# What's the difference between erotica and pornography? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 18, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772 "2000-11-18T20:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/21 "2000-12-06T23:40:24Z")
I am in the business, and I refer to it as pornography and myself as a pornographer all the time. I admit I do this primarily for hte amusement value and I do so in situations where it makes no difference, but still… You are right, though. When it counts, I refer to the business as “adult entertainment”. stoid ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/22 "2000-12-06T23:45:08Z")
It’s erotica if I tell the wife, _check this out_. Its pornograph if I hide the window when she walks in. [sub]Which is just another way of saying that there is no objective difference, but there is a subjective difference–hance two words with different connotations and the same definition[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/23 "2000-12-07T00:05:28Z")
> [@](#): > > The Supreme Court’s definition of “pornography” is something along the lines of “no artistic merit” and “appeals to the prurient interest”. I’m only guessing, but I’d say that, if you take pornography and toss in some artistic merit, you got erotica. I kid you not, porno films used to try to dodge being classified as pornographic by having a few Shakespeare quotes at the beginning. “Look, it has _culture_!” ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/24 "2000-12-07T01:18:38Z")
It’s all in the inflection. Erotica makes you go “Ooooooooh!” Pornography makes you go “Ewwwwwww!” ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/25 "2000-12-07T01:27:36Z")
Palm Cove: HA! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/26 "2000-12-07T07:43:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\*_I_ read erotica; _you_ read pornography; _he_ reads smut. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > “I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool”; “I am firm, you are stubborn, he is a pig-headed fool” I am firm. You read erotica. He read pornography. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/27 "2000-12-07T10:04:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\*Rich people read (view, listen to) erotica. > > Poor people read (view, listen to) pornography. > > [snip] > > The analysis I read (and can’t remember where or by who now) connected this to the old Victorian view of the lower class as being ruled by their animal instincts, so anything that aroused that class had to be controlled. \*\* _Bound and Gagged_, by Laura Kipnis. I read it too. What a wonderful book! ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/28 "2000-12-07T10:22:21Z")
Heh, I have a video called “Princess of Thieves”, it’s the adventures of this blond headed lass named Bobbin Head. Really cheesey (even for porn). One of her Merry Men is wearing a wristwatch. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/29 "2000-12-07T16:38:17Z")
**Max Torque** : > [@](#): > > The Supreme Court’s definition of “pornography” is something along the lines of “no artistic merit” and “appeals to the prurient interest”. No, you are describing the Supreme Court’s definition of _obscenity_ or “obscene speech” not protected by the First Amendment. The Court may feel that certain pornography falls into the category of obscenity, but it has never defined pornography per se. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/30 "2000-12-07T18:31:30Z")
I believe both eros and pornaea (sp?) are Greek terms. What is the meaning of each when translated to English? ~~Baloo ---
**Author:** ![bagkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bagkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagkitty)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/31 "2000-12-08T02:03:57Z")
Erotica is the pornography of whatever power elite is trying to make you feel guilty. ---
**Author:** ![rs0522](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9a28c/32.png) [@rs0522](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rs0522)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/32 "2000-12-08T03:05:51Z")
Pornography is the sympathetic depiction of sex as an expression of anger or hatred. Erotica is the sympathetic depiction of sex. Yes, I know this would classify all depictions of sado-masochism as pornography. It is meant to; S&M is evil. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/33 "2000-12-08T03:09:24Z")
Well, I know _eros_ is love, especially sexual. Back in the old days, when statues of the male god Eros were in gymansiums (derived from the Greek _gymnos_, nude) men used in the buff, it had the connotation of lustful homoeroticism (there is that _eros_ root again). But understand, the Greeks viewed homosexuality as the only way a man could love an equal (i.e., a male). That wasn’t what we were looking for in this discussion, so I might as well shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/34 "2000-12-08T03:34:44Z")
The definition of “pornography”, from the [Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary](http://www.m-w.com): **1** : the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement **2** : material (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement **3** : the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction \ The definition of “erotica”, from the [Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary](http://www.m-w.com): **1** : literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality **2** : depictions of things erotic From these definitions, it looks to me like the only difference between porn and erotica is whether there is an intent to cause sexual exctiement. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/35 "2000-12-08T14:47:44Z")
Yeah, but from the [same source](http://www.m-w.com/), we have “erotic” defined as: > [@](#): > > 1 : of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire \ > 2 : strongly marked or affected by sexual desire Which, by the principle of substitution, turns “erotica” into “literary or artistic works having a theme or quality of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire/strongly marked or affected by sexual desire” or “depictions of things of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire/strongly marked or affected by sexual desire”. Which comes pretty close to collapsing the distinction again. ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/36 "2000-12-08T15:41:20Z")
In evaluating this for my own personal opinion on the topic, I always found that it’s a very thin line. In explaining to people the difference between the two has always been a difficult balance. There isn’t _much_ different between Erotica and Pornography. However, I do think that on the further ends of the scale, there are differences. I do consider pornography as a more raw, self-indulgent form of adult entertainment. It’s what you find in Red-Light districts of big cities…the private booths, the movie-theaters, etc. It’s adult entertainment where the sole purpose is self-pleasure. I consider Erotica to be a more “artistic” form of pornography. It’s the sexual painting you are proud to have hanging on your wall. It’s the book of stories or poetry that are sensual and exciting that you want to read, not necessarily for the sole purpose of exciting and then pleasuring yourself. Erotica you share. OTOH, You can masturbate to both forms. I like Spiritus’ remark about Erotica he shares with his wife and Pornography is what he hides. Although for myself, while I mostly enjoy the more sensual, subtleties of Erotica, I do enjoy a good search/share with my SO for the down & dirty. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772/37 "2000-12-08T17:02:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaudere \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > The Supreme Court’s definition of “pornography” is something along the lines of “no artistic merit” and “appeals to the prurient interest”. I’m only guessing, but I’d say that, if you take pornography and toss in some artistic merit, you got erotica. > > I kid you not, porno films used to try to dodge being classified as pornographic by having a few Shakespeare quotes at the beginning. “Look, it has _culture_!” \*\* Another dodge was to dress an actor up in a doctor’s lab coat in the beginning (before the film actually started) and proclaim that the porn flick was intended to be an instructional video. I think this makes sense. Most people don’t realize there are serious body positioning problems when a woman is pleasuring five guys at once. Sua [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-erotica-and-pornography/41772.md?page=1)