Erotica

A derivative of the Greek word eros, erotica is works of art that have a stimulating or arousing effect on the viewer. Although many consider it a form of pornography artists differentiate the terms by the actions it represents. Pornography is categorized as explicit sexual acts between people without any feeling or shared emotion, the other has more of a feeling and meaning behind it. Giving the reason for nudity or the performance of sexual acts a form of purpose or making a statement. The acts portrayed in erotica may be as explicit as pornography, and although many find the two similar in many ways the actual differentiation has always been open to debate.

The artistic form of erotica can take almost any medium. Books and paintings are the most known forms with pictures of nudity and couples in poses and in situations that are a part of a broader idea or subject. Although the material is a part of a larger idea, the depiction of that idea categorizes it as being art as opposed to pornography. Movies are a medium with a much broader range of argument between the two because of the proliferation of pornographic material. The separation of the two is often harder to determine.

Books of a sexual nature are widely read and are some more acceptable than movies as they get smaller notice from moral watchdogs looking to censor material. Books and literature throughout the ages with a sexual slant have either been accepted or ridiculed because of such critics. Despite such treatment erotica books remain plentiful to this day and continue to be the subject of much debate.