I am
sure many of you have heard-of/read/secretly-want-to-read the newest fad novel,
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Fifty Shades is clearly no typical
best-seller book, it is an erotic series that has somehow managed to garner
extreme popularity and media attention. Though I have read two of the three
books in the trilogy, and am quickly making my way through the third, I will
focus only on Book One in this entry.
A brief
synopsis of the book: Ana Steele is an almost college graduate with a smart
mouth and no concept of just how beautiful she is. Ana has no relational/sexual
experience until she meets Christian Grey, a rich CEO. Grey
soon reveals his desire for BDSM; in other words, Grey wants Ana
to be his Submissive partner in their sexual relationship. He offers Ana a
contract stating the RULES of their Dominant/Submissive relationship - I will
say, these “rules” were graphic and fairly disturbing, and I am shocked that
Ana didn’t go running for the door…but I guess that doesn't make for a good story… Now, I won’t
give too much away…because I know you’re all going to go read the book after
this post… but Ana is hesitant to be Christian’s submissive and in the end, Christian
Grey - the unemotional, sadistic bachelor - chooses to throw away his life of BDSM and
settle down with Ana in a committed, less violent/demanding, and, “normal”
relationship.
So because I can’t really
post an excerpt from the book….
Here’s a clip from ABC
News’ 20/20 where E.L. James discusses her book! (the part about why women want men to take care of them is particularly interesting...)
I want
to first talk about the overall response to this book and its popularity among
teenage, college-aged, and middle-aged women. I think that women are often less
comfortable exploring their sexuality and desires, and it is more taboo for
women to engage with porn or erotic entertainment. Men, on the other hand, seem
to have no problem with watching porn and talking about it. I, personally, would have never ever thought
to read an erotic novel, but because this book became so popular, I was
definitely intrigued and I didn’t feel at all embarrassed about it. This book
is allowing women to not feel weird about reading erotic novels and allowing
them to explore their sexuality, like men seem to do naturally.
Now, in
terms of the actual plot: The dominant and submissive codes as stated by Holz
Ivory (2009) could not be any more explicit than in this book. The characters
willingly take on these roles, and even label themselves as the Dominant or the
Submissive. Kim, et al.’s (2007) description of male and female roles are also
very clear in this book. Christian is very wealthy, powerful, and extremely
handsome - these are all characteristics of a male’s courting strategy.
Furthermore, he openly says that he does not want any sort of emotional
relationship, stating that he doesn’t do “hearts and flowers” - this
exemplifies Kim, et al.’s (2007) male commitment characteristic of avoidance.
While
many of the typical gender norms are present in the book, ultimately, Christian
decides to change his lifestyle because Ana is not the typical woman. Ana is
smart, never backs down, often breaks his rules, and rarely dresses up or “objectifies
herself”. And Christian loves all of this; he loves her quick wit, her stubbornness,
her complete unawareness of her beauty. If Ana stayed true to the typical
female role, Christian would have likely treated her like any other Submissive;
but because she is defying those norms, he realizes how much he loves her and
will change his life for her ---- (this is also similar to Bader’s (2007)
article that mentions the Lyric Myth of a woman’s love turning a man from a “beast”
to a “prince”).
Overall,
the relationship in this book is intense, risky, and at times, weirded me out! Sometimes, I hate Ana for even thinking about allowing herself to be Submissive,
but then again, I respect her for her intelligence and strength…. So clearly,
this book both aligns with and contradicts many of the gender codes we have
read in class. All in all - GO READ IT!
It is by no means a literary masterpiece, but it sure is entertaining!!
