Should a general ban be imposed on pornographic films and magazines?

Essay from the year 1993 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,3, University of Dusseldorf "Heinrich Heine" (Anglistisches Institut), course: English for Academic Purposes, language: English, abstract: When the question is discussed whether a general ban should be placed on pornographic films and magazines, a central problem comes up. Before the arguments for and against pornography can be evaluated, pornography has to be defined. This is not nearly as simple as it seems to be. What are the criteria which indicate the differences between an artistic and a pornographic film or magazine?

In this discussion, it is assumed that those photos or scenes of films which have mainly the function to arouse sexual feelings are pornographic. Of course, this definition is not totally satisfactory, but it sufficiently describes which kinds of films and magazines are to be discussed here.