There
is a difference between
erotic and
pornographic - although it's not the one most people think about.
Some will tell you that it's all about the
graphics : how much you show, how explicitly you show it,
blah blah blah - there (they'll say) lies the distinction between delicate
eroticism and vulgar
pornography.
Blatant
Hypocrisy.
The difference lies not in what is shown - it lies in the effects it has on
you. Pornography is a purely technical word : it simply means showing
flesh in action, period. No other meaning (either
positive or
negative) implied.
Eroticism is on another level (the
meta level, if you like) : it's about using some degree of pornography (recisely which degree is
irrelevant) to awake something
obscure, something
upsetting in your inner self. You know what I mean, not just a good
hard-on, not that simple, joyful, bestial
impulse, no, something much
darker - a very deep, very poignant
confusion.
You can have a better idea by 1) watching some good
X-rated movie, and 2) reading (eg)
Story of O.
You'll
feel the difference.
Note: Any philosophical consideration aside, watching X-rated movies, or reading such a masterpiece of litterature as Story of O is never a bad idea.
Note2: Thanks to P_I for signalling that the etymological meaning of pornography is "writing about prostitutes".