erotism vs. eroticism

[through the mirror]

Hello everyone,
Do you think there is any difference between the terms eroticism and erotism? We are writing a paper on Erotism in Lit. and would like to use the proper word. Thanks!

 

[nzfauna]

Personally, I have never heard of erotism.

However, I found the following on dictionary.com:

erotism
noun1. a state of anticipation of sexuality [syn: eroticism] 2. the arousal of feelings of sexual desire [syn: amorousness]
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

 

[panjandrum]

The main difference seems to be that erotism is rarely used, and as evidenced by NZF and me, many people have never heard of it.

Reading the OED definitions carefully, erotism is either the actual state of sexual excitement or a synonym for eroticism. It is rare.
Eroticism is the term usually used to refer to the use of sexually arousing imagery in literature or art.

 

[liliput]

I've never heard of erotism before either.

I agree that eroticism is the correct word to use in your paper.

 

[through the mirror]

Thanks a lot, it's been really useful!
Cheers