Much has been spoken and written about 50 Shades of Grey. How it is saving marriages all over the world and liberating women everywhere. What worries me is that people actually believe this twaddle.
I am writing this after only one hour’s sleep and after seeing the Ch 4 mock doc on it last night. They only had one journalist on it that disliked it, and the rest of them failed to see that this book had patronised the intelligence of a whole generation of women. It is not the S & M acts themselves that are a problem, it’s the way they are presented and written about in the book. i.e. very very badly. There is fantasy, and then there is complete delusion wrapped up in possibly one of the worst story lines ever written.
I must watch what I say on here for fear of my MD walking past my desk and seeing the words, ‘His length’ ‘Down there’ [Wherever THAT is!] and just in case ‘my inner goddess does the merengue’ with just the mere thought of Mr. Grey. The language used is laughable at best. I’m actually surprised words like ‘his thingy’ ‘front bottom’ and ‘woo woo’ weren’t used. At least it might have been vaguely amusing then….And to be honest, Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins have always done this genre of the ‘sex romp’ far better. 50 Shades of Grey has put women’s sexual liberation back about 100 years. And I’m fuming. This is not a story of consensual sexual eroticism, but the dominating possession of a 21 year old virgin. Can’t you relate? Nope. Either can I.
So here we go ladies. An alternative list of erotic literature, which is not only extremely well written, it spans the four corners of the globe. Some of it written by women….for women. Some written by men. They all however have the common themes of intelligence, beautifully written words, true eroticism and the sexual empowerment of women. Enjoy!
NB – All quotes /reviews are from Amazon. Apologies, I am just too damn tired to write original copy right now.
The Almond by Nedjma
L’Amande, written under a pseudonym by a North African woman living in France, reads like an erotic manifesto for modern women who want to break free from the bonds of cultural tradition and unashamedly demand their right to pleasure. [Note from Lisa – this is probably my favourite]
‘My ambition is to give back to the women of my blood the power of speech confiscated by their men.’
Silk- Alessandro Baricco
“Although they are unable to exchange so much as a word, love blossoms between them, a love that is conveyed in a number of recondite messages. How their secret affair develops is told in this remarkable love story” [Note from Lisa – One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. Stunning]
100 Strokes of The Brush Before Bed – Melissa P
“As the summer unfolds, she follows her desires wherever they lead her, often into the arms of men who set her world on fire. She is thrilled to discover the sexual power she wields. An instant blockbuster in Italy where it has sold over 850,000 copies and scandalized the nation, and it has gone onto become an international literary phenomenon. Told with disarming candor, Melissa P.’s bittersweet tour of extreme desires is as poignant as it is titillating”
The Story of the Eye by George Bataille
“The Story of the Eye is not so much an erotic text, as an exploration on what it is that drives every human- desire. Desire to live, breath eat, make love, our lives revolve around it, and if there was no desire we would not be alive. It is a mistake to have Batailles novella down as an erotic fiction- it is so much more than that.”
Nadja – Andre Breton
“NADJA is a Surrealist romance, and has come to be known as a book which defined that movement’s attitude towards life. With its blend of intimate confession and sense of the marvellous, NADJA weaves a mysterious and compelling tapestry of daily life as seen through a magical perspective. Combining autobiographical fact with memory and imagination, Breton spins one of the most unusual love stories in modern literature.”
The Story of O – Pauline Reage
‘A highly literary and imaginative work, the brilliance of whose style leaves one in no doubt whatever of the author’s genius … a profoundly disturbing book, as well as a black tour-de-force’ –Spectator [Note from Lisa – subject is extreme but it is very well written, and a classic.]
The Lover – Marguerite Duras
“A sensational international bestseller, and winner of Frances’ coveted Prix Goncour. Saigon, 1930s: a poor young French girl meets the elegant son of a wealthy Chinese family. Soon they are lovers, locked into a private world of passion and intensity that defies all the conventions of their society. ‘The Lover’ is disturbing, erotic, masterly. Here is an unforgettable portrayal of the incandescent relationship between the lovers, and of the hate that slowly tears the girl’s family apart.” [Note from Lisa – Ignore the dire film that was made of it in the 90’s – the book is quite different!]
