Pornography

Defining pornography is culturally and politically sensitive, but it can generally be described as pictures, text or multimedia, of real or imagined events, which are intended to trigger sexual, as well as possibly sensual and romantic, ideas in the viewer. It is is a subset of erotica. Some forms of pornography, within specific legal, cultural, and social norms, may also be considered -- or not considered -- obscenity, and thus be illegal.

It is an ancient and multicultural practice. While some social conservatives appear to insist that it became widespread only with television and the Internet, forms were prevalent in Pompeii, and even more so in Asia.

Premodern and cross-cultural

It is important to recognize that Western culture as exhibited in the United States soft core pornography and hard core pornography analogies are a small part of a much older broader history .

Going back further into recorded history one can research the Eastern standards as exemplified in Japan’s Shunga art of the Edo Period (Old Tokyo). But shunga, as it is more commonly known, is actually a word for Japanese works of art, specifically Japanese erotic paintings that were made from the 16th to 18th centuries, by reputable painters of the Ukiyo-e (floating world) period. At the time purists of Japanese culture looked down upon SHUNGA art. While artists thoroughly enjoyed painting erotica, they rarely signed their works, preferring instead to remain anonymous and not harm their careers as more serious, classical artists.

While some SHUNGA canvases or prints (paintings on wood blocks) depicted sensual scenes of couples in love, others were intensely pornographic, revealing carnal love in all its splendour. Artists exposed the human anatomy in full detail, without any concern for discretion or modesty. However these works were always made with care and in good taste.

Often printed as tiny booklets called "pillow books" or in the West referred to as “sex education”, shunga and related art also served as teaching guides for the sons and daughters of the Japanes bougeoisie. From the paintings they learned the art of foreplay, sexual positioning, and proper hygiene. To this day, shunga remains one of the hidden treasures of traditional Japanese art. Even Shunga is young compared to thousands of years of sexuality arts and sculptures of much older indigenous tribes across the world. http://feelyourpassion.homestead.com/history.html

Victorian

Pornotopia is a theoretical fantasy world in which everyone is ready and willing to indulge in all kinds of sexual activity. The term was originally coined by literary scholar and author Steven Marcus who invented it in his book The Other Victorians: a Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England (1964) to describe the setting in Victorian pornography, specifically commenting on the work Romance of Lust. The term is now in general use and has been used as the title of many pornographic books, articles, websites, comics and videos, as well as being a hedonistic ideal.

Current terminology

In current Western practice, there tends to be a separation into soft- and hard-core pornography. Very generally, soft-core pornograpy suggests sexual acts while hard-core depicts them. Legal and business practice further divides hard-core into that which is generally legally available to adults, and into certain subcategories that, such as child pornography or bestiality, which are apt to lead to arrest. The line is not clear, as court decisions have, for example, allowed text-only child pornography as protected speech, but banned photograps since their production would be prima facie evidence of statutory rape or other crime against children. Technology further confuses the distinction with "virtual pornography", when it can be demonstrate that no actual child or animal, only computer graphics, were used to create some image.