pornography

Obscene literature, pictures, photos, or films considered to be of no artistic merit and intended only to arouse sexual desire. Standards of what is obscene and whether a particular work has artistic value are subjective, hence there is often difficulty in determining whether a work violates the obscenity laws. Opponents of pornography claim that it is harmful and incites violence to women and children.

The absence of a code of morality towards violence and sexual acts, combined with explicit description, may well cross the boundary between pornography and literature, as does the work of the notorious French writer the Marquis de Sade. D H Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover was the subject of a famous trial, to determine whether it was great literature or pornography.