a review

PORNOGRAPHY

AND THE LAW

REVIEW OF THE BOOK BY DRS. EBERHARD AND PHYLLIS KRONHAUSEN. INTRODUCTION BY DR. THEODOR REIK AND FOREWORD BY J. W. EHRLICH, ATTORNEY. BALLANTINE BOOKS, 1959.

THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK IS MISLEADING, AS IT IS PRIMARILY A TREATISE AGAINST UNJUST LITERARY CENSORSHIP. THE BATTLE FOR LITERARY FREEDOM IS OLDER THAN MAN'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRINTING PRESS AND IS PERHAPS INSOLUBLE. THE DRS. KRONHAUSEN CONTRIBUTE THE MOST ENLIGHTENED AND UNDOGMATIC DEFENSE OF EROTICALLY REALISTIC WRITING TO APPEAR IN THIS COUNTRY TO DATE.

THE BOOK IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR DISTINCT SECTIONS, THE FIRST OF WHICH ANALYZES AND DISCUSSES THE REALISTIC AUTHORS WHOSE WORKS HAVE DISTINCT LITERARY MERIT. THE SECOND SECTION DISCUSSES THE VIEWPOINT VARIOUS LEGAL BODIES HOLD ON LITERATURE AND OBSCENITY AND SHOWS HOW IMPRACTICAL SOME OF OUR LAWS REALLY ARE WHEN THEY ARE APPLIED TO ACTUAL CASES.

THE THIRD SECTION OF THE BOOK ANALYZES PORNOGRAPHIC LITERATURE AND MAKES CLEAR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE OR "HARD CORE" PORNOGRAPHY AND EROTICALLY REALISTIC WRITING. THE PURPOSE OF PORNOGRAPHY IS SIMPLY EROTIC AROUSAL; WHEREAS EROTICALLY REALISTIC WRITING IS A PORTRAYAL OF LIFE IN ITS MULTI-FACETED ASPECTS, GOOD AND BAD, WHICH CLEARLY IS NOT MEANT TO PRODUCE PURE PHYSICAL SENSATION, BUT MENTAL STIMULATION. ANOTHER ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE AND ONE OFTEN OVER-

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