Bondage, Sex and Love: Oh My!
For me, a pornographic book is functional, written to help you get excited. If you want to speak about sex in a novel or any ambitious writing, today, in the 21st century, you must be explicit. You cannot be metaphorical any longer.
The author of Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades) has done just that. The explicit book focuses on the relationship between Anastasia Steele, a 21-year-old college student, and her eventual boss, 27-year-old entrepreneur Christian Grey. The relationship becomes highly sexual in nature, and the series caused waves with its depictions of bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism (BDSM) between the pair. Millions of women have flocked to buy the book and read it, myself included.
Both its success and appeal are apparent, but discussions over what the subtext of the book has to say about modern feminism have come to fruition. Both sides have argued that the submissive relationship seen in the book undermines female inequality and sets a negative example to readers. On the contrary, the sadomasochism seen in the book is not degrading to women. It is pure fantasy, expressing to readers that sexual exploration in the bedroom is acceptable. The majority of female readers have gone with the latter, agreeing that the book is also their own sexual fantasy and the book has spiced things up in the bedroom. Unfortunately, women have not considered the first argument because they are deeply involved with the love story and the explicit sex scenes between the pair. I will confess that the book has indeed consumed my mind, having read all three books in the trilogy. What sets me apart from most women, however, is the realization that the book it is indeed a fantasy, a fantasy that...
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... and BDSM has a rich tradition within the leather communities, which began in the 1950s. Also, technology has contributed to new variations of this lifestyle because the Internet houses several BDSM websites and chat rooms. It is important to understand basic terminology of BDSM before navigating to any of these sites.
Vanilla or vanilla sex refers to conventional, or non-BDSM, sexuality. Sometimes it is used to refer to a person outside this lifestyle. Safe words are specific words agreed upon before play that will instantly stop a scene. Either participant is free to end the scene at any time. Checking in refers to the dominant or top making sure the submissive or bottom is both physically and psychologically okay during play. Toys are also involved, which may include paddles, whips, handcuffs, masks, etc. All of these terms are used in Fifty Shades of Grey.
Reading Chapter 11, “Genders and Sexualities,” written by Carrie Hintz was to construct and enact alternatives for these two traditional categories. Data is clearly indicated that sexual material is some of the most controversial content in literature. Children’s literature that is involved with adolescent’s childhood are key battlegrounds for attitudes about gender and sexuality. The significance of gender and sexuality in children’s literature is the persistent investment in what is perceived to be the innocence of children. Innocence is defined in part by children’s enforced ignorance of sexual matters. According to James Kincaid, “Youth and innocence are two of the most eroticized constructions of the past two centuries. Innocence was that
Even though women such as Lucy demonstrate stereotypical female weakness, characters such as Mina defy the conventional submissive female, as an independent woman, a role uncommon of novels in this era. In addition, Mina, in comparison to men, possesses substantially stronger emotional fortitude and controls her emotions, while the men who are supposed to be strong expose emotional weakness and frailty. Ultimately, however, no matter Mina’s intelligence or strengths, the men continually suppress Mina’s vast amount of wisdom in order to maintain their perceived dominance. Nonetheless, Stoker’s messages throughout the novel regarding women silently protest the sexist expectations of the overly limiting Victorian era. Should today’s modern feminists take Stoker’s peaceful approach and protest subtly hoping for long-term change? Or should feminists act with violent protests in hope for prompt change? Gender equality will not happen overnight, however, instead of rushing minuscule modifications with violent protest, society must patiently wait for productive and peaceful change, in order to prevent an even larger
Certainly this book is written for adults. The authour uses profanity and racial remarks, but it is necessary to tell the story in that manner. The bad language used by the characters shows their hate and anger, but also shows that some are willing to change their ways.
The women in both Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness are seemingly presented with traditional feminine qualities of inferiority, weakness and sexual objectification. However, the power that they hold in male-female relationships, and their embodiment of traditional male roles, contests the chauvinistic views of society during Conrad and Hardy’s era. While Conrad presents powerful female characters through their influences over men, the reversal of traditional gender roles is exemplified more by Hardy’s character, Tess, yet both authors present revolutionary ideas of feminism, and enlighten readers to challenge the patriarchal views of society towards women.
well as claiming that it was "explicitly pornographic" and "immoral." After months of controversy, the board ruled that the novel could be read
...hetypes of these primary characters, both of these novels make a parallel statement on feminism. The expectations of both themselves and society greatly determine the way that these women function in their families and in other relationships. Looking at the time periods in which these novels were written and take place, it is clear that these gender roles greatly influence whether a female character displays independence or dependence. From a contemporary viewpoint, readers can see how these women either fit or push the boundaries of these expected gender roles.
... pornography is just expressing ones self; to others, itþs considered an art form. But studies have shown that this þart formþ is the chief cause of many murders and rapes that occur in the United States. And it doesnþt start with þhard-coreþ. The early stages of erotica are actually the start.
Sexuality explicit is one of the top reasons books get challenged. In the book I read, "Dancing Naked" By Shelley Hrdlitschka,
For instance, the previous generation of musical idols such as Michael Jackson and Madonna did not express their interests in nudity and extreme sexual behavior in the public arenas as compared to the modern-age equivalents, such as Miley Cyrus who has been renowned for extreme sexual behavior in the public domain (Marcotte 1). Prudery has also affected the literal and writing industry through books such as the Twilight Trilogy that incorporates extreme sexual obscenity. These ideologies then trickle down to the young generation. In fact, recent studies indicate that 33 percent of the young U.S. citizens aged between 15 and 24 years have never had sex (Marcotte 1). While these figures were overly publicized in the mass media platforms in the U.S. as an unobjectionably good thing, it is critical to understand that the numbers are relatively high compared to other nations, especially in Western Europe. The perception of these numbers as an achievement when it falls short in the global arena is the result of sexual perversion in the U.S. society as a result of
This twentieth-century tradition of dystopian novels is a possible influence, with classics like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984 standing prominent. The pessimism associated with novels of this genre—where society is presented as frightening and restrictive—exposes the gender inequality between men and women to be deleterious. An aspect of the way male/female relationships are presented in both texts is the repression of female sexuality by men, possibly stemming from a subliminal fear of women attaining power in a male-dominated society. Brocklehurst—a possible reflection of Bront’s Evangelical minister at Cowan Bridge, her own poorly run school—is a male authoritative figure whose relationship with the girls at Lowood is one of imposed tyranny. He means to “tame and humble” them through deprivations and restrictions, but such removal of liberties like cutting off the girls’ hair, consequentially robbing them of female attributes, can be interpreted as the male repression of feminine sexuality.... ...
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
In order for us to deal with how a consideration of femininity can effect our understanding of a literary text, we must also be able to grasp the notion of `feminism' and `Feminist Literary Theory'. A dictionary definition of `feminism' is: `the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.' Although this leans towards feminism in the historical sense of the word, it still provides the grounds, or foundations, from which feminist literary theories were created. Feminists argue against the stereotyping and social construction of female norms, seeing them as created by men in order to establish their own sense of power. It is thought that while males suggest that gender is sex and not actually a construct, the female role will become much more passive, stereotyped and controlled.
The beliefs, traditions, and characteristics of the swinger culture can run a wide gamut. Swingers can be described as consenting adult couples who are interested in having sexual relations with other mutually consenting adults. Couples who belong to this culture believe they live a lifestyle that blends traditional family values, including matrimony, children, and monogamy, with the erotic cultivation of their marriage through the practice rites that consist of erotic costume parties to multiple partner sexual activity as a form of social recreation (Gould, 1998). Swingers are oddly obsessed with personal hygiene. Also, candles and mood lighting often set the scene, with pornographic movies playing to break the ice. Surprisingly a person may be shy, even a
...osite sex. In adulthood, Christian’s perspective of his birth mother as the “crack whore” continues because of his memories of her lack of nurturing and attention to his needs to find other ways to be self-sufficient at a young age. In connection to Freud’s theory, Christian remains in the phallic stage in adulthood because sex is his outlet for his deep, unresolved issues with his mother. E.L. James portrays Christian Grey’s character development with abuse, Freud’s theory, and Erikson’s theory throughout the novel, Fifty Shades of Grey.
My eyes were caught by the title "rape fantasy" at the first time I saw this essay because it was so sensitive that most people are not willing to talk about it. After finish reading this novel, Estelle and her six fantasies gave me deep impression.