literotica

English

Etymology

Blend of literature +‎ erotica. Genericized from the trademark Literotica held by Sunlane Media for the free erotic fiction website literotica.com, which started in 1998.

Noun

literotica (uncountable)

1. Erotic literature.
   • 2001, Ian Philips, See Dick Deconstruct: Literotica for the Satirically Bent, San Francisco, Calif.: AttaGirl Press, →ISBN, back cover:

     Whether it’s the tale of the televangelist who meets his match in Hell or the gay moralist who finds the man of his dreams at a circuit party or the skater boy who’s seduced by a Whitman-quoting bear or the Black leatherdaddy with a secret fondness for the color khaki or the Long Island housewife who beats the Devil at his own game, there is definitely something in this collection of literotica to arouse anyone who is queer in the head.

   • 2007, “From Young, Wild, and Sexy: Bob Cochran (1970)”, in Simon Sheppard, editor, Homosex: Sixty Years of Gay Erotica, New York, N.Y.: Carroll & Graf Publishers, →ISBN, page 69:

     Sure, most pulps of the day featured horny wrestlers, well-hung lumberjacks, and the like, but it would be a mistake to think that until the 1990s’ rise of “literotica,” serious themes—and anxieties—were altogether absent from gay porn.

   • 2023, Michele Kirichanskaya, Ace Notes: Tips and Tricks on Existing in an Allo World, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 144:

     Many people like erotica, and fanfiction plays into the field of literotica, engaging with the reader’s desires intellectually.

Further reading

• “literotica”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.