definition of pornography

[milagros317]

This post (from the Tickling Discussion forum) caused me to wonder if anybody has a better definition of pornography than I have.

I suppose this sort of ties in with the eternal erotica vs. pornography discussion, which never gets resolved, everybody seems to have their own definitions for those terms.

Here is my definition.

pornography (noun)
Material created with the intention that people will use it to inspire themselves to masturbate.

 

[GhostOS]

This post (from the Tickling Discussion forum) caused me to wonder if anybody has a better definition of pornography than I have.

Here is my definition.

pornography (noun)
Material created with the intention that people will use it to inspire themselves to masturbate.

That seems to be the definition most people hold. And to a degree, so do I, because I can't think of a better one. But by that definition, a lot of material out there could be regarded as "pornographic" by the casual viewer, even if the creator of said material didn't really intend it to be used for the purposes outlined in the definition. For one thing a lot of what I create in art (and writing) kind of bubbles up out of my own subconscious, and it's a way of venting these strange, deep seated "urges", rather that going out of my way to create something for people to fap to. "Intention" on the part of the creator is a factor that is really difficult to verify in a lot of cases.

 

[milagros317]

For one thing a lot of what I create in art (and writing) kind of bubbles up out of my own subconscious, and it's a way of venting these strange, deep seated "urges", rather that going out of my way to create something for people to fap to. "Intention" on the part of the creator is a factor that is really difficult to verify in a lot of cases.

I used to feel the same way, that my stories were an expression of my own strange erotic urges and so were not pornographic. But then I got an complimentary email from a reader who said, roughly, that "The Free Ride" was the best tickling story that he had ever read. As evidence, he cited the fact that he had masturbated five times while reading that story.

I then realized that I knew very well what like-minded people would do upon reading my stories. If I didn't intend that, then why was I posting them?

 

[GhostOS]

I used to feel the same way, that my stories were an expression of my own strange erotic urges and so were not pornographic. But then I got an complimentary email from a reader who said, roughly, that "The Free Ride" was the best tickling story that he had ever read. As evidence, he cited the fact that he had masturbated five times while reading that story.

I then realized that I knew very well what like-minded people would do upon reading my stories. If I didn't intend that, then why was I posting them?

Good point... I will say unapologetically that what I create -in particular where it comes to writing- is absolutely pornographic, a fact of which I'm not ashamed at all, I must add. What I don't really understand is how people make the distinction between "erotica" and pornography. To me, the former is just a euphemism to the latter. As someone else defined the difference: "Erotica is porn for the middle class".

 

[Cosmo_ac]

What I don't really understand is how people make the distinction between "erotica" and pornography

To be honest, I find things like porn to be somewhat subjective. However, if I had to draw the line, I would say perhaps the line between erotica and porn is somewhat a reverse of "Show, don't tell." In other words, telling/showing/descriptions of emotional, mental, and physical states of a person, and their actions, without actually getting to the real showing of physical activity, which is what you get in straight up porn. An example would be mainstream movies, where the guy and girl (or whatever) spend time together, getting to know each other intimately, doing activities together, flirting, making eyes, growing emotional attachment, and yes, even physical intimacy, but that physical aspect is greatly cut short. It's implied, and sometimes you even see a bit, but it is left up to the reader to really fill in the blanks. With porn, will the "filling of blanks" is usually shown in great detail, while the other aspects of a relationship are rarely presented at all. Porn is basically the one night stand, while erotica is the one you take home to meet your family.

 

[Calvin12]

I agree. It seems to me that erotica is more conservative and allows you to fantasize, since it creates an atmosphere and does not show details. many people like mystery and romance along with passion. Although, given the availability of adult content in the modern world and the variety of porn (xxx videos), few people are interested in eroticism nowadays. This is, of course, a matter of taste, but the viewer is now very tempted.

 

[GhostOS]

With porn, will the "filling of blanks" is usually shown in great detail, while the other aspects of a relationship are rarely presented at all.

Well see, that is a really interesting take, since my own writing (in particular the earlier mentioned novel project) doesn’t seem to belong to either category and yet has elements of both. It attempts to explore the characters and their relationships to a great degree (as far as my amateurish writing skills allow it) and yet at the same time the intimate ongoings between them are described in a very explicit way. So, is this a different category of its own? Something like... what... "Erotic Naturalism"?

 

[Cosmo_ac]

Well see, that is a really interesting take, since my own writing (in particular the earlier mentioned novel project) doesn’t seem to belong to either category and yet has elements of both. It attempts to explore the characters and their relationships to a great degree (as far as my amateurish writing skills allow it) and yet at the same time the intimate ongoings between them are described in a very explicit way. So, is this a different category of its own? Something like... what... "Erotic Naturalism"?

Now, this is all just my opinion, but with what your describing, I would chalk that up to being porn. That said, it's a little different then just straight up sex. Think of it kind'a like some of the older porn movies, or maybe a porn movie by Digital Playground. "Pirates", would be a good example, and one people might be more familiar with:

Of course, for literature, they can do a lot more with it. "Without Law", by Eric Val would be an example of a series where you have character development, plot, etc, but it is a porn book series, as the sex get's very graphic, and it is a typical harem adventure. It's very much so adult literature, but I wouldn't even try and pass it off as erotica. However, like "Pirates", it's not your typical wham, bam porn. Much like your typical porn, you read/watch it for sexual excitement, however, with this type of porn, you also enjoy the story itself to at least some degree. The story itself becomes the vehicle for the actual porn.

The best title I can give for this type of porn would be "Entertainment Porn".