What is "erotica"

1820, noun use of neuter Greek erotikos "amatory" (see erotic); originally a booksellers' catalogue heading.\n\nForce Flame\n
And with a Blonde push\n
Over your impotence\n
Flits Steam\n

[Emily Dickinson, #854, c.1864]

n. 1 erotic literature, art, decoration or other phenomenon; sometimes encompasses only material that is not pornographic and has or is purported to have artistic or social value, but also can include pornography, depending on the context and speaker. 2 Literary works focused on sexual situations and intended for the sexual arousal of readers. 3 Sexual images or objects.

n. creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire [syn: pornography, porno, porn, smut]

Erotica (from the Greek ἔρως, eros "desire") is any artistic work that deals substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing subject matter. All forms of art may depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, photography, drama, film, music or literature. Erotica has high-art aspirations, differentiating it from commercial pornography.

Curiosa is erotica and pornography as discrete, collectible items, usually in published or printed form.

Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on October 20, 1992, by the Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication, Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs featuring the singer. It marked Madonna's first release under her own multi-media entertainment company, Maverick. Erotica is a concept album about sex and romance; she incorporated an alter ego named Mistress Dita, inspired by actress Dita Parlo. Some songs also take on a more confessional tone, influenced by the loss of Madonna's two close friends to AIDS.

Madonna recorded the album in New York City with Shep Pettibone and André Betts while she was working on other projects. Pettibone sent her a tape with three songs when she was in Chicago, and shortly after they started the album's production in his apartment. During the sessions, they had problems during sequencing, and, as a result, Pettibone kept trying to move development as fast as possible as he did not want Madonna to lose interest in the music. According to him, Madonna's compositions were serious and intense, directing the creative direction of the songs into a deeply personal territory. The album's production was chronicled by Pettibone in an article called "Erotica Diaries", in Madonna's Icon magazine.

Erotica received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who regarded it as one of Madonna's most adventurous albums and praised her comments on taboos and AIDS. Commercially, the album was less successful than Madonna's previous records. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, becoming her first studio album not to top the chart since her debut. Internationally, it topped the charts in Australia and France, while peaking inside the top five in many other countries, such as Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Erotica was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold more than six million copies worldwide.

Six singles were released from the album, with the title track and " Deeper and Deeper" becoming top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was supported by Madonna's fourth concert tour, The Girlie Show World Tour, which visited cities in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia in 1993. Overlooked due to the controversy surrounding her coffee table book Sex, Erotica has been considered as one of the most underrated albums of Madonna's career. The album was later listed as one of "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s" by Slant Magazine.

Erotica is the fourth and final studio album from the British indie band The Darling Buds. It was released on Epic Records in 1992. The album shares a name with, and a similar cover to, the Madonna album, which was released only one week later.

The song "Long Day In The Universe" featured in the Mike Myers film So I Married an Axe Murderer.

Erotica are media that deal with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions

The term Erotica may also refer to:

"Erotica" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It is the title track from her fifth studio album Erotica (1992), and was released as the album's lead single on October 13, 1992 by Maverick Records. It was later included on her greatest hits albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). The song was written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone and Anthony Shimkin, while production was handled by the singer and Pettibone. Musically, "Erotica" contains spoken word vocals, and is an ode to S&M, with Madonna using a pseudonym called "Dita". She invites her lover to be passive while making love to her and leads him to explore boundaries between pain and pleasure.

After its release, "Erotica" received positive reviews from music critics; some considered it a high point of innovation in Madonna's career, while others found it scary. The song debuted at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the highest debuts on the chart history at the time, eventually peaking at number three. Additionally, it became a success on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, reaching the top position. "Erotica" also found commercial success internationally, peaking in the top ten in several countries including Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by fashion photographer Fabien Baron, and features Madonna dressed as a masked dominatrix interspersed with footage of the making of the singer's Sex book, with cameos by celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Big Daddy Kane. The video was highly controversial, being aired by MTV a total of three times, all of these after the 10pm watershed, before being completely banned. Madonna performed "Erotica" on three of her concert tours, the first being on The Girlie Show World Tour (1993), the Confessions Tour (2006) and most recently on the The MDNA Tour (2012). The song has also been covered and parodied by several artists.