LISA BETH KOVETZ

A lovely woman named Stacy pointed out that these book club questions are illegible on the website.

These questions were created by the British publisher. They read:

Which character undergoes the most dramatic transformation?
What does the change in book group material bring to the club as a whole and the women individually?
How does the Tuesday Erotica Club impact on the women's lives outside the club?
In what ways does the women's writing reflect or deny what they are really thinking?
What does the Tuesday Erotica Club provide the women with, aside from a forum to read their work?

I would add to that the following discussion points of my own as well as my thoughts on them.

What's the correlation between a person's sexuality and their personal power?
I think, by reading their erotica these women embrace their desires and that makes them more powerful. Knowing what you want and how you want it is the cornerstone of personal strength. And, particularly in the case of Lux and Aimee, they also use erotica to determine what they don't like and refuse to have in their lives.

Why is it important for Lux, Margot and Aimee to own something?
I always thought Aimee and Margot, in a philosophical sense, were selling themselves - Margot to her company for money and Aimee to her husband to maintain some semblance of family. Lux has actually engaged in an act of prostitution and either because of that or in spite of that Lux wants to be fully in command of her own self.

What's the difference between erotica and pornography?
When sitting on the Supreme Court, Potter Stewart was asked to define pornography. He said "I'll know it when I see it." I am no fan of pornography, but clearly I think erotica has some value. So what's the difference? In a way, Potter Stewart was right. It's a personal choice. For me pornography degrades by presenting sub- and super-human acts of sexuality. Whereas erotica is more intelligent and looks for the humanity that is and should be inherent in sex.

I posed this question at a lecture, What's the difference between erotica and pornography? and a young man raised his hands and answered: testosterone. Which leads to my last and most favorite question. Why and when do men and women view sex differently?