The thing about 50 Shades is that it seems to me to have been written for the lowest common denominator reader, one who does not realize that part of the pull of the book is that first person narrative, which is just silly. No one can be having sex, getting flogged, what-the-f-ever sexual pleasure and be texting or writing the action at the same time. But it does create an experience for the reader which is very masochistic. We are all masochists in the broadest sense of the word. The fact that the actions in this book are somewhat forbidden for many of the sheltered women reading it, heightens the enjoyment.
Everyone knows that romance novels follow formulaic writing, right? This is the same thing. Sorry to be so down on it, I'm not down on the fanfic that you all write, just down on shit becoming popular that reads like a 3rd grader wrote it. A very twisted third grader, but still.
And I have read enough of it to have this opinion, I'm not just hating on first person narrative. We sell it where I work now. I can also go in to the socio-economics of it right now too - how women are deprived (depraved, LOL) because they can't go out and spend as much money as they used to, etc etc. This is a cheap thrill. Just the other day there was a report about how many thousands of $$ women spend in their lifetime on things like shoes.
So the publishing of 50 Shades seems very well timed, if nothing else. Find that key and you'll make a million dollars on fanfic too.
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Date: 2012-07-12 04:36 pm (UTC)The thing about 50 Shades is that it seems to me to have been written for the lowest common denominator reader, one who does not realize that part of the pull of the book is that first person narrative, which is just silly. No one can be having sex, getting flogged, what-the-f-ever sexual pleasure and be texting or writing the action at the same time. But it does create an experience for the reader which is very masochistic. We are all masochists in the broadest sense of the word. The fact that the actions in this book are somewhat forbidden for many of the sheltered women reading it, heightens the enjoyment.
Everyone knows that romance novels follow formulaic writing, right? This is the same thing. Sorry to be so down on it, I'm not down on the fanfic that you all write, just down on shit becoming popular that reads like a 3rd grader wrote it. A very twisted third grader, but still.
And I have read enough of it to have this opinion, I'm not just hating on first person narrative. We sell it where I work now. I can also go in to the socio-economics of it right now too - how women are deprived (depraved, LOL) because they can't go out and spend as much money as they used to, etc etc. This is a cheap thrill. Just the other day there was a report about how many thousands of $$ women spend in their lifetime on things like shoes.
So the publishing of 50 Shades seems very well timed, if nothing else. Find that key and you'll make a million dollars on fanfic too.