Books & Magazines

Erotic fiction is the name given to fiction that deals with sex or sexual themes, generally in a more literary or serious way than the fiction seen in pornographic magazines and sometimes including elements of satire or social criticism. Such works have frequently been banned by the authorities.

History

Classic erotica from the Roman period includes the Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter (later made into a film by Pasolini) From the Medieval period we have the Decameron (1353) by Giovanni Boccaccio (also made into a film by Pasolini) which features tales of lechery by monks and the seduction of nuns from convents. This book was banned in many countries. Even five centuries after publication copies were seized and destroyed by the authorities in the USA and the UK. For instance between 1954 and 1958 eight orders for destruction of the book were made by English magistrates.