Read Online Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey by Lori Perkins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lori Perkins
Ads: Link
hero and discussing the overall appeal of these characters still does not explain the insane obsession with him. He is just one on a list of many dark, sexy, brooding literary hunks.
So why the astounding, inescapable popularity of the Fifty Shades series? The novels are not well written; in fact, many would argue they are poorly written. Grammatical and punctuation errors abound, Britishisms pop up all over Seattle, and redundancy runs rampant. Yet, much to the chagrin of many academics, literary critics, and general condemners of erotic fiction, this series is resonating with people unlike any book I’ve ever seen. When I taught Effective Reading to college freshman, I would always tell my students: “If you think you don’t like to read, you just haven’t found the right book.” Whether we like it or not,
Fifty Shades of Grey
has become “the right book” for millions of people, the majority of whom are women. Am I advocating its addition to the literary canon? Do I think it should appear on every Brit Lit reading list? Of course not. Actually, I shudder at the thought. But just because it isn’t on par with Shakespeare or Austen and Brontë doesn’tmean it isn’t valuable.
Fifty Shades
is clearly meeting a need in the literary market by giving its reader exactly what she wants: sex and lots of it.
This series is successful because James has given the reader her ultimate fantasy: experiencing the Byronic hero in the bedroom. What woman wouldn’t want to read (in explicit detail) what happened after Rhett carried Scarlett up those stairs? Or what Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding night was like? Jane’s sex life after Mr. Rochester regained his sight? Christian Grey epitomizes the sexy, brooding hero that women want and the love life that goes along with him. It is no longer left to our imagination. We get to hear the rip of every condom packet, every moan, every breath. We get to feel every touch and relish each caress. For the first time we get the hedonism along with the happily-ever-after. Cliché? Sure, but the cliché exists because of our common desires. Christian Grey is all of our fantasies wrapped into one.
As it turns out, deep down we’re all a little “sex mad and insatiable.” We want it all. We want the love and the lust. We want a man who will dance with us to Sinatra, take us soaring, and buy us our 12,000-square-foot dream home overlooking the Sound. We want the guy who can say, “I want you sore, baby” one minute and make love to the music of Roberta Flack the next. The guy who will whisk you around the world, drench you in diamonds, outfit you in designer duds from Louboutin to La Perla, reenact the piano scene from
Pretty Woman
, and make you come on demand. (Seriously, he says, “Come on, baby,” and poof, magic orgasms!) A loving, committed relationship with a hottie billionaire who is good in bed? Who turns out to be a spectacular father and still thinks you’re sexy when you’re bloated and pregnant? Who only asks for the occasional spanking in return? Hello!! Where do I sign up? With Christian Grey, we get to fall in love with the reckless bad boy who wants us mind, body, and soul, and we get to experience him in the bedroom. Dreams really do come true, “kinky fuckery” included.
JENNIFER SANZO holds a BA in English from Seton Hall University and a Masters from William Paterson University. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Women’s Studies Writing Prize, a published poet, and former English professor. Jennifer lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband and two children.
KATHARINE SANDS
Grey Is the New Black
F ADE IN:
Somewhere …
In a fantasy far, far away …
We see Carrie Bradshaw’s
Sex and the City
apartment (circa the TV show), New York City.
Next to a copy of
Fifty Shades of Grey
, we see Carrie Bradshaw’s fingers whisk across the keyboard as sentences form on her backlit computer screen.
What is all the fuss about regarding this
So why the astounding, inescapable popularity of the Fifty Shades series? The novels are not well written; in fact, many would argue they are poorly written. Grammatical and punctuation errors abound, Britishisms pop up all over Seattle, and redundancy runs rampant. Yet, much to the chagrin of many academics, literary critics, and general condemners of erotic fiction, this series is resonating with people unlike any book I’ve ever seen. When I taught Effective Reading to college freshman, I would always tell my students: “If you think you don’t like to read, you just haven’t found the right book.” Whether we like it or not,
Fifty Shades of Grey
has become “the right book” for millions of people, the majority of whom are women. Am I advocating its addition to the literary canon? Do I think it should appear on every Brit Lit reading list? Of course not. Actually, I shudder at the thought. But just because it isn’t on par with Shakespeare or Austen and Brontë doesn’tmean it isn’t valuable.
Fifty Shades
is clearly meeting a need in the literary market by giving its reader exactly what she wants: sex and lots of it.
This series is successful because James has given the reader her ultimate fantasy: experiencing the Byronic hero in the bedroom. What woman wouldn’t want to read (in explicit detail) what happened after Rhett carried Scarlett up those stairs? Or what Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding night was like? Jane’s sex life after Mr. Rochester regained his sight? Christian Grey epitomizes the sexy, brooding hero that women want and the love life that goes along with him. It is no longer left to our imagination. We get to hear the rip of every condom packet, every moan, every breath. We get to feel every touch and relish each caress. For the first time we get the hedonism along with the happily-ever-after. Cliché? Sure, but the cliché exists because of our common desires. Christian Grey is all of our fantasies wrapped into one.
As it turns out, deep down we’re all a little “sex mad and insatiable.” We want it all. We want the love and the lust. We want a man who will dance with us to Sinatra, take us soaring, and buy us our 12,000-square-foot dream home overlooking the Sound. We want the guy who can say, “I want you sore, baby” one minute and make love to the music of Roberta Flack the next. The guy who will whisk you around the world, drench you in diamonds, outfit you in designer duds from Louboutin to La Perla, reenact the piano scene from
Pretty Woman
, and make you come on demand. (Seriously, he says, “Come on, baby,” and poof, magic orgasms!) A loving, committed relationship with a hottie billionaire who is good in bed? Who turns out to be a spectacular father and still thinks you’re sexy when you’re bloated and pregnant? Who only asks for the occasional spanking in return? Hello!! Where do I sign up? With Christian Grey, we get to fall in love with the reckless bad boy who wants us mind, body, and soul, and we get to experience him in the bedroom. Dreams really do come true, “kinky fuckery” included.
JENNIFER SANZO holds a BA in English from Seton Hall University and a Masters from William Paterson University. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Women’s Studies Writing Prize, a published poet, and former English professor. Jennifer lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband and two children.
KATHARINE SANDS
Grey Is the New Black
F ADE IN:
Somewhere …
In a fantasy far, far away …
We see Carrie Bradshaw’s
Sex and the City
apartment (circa the TV show), New York City.
Next to a copy of
Fifty Shades of Grey
, we see Carrie Bradshaw’s fingers whisk across the keyboard as sentences form on her backlit computer screen.
What is all the fuss about regarding this
Similar Books
