to find community because of these romance novels.
Even once Covid was over, BookTok stayed strong because so many people enjoyed this outlet and community around something they loved. Many women, LGBTQ+ members, and even some straight men found a new support system. There's also the element of sexual empowerment that quickly followed this romance trend. BookTok helped destigmatize smut and pleasure by amplifying and normalizing romance readers’ voices.
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So today, in November of 2024 I sit at my desk and look at the timeline of smut that I have just spent a month researching, and I am moved. This journey has only made me love smut and its authors and readers more. Human development is fascinating! I, as a human being myself, have never felt more seen or more normal.
See, sex is ever-present in history. You can try and hide from it but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I fully respect everyone's level of comfort when it comes to talking about sex, learning about sex, or reading about sex. That's rule number one of SMUNTH: you get to decide what you are comfortable with. But me, I am inspired by the fact that sex is not just an act between people behind closed doors, never to be talked about. It is something that can be studied to understand humans, our history, our innate need for connection, attention, and intimacy. It can even build vibrant communities. To me, it's something that unites us! Okay, get your mind out of the gutter. Actually…don’t! I encourage you to climb down into that gutter and look around. Learn something new down there, then come back and see if you see things a bit differently.
And to any of you who are a part of BookTok or any other reading community that is fraught with discourse right now because of political tension. Know that I see you and I know how hurtful it is to see communities being torn apart. But sometimes upleveling and upheaval are good. Sometimes we need to recenter and realign. Hopefully, by the end of this you will be left with a community around you that supports and listens to you. Anyone who actively doesn't respect you is not needed in your life. Also, remember that when times are difficult, people are just going to make more art. I think all the words above have proven that!
So I hope you feel lighter, smarter, and happier after reading this. And I hope I have given you lots to think about and lots of new questions! And if this inspires any questions you want me to look at, let me know!
That's all for now,
Happy reading and lots of love,
Liv.
Sources
Braidwood, Ella. “The Love Boom: Why Romance Novels Are the Biggest They’ve Been for 10 Years.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Dec. 2022, www.theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/13/love-boom-romance-novels-biggest-10-years-young-readers.
Cuccinello, Hayley C. “Fifty Shades of Green: How Fanfiction Went from Dirty Little Secret to Money Machine.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 June 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2017/02/10/fifty-shades-of-green-how-fanfiction-went-from-dirty-little-secret-to-money-machine/
Deczynski, Rebecca, et al. “A Short History of Smut.” Maude, maude, 28 Apr. 2022, getmaude.com/blogs/themaudern/a-short-history-of-smut?srsltid=AfmBOortkKT4LoGnGZHrgMe05nID3sg8C3osLfIDkLNLBbn3OaNPI1yd
“The Evolution of Smut Writing: Past, Present, and Future.” Suck Less At Content, 8 June 2024, www.sucklessatcontent.com/the-evolution-of-smut-writing-past-present-and-future/
Higgs, Micaela Marini. “Why We Still Call Them Bodice Rippers.” Racked, 31 Oct. 2017, www.racked.com/2017/10/31/16507794/bodice-rippers
Keesee, Alisan. “Fanfiction as Sex Education: Good or Bad?” Filthy, https://vocal.media/filthy/fanfiction-as-sex-education-good-or-bad Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Starsheep. “A Short History of Smut.” Notes from Starsheep, 23 Aug. 2024, countingstarsheep.com/a-short-history-of-smut/
