Evil Residents

Let’s talk about how to think about the artistic merit inherent in smut and pornography.

Smut and porn have the same amount of artistic merit and worthiness as every other kind of fiction, and can be interrogated in the same way.

What emotions or mood does the creator try to evoke?

Does the creator focus on the sheer eroticism of the moment, to the exclusion of all else? That tells us something about the human condition and how we as people interact with it.

Does the creator lend the scene a sense of humor? Of tenderness, or longing? Is there a brutality involved? This too, tells us something about the human condition, and how the creator wishes to frame it.

What does the scene tell us about the comparative power dynamic or hierarchy between the characters? Does it reinforce social norms, or does it break them? is there something erotic about emphasizing or breaking down social norms and hierarchies? What is the creator saying when they focus on these aspects?

What elements or ideas does the creator choose to linger on, whether to eroticize them or otherwise. Why would the creator linger on these elements? What do they say and what do they add to the piece?

Is there anything that the author avoids including in the scene? What does it say by its absence.

Is there an emotional intimacy, or lack of emotional intimacy between the characters in the scene? Does this reinforce any other elements of the scene, or is it at odds with it.

What small details stand out? Is there anything that is repetitively focused on? Why do you think that is?

Basically any artistic question that you can ask about a piece of fiction, you can ask about smut or pornography and come away with the same kind of insight into the piece.