|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Somewhere I have read 'Fifty shades of grey' on this forum but didn't get that it is the title of a novel. Now I happen to discover a book report on a site of Barnes & Noble and see it is an erotic novel. There are thousands of novels of this genre on the market, sex sells, but my question is: Is it worth reading? Run-of-the-mill is boring; when erotic or sex, then it must be gripping. Has someone read the novel?
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 7/8/2010 Posts: 23,350 Neurons: 94,712
|
if it is the same book, I think there was a post on this, about whether it was suitable for the ladies of a book club! here it is, it was in culture http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst24964_50-Shades-of-Gray.aspx
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Thanks for the trouble of finding the link, thar!
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/1/2011 Posts: 1,523 Neurons: 3,404 Location: United Kingdom
|
Personally, I find sex in novels a complete turn-off. In that format it is the lowest common denominator and smacks of voyeurism. Sex is a private matter.
Sex is wonderful, but it has its place, and it is put in novels to titillate, not to appeal to reason or intellect.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 8/11/2011 Posts: 8,589 Neurons: 31,166 Location: Miami, Florida, United States
|
percivalpecksniff wrote:Personally, I find sex in novels a complete turn-off. In that format it is the lowest common denominator and smacks of voyeurism. Sex is a private matter.
Sex is wonderful, but it has its place, and it is put in novels to titillate, not to appeal to reason or intellect. Or as my Uncle Bob used to say: "No sense gettin' all lathered up if you ain't gonna shave!"
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/19/2011 Posts: 14,950 Neurons: 71,478
|
percivalpecksniff wrote: Sex is wonderful, but it has its place, and it is put in novels to titillate, not to appeal to reason or intellect.
I don't think reason or intellect has ever equaled sex.leonAzul wrote:Or as my Uncle Bob used to say: "No sense gettin' all lathered up if you ain't gonna shave!" But since shaving is a action performed by oneself....once you're lathered up, might as well shave.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/3/2009 Posts: 3,917 Neurons: 15,842
|
Grey ties are flying off the shelves as wives take inspiration from X-rated bondage novel to dress up their men By Daisy Dumas and Laura Pullman The erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey has made grey ties a fashion must for men hoping to emulate the sexy entrepreneur who wears them in the book. It seems that after reading the BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) novel women in New York have been keen to get their men a silver grey tie – just like the one Christian Grey wears in the book. The erotic novel, the first in a trilogy, is currently topping the New York Times bestseller list for e-books and is topping Amazon and Barnes & Noble charts. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113403/Fifty-Shades-Grey-Wives-inspiration-X-rated-bondage-novel-dress-men.html#ixzz1so5KH0tz -- Well, I am not interested.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/2/2009 Posts: 327 Neurons: 2,386
|
christine,
maybe part two of the trilogy might get you more interested. it's supposed to be more 'interesting'.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 8/31/2011 Posts: 1,162 Neurons: 3,352
|
Must be a lot of unfulfilled women around!
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
To Christine
Thanks for the link to Daily Mail, UK.
In any case the book is in the news, and in Daily Mail's article I find the first useful information about the erotic or BDSM novel. The author, E. L. James, is a woman-author, a TV executive of West-London, I would guess around 40. As the article says, she is "gobsmacked" (baffled) by the success of her story.
Quote from article: Ms James - who says she is 'gobsmacked' and 'blown away by the popularity' - is currently working on another installment.
The interest in the book is a phenomenon. And such a thing - no matter if it is Karl May or Tarzan or Conan stories - is interesting. Well, now I know a little bit about the book and the media hype. Two days ago I didn't know that 'Fifty shades of Grey' is the title of a book.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
There are two attitudes towards such literature - there are those who condemn it or at least find it wrong and there are those who read it. My view about this genre is there is run-of-the mill, there is cheap rubbish, and there are gripping things, and some books are famous. But not everything that is often named is really worth reading. One has to find the good things by oneself. I haven't yet seen a guide to erotic literature.
But no matter which attitude one has towards this kind of literature, one should see that sex is one of the mighty drives in life forms nature has implanted to assure the continuation of the species. And focus on erotic things has been a topic in almost all cultures around the word at all times. In the western world the Church has managed to turn people off any representation of this kind since the Middle Ages. But without great success. In Asian cultures the attitude towards erotic things is different and more natural. And, I think, compared with Asian erotic literature, western representations are almost harmless.
But interesting is the question why is there such a run on a book or a series of books such as 50 Shades of Grey. It is not difficult to understand that a genre like fantasy has become such a big market. As to erotic literature is it that people have a lot to catch up on such novels?
Is it to be seen from a psychological point of view, that people's sexual fantasies are not adequately represented in literature and that now there is exactly the novel that complies with these unfulfilled desires? Or is it a hint that people, and especially women, dare to openly turn their interest towards this taboo literature, which you seldom find in a book shop because it is considered deprecated literature? Is it the beginning of a trend that shows that people get a more natural attitude towards this kind of literature?
And another interesting thing - nowadays it is women who write erotic novels. If I'm not mistaken The Story of O and Emanuelle were written by women-authors. Other erotic novels by women: Catharine Millet, Deux-milles hommes Anne Rice, The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Sorry, that I used the British spelling 'grey' and not the American spelling 'gray'.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/1/2011 Posts: 1,523 Neurons: 3,404 Location: United Kingdom
|
One should never apologise for using the English language, whichever version. This is the English Language Forum.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 5/21/2009 Posts: 13,057 Neurons: 63,022
|
percivalpecksniff wrote:One should never apologise for using the English language, whichever version. This is the English Language Forum. hear hear!
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 2/7/2010 Posts: 1,139 Neurons: 3,370 Location: Philippines
|
The arrival of e-readers has increased sales of erotica. Busy people, especially women, are more inclined to read it, given the privacy the e-reader offers. Who hasn't seen someone reading a book, and tried to view the title? Who hasn't read an iffy title, and not tried to stop others spying?
Percival, regarding your comments about sex in novels, are you trying to tell us you're a 19th C. time traveller? (if you reply, please don't be pedantic - I realise sex has always been in literature, just sometimes to a lesser degree)
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 2/7/2010 Posts: 1,139 Neurons: 3,370 Location: Philippines
|
rogermue wrote:Sorry, that I used the British spelling 'grey' and not the American spelling 'gray'. I think you should use 'grey' and be proud of doing so.
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/3/2009 Posts: 888 Neurons: 2,410 Location: Canada
|
|
|
Rank: Newbie
Joined: 9/17/2012 Posts: 1 Neurons: 3 Location: Bangladesh
|
Anything by Nora Roberts is guaranteed to be good. Right now I'm reading His Every Desire by Emma Rose and it's worth a read as well (though it is a bit...descriptive like fifty shades of grey).
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/30/2010 Posts: 10,965 Neurons: 32,652 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
I'm beginning to see Nathaniel Hawthorne's point. This thing is the literary equivalent of the Cosmo, the shooter that became a cocktail because it was on T.V..
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 7/6/2012 Posts: 4,907 Neurons: 16,769 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
I started to read 'Fifty Shades of Grey' but then I got tied up.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/30/2010 Posts: 10,965 Neurons: 32,652 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
I gather that the title describes the style.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
I admit having bought the book -just out of interest and because of the hype - I read about the first half, then I read other novels - and forgot the Fifty Shades. I found Emanuelle and The Story of O more gripping.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/16/2009 Posts: 12,808 Neurons: 98,827 Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
|
Did you ever try Henry Miller, or a French author, Louis Charles Royer, Roger? For rollicking erotica none could match the writings of Ted Mark (Gottfried) which succeeded in humorous though sensuous descriptions while subtly lampooning the James Bond ilk. There were many subsequent clones but none matched the original.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Henry Miller, yes. For me, he is the greatest. And his story of Lola Niessen, his piano teacher, he had his first sex with, is absolutely top. It's a passage in Tropic of Capricorn, in my edition on page 251. But I don't know Louis Charles Royer. I'll try to get some information. Tanks for the hint, AD.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/2012 Posts: 5,045 Neurons: 34,900 Location: München, Bavaria, Germany
|
Ah, I see, I've really missed something. Google pictures has a coice of book covers.
|
|
 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/12/2011 Posts: 34,813 Neurons: 234,024 Location: Livingston, Scotland, United Kingdom
|
rogermue wrote: I found Emanuelle and The Story of O more gripping. "Gripping" - an interesting word to use for these! I read "L'Histoire d'O" and "Le Beau-père" at school (we had a visiting Frenchman for verbal French practice. I don't think our regular French teacher, Brother Mark, knew what books we were using).
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/2/2009 Posts: 11,101 Neurons: 39,933 Location: Booligal, New South Wales, Australia
|
I have had no interest in reading it and now even less in seeing the movie as it a complete rewrite but openly commercial.
A 98 year old lady who worked on Laurence of Arabia said it needed to be more steamy.
|
|
Guest |