Erotics

Erotics refers to the expression, study, and experience of sexual desire, attraction, and arousal as they appear in culture, art, literature, philosophy, and social life. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with erotica, but in scholarly contexts it often denotes a broader field that analyzes how bodies, pleasures, and power are constructed, represented, and negotiated.

Origins of the term trace to Greek eros, the personification or principle of passionate love. In contemporary usage, erotics may address how erotic meanings are produced through language, imagery, ritual, and social norms, including how consent, gender, and identity shape desire.

Historically, erotic imagery and texts appear in many civilizations, from ancient sculpture and poetry to medieval romances and East Asian literature. In the Western tradition, Enlightenment and later modern critical theories examined eroticism through psychology, aesthetics, and morality. Sigmund Freud and others linked erotic aims to development and culture; feminist and queer theorists have analyzed power relations in erotic representation and practice. Cross-cultural studies highlight diverse frameworks for understanding sexuality and desire.

Today, discussions of erotics often distinguish between erotica—works intentionally designed to arouse aesthetic or emotional response—and pornography, which is typically focused on explicit sexual depiction. Scholars examine ethics, consent, body autonomy, and the politics of representation, including the intersection of race, class, and disability. Erotic art and literature continue to function as modes of personal expression, social critique, and cultural negotiation.

While the term can refer to personal sexuality, in academic and art contexts erotics emphasizes the cultural meanings and social power surrounding desire rather than only private experience.