Reading erotic literature was an extensive social activity in eighteenth century, according to a new study. A Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds conducted the study.

The study rejected findings of previous studies which suggested that erotic texts were read in solitude, saying that the erotic texts were read aloud everywhere from alehouses to coffee shops.

"I tried to get a grip on just how many were published, detail the various types of sexual behaviour portrayed and find out who was doing what - and to whom," says researcher Jenny Skipp.

"It is very different to today's erotica. It is more humorous, more literary and more engaged with the wider issues of the life and politics of the times," Skipp continues.

In a statement she further adds, "Its metaphors mirror the passions of the age. At a time when military power was equated with virility, armed conquest is often used as a metaphor for sex - in phrases such as 'unsheathing the weapon', 'storming the fort' and 'releasing the cannon.'"