Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey vs. Literature

1. 61

   christen whalenposted 11 years ago

   Books like "Twilight" and "50 Shades of Grey" are wildly popular, mainly due to the response of the female population. Do you think the only reason these books are popular is because of the subtle (Twilight) and not-so-subtle (50 Shades of Grey) sexual components? Do these books become so popular merely due to the fact they prey on the seemingly repressed sexual desires of women?

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   1. 68

      RunningDeerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I wouldn't necessarily say they prey on women's sexual desires.  I'd say it just brings out what is already there.  Women are human too, just like the next guy.  For some reason, however, in society, it is not as acceptable for women to speak freely about sexual things.  These books opened a gateway for that to happen.

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2. 64

   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   It's fine, women have their pornography and men have their pornography. Our 'literature' and 'cinematic adaptations', however, are consumed in private, and we don't force our girlfriends to participate in it either. That's all I ask!

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3. 61

   christen whalenposted 11 years ago

   Yes, I agree. Sometimes I feel that the only reason so much controversy surrounds these books is because of how popular they are. I remember some people despising Harry Potter and being in an uproar about it, so I assume it's only natural the people opposing Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey be just as vocal.
   Part of me does wonder if some of the women who are so "appalled" by these books are just maybe embarrassed by the content? like with 50 Shade of Grey?

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4. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Twilight has no sex, it is a classic 'teenage girl becomes special' story. People like stories where they get to be special.  50 Shades has sex in it, people like sex.
   
   Submission fantasies are more common in women who are confident and sexually active.  I think your stereotypes are showing.  Like you think "normal" women aren't interested in sexy books because... some reason.

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   1. 61

      christen whalenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I only posted the question in the forum in response to a lot of articles I've read concerning both books and I was just interested in getting different opinions. Stephen King has repeatedly bashed the Twilight trilogy. Countless people have done the same to 50 Shades of Grey claiming it's just sex. I just wanted people's opinions on if they agreed with that perspective. I don't feel one way or another about any of the books.

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5. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   "Do these books become so popular merely due to the fact they prey on the seemingly repressed sexual desires of women?"
   
   That sounds like a point of view to me, and not one coming from the popular media. So does referring to sex as "just sex". (would you say "just fighting", "just friendship" or "just magic"?)
   
   I don't think there is anything wrong with writing about, or reading about, sex.  It's a normal human interest.  There have always been occasional best-selling sex books (a.k.a. "bonk busters").  I see nothing odd, or bad, about that.

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6. 61

   christen whalenposted 11 years ago

   My point of view on literature is that people can write about whatever they want. Someone somewhere thought these books were good enough to publish and I think the popularity of both books says it all. Yes, people love these books. It's the reason WHY some people are claiming these books have become popular (yes, an article described Twilight as "preying upon the emotions of young girls").
   
   In MY opinion, I think the books got the responses they did because the authors were able to form a connection with their intended audiences and that's damn good writing if you can do that.
   I suppose overly graphic movies receive similar criticisms, but the reason I posted this is because I feel like both of these books have received so much attention, both positive and negative. Dan Brown came under similar attack when his books gained popularity, though for different reasons obviously.
   
   Perhaps I could have reworded some things differently in order to avoid having those questions sound as though they were my opinion. All I wanted was to hear the opinions of others, on what they thought about the claims that I've read in some reviews about these books. I don't think books can become best sellers and gain as much popularity as both these books have unless they are actually good works of literature. And as for "preying" on emotions, if a book can trigger your emotions and really suck you in, again, that's just good writing. It's not as though these authors are out to get anyone. I hope I've explained myself a little better.

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