Erotica vs Pornogrphy

Ah, the great debate. . .is there a difference between erotica and pornography, and if so what is the difference.  Trust me,  there is. . .

Erotica comes from Greek, eros  “desire”. Erotica are works of art, including, but not limited to literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting that deal  essentially with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions. The term describes the portrayal of the human anatomy and sexuality with high art aspirations. 

Pornography’s objective is the graphic depiction of sexually explicit scenes and is often described as exploitative or degrading.

And that’s where modern commercialism leaves it; as a definition in a book and nothing more. Today, thanks to the likes of the Fifty Shades phenomenon, the two are intertwined and co-mingled.

To the chagrin of many, Fifty Shades is not erotica as some have tagged the series. If you’re after true contemporary erotica, try reading “The Story of O”, a classic.

“The Story of O” is an erotic novel about love, dominance and submission, written in 1954 by the French author Anne Desclos under the pen name of Pauline Reage. It is supposedly loosely based on a series of love letters the author had written to her lover, Jean Paulhan. The book was not without scandal, even in France.

I could sit here and give a quick synopsis of what each book is about – they have a lot of similarities when it comes to the dominance and submission part, but that’s where it stops. Read both books and I believe you will see a difference.