Both the Marquis De Sade and E.L. James have garnered attention for their explicit sexualized literature. The Marquis crafting perverse pieces in the late 18th century and James writing hers in the 21st. Each of these authors claiming the reason behind their writing is liberation; the Marquis for liberation from an oppressive regime and James liberation from oppressive masculine hegemony. But who did it better? This is not an uncritical question of who had the more titillating stories, but who used their literature to best define sexual politics in their time. Is one more eloquent than the other? Do they share a common ground of exploration? Does the sublime play a role in both of their writings? These questions not only point to the changing relationship society has with sexuality but also how sexual politics continues to be a major source of debate.
Having read portions of both authors work, I'm not sure if this topic has much to go with except for the fact sex and bondage show up with more frequency then they do in say The Old Man and the Sea. De Sade would be as offensive today, and perhaps even more so, then he was in his day. (I thought about including an example, but if you want to know just google "De Sade Juliette", which is not even his most "ambitious" work) James on the other hand, is perverse to people who've never seen an R rated movie and is probably offensive to people who've actually had sex. James seems to have a lot of fondness for the themes of female purity civilizing the Byronic man, sacrificing one's self for love, and pursuing monogamous, heterosexual marriage as telos. For a series of books that's all about taking a turn into the sexual wild side, it's pretty vanilla in its moral sensibilities. If De Sade had to read the Shades trilogy, he'd think it was the dumbest dumb thing in the history of dumb things. He'd then probably write some angry fanfiction where James is subject to the kind of experiences De Sade typically makes his female characters endure, all the while having a stand-in for himself calling her stupid from the side lines. (De Sade would probably cast himself as some kind of heckler who James, in her delusion, believes to be her inner Goddess/Sadist) Quite honestly, each author's body of work is tough to "swallow", but for different, unpleasant reasons. James is in terrible need of an editor and De Sade follows the literary conventions of the 18th century, which doesn't always sing to contemporary ears. Before we even talk about the content in their works, just arguing for which is the more eloquent writer is like saying whether a pigeon or pterodactyl would do better swimming across the English channel. It's amusing to think about, but dreary to pursue.
– rj2n9 years ago
I find the particular selection of these two writers very odd. Why wouldn't compare two writers with more in common (epoch, language, style, philosophy, etc.) besides the fact that they write about eroticism? There is more logic in selecting French authors form the 18th century similar to Sade (there are many of them). – T. Palomino2 years ago
An analysis of films or literature that was set in the future when it was written, but is now our past/present. You could look at how accurate it is, or speculate if anything is a self-fulfilling prophecy (such as the Big Brother shows named after Orwell's book.)
I think this sort of writing is done fairly often, but what separates the forgettable from the memorable are the ones that identify why different works got the future right/wrong. Those that present this sort of analysis generally have a good understanding of the "present" era in which the story was written. Because, for most people, the future is an extension of how they things today. So for example, 2001. For all of Kubrick's attention to detail, the future looks like the 1960s in space. The modernist chairs, the short skirts on Pan-Am Stewardesses on space shuttles, and the non-collapse of the Soviet Union. People still use phone booths, but at least they have video. Using sci-fi stories as a way to get at the hopes of the era it was produced as well as hopes of the creators, would be one way to frame the issues. – rj2n9 years ago
This sub-genre of sci-fi has roots in early twentieth century Russian and Irish writing also. The best, shorter work, in the Irish side of the genre is Flann O’Brien's “Díoghaltais ar Ghallaibh ‘sa Bhliain 2032!” which Jack Fennell recently translated into English (“Revenge on the English in the Year 2032!”). It appeared in The Irish Press on January 18, 1932. You can find it in a recent collection though: “Revenge on the English in the year 2032!” in The Short Fiction of Flann O’Brien, eds. Neil Murphy and Keith Hopper, trans. Jack Fennell. 23–28. Champaign, IL: Dalkey Archive Press, 2013. It's a brilliant speculative piece of fiction set in an entirely Gaelic-speaking Ireland in the year 2032. The narrator arrives in this world by way of futuristic ship which is reminiscent of We (in Russian: Мы), the a dystopian novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin from 1921. – ChristopherMcCarthy9 years ago
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was originally set in 1992! It offered a bleak view of the world, would work great here. – Samantha Leersen4 years ago
What sort of America is represented in F.Scott Fitzgerald's literature?
Since work on Fitgerald often evaluates the era he was writing in, it would be intriguing to read an article that veers off in an odd, fresh direction. – jennewymore9 years ago
Fitzgerald's depiction of America is the representation of old money and new money through the glitz and glamour of clothing, parties and automobiles. It gives the readers the image that America is a shallow society that gives attention to consumerism. – maricsat9 years ago
Flappers and WWI comes to mind – crispychips9 years ago
Most of his texts focus on his own lifestyle and the people he associated with. How about talking about Meyer Wolfsheim (hint: Arnold Rothstein)? – mimz39 years ago
How does fiction represent the fears and talking points of society at a certain time? Why do certain topics appear inflationary in popular culture in a short time span? (E.g. dystopian literature in the past few years). How are adaptations/remakes of older stories changed to fit the needs of the current audience? (E.g. Sherlock Holmes – Hound of the Baskervilles (film) from 1939 in comparison to Sherlock – Hounds of Baskerville (BBC episode) from 2012). Just a few approaches to the topic of societal issues in fiction.
Could Orwell's 1984 have a part in this topic? After all, people refer to 1984 today as in relation to current political policies, etc – Ryan Errington9 years ago
With millions of books sold, and a widely successful movie adaptation, Fifty Shades of Grey is undoubtedly a popular series. However, the subject matter is not without controversy.
While the books and movie have helped to bring the BDSM culture into a more popular light, the depictions of consent within the book are arguably sub-standard.
Should the appallingly inaccurate, and possibly dangerous, depictions of consent within the series be ignored? Should such matters take a back seat to the discussions of the popularity and profits of the series, or should the discussion shift now that the series is part of popular culture?
The popularity and "racy" subject matter of the books and movies are indeed topics to discuss, ones that will always illicit a response. However, should those topics be the focus, or should they be used as an introduction to a much more important discussion on consent and its depiction in the media?
Also of note, James' is releasing a new book, Grey, on June 18. It will be the same story, only told through Christian Grey's POV. This will no doubt open some new discussions, so it may be worth it to wait to write on this topic until after its' release. – AloraP9 years ago
"Grey" from "His" perspective? good lord how much aping does E L James have to do? this was literally the leaked book from Twilight author Meyer. The fifth book was to be "Midnight Sun" a retelling of Twilight from Edward's perspective. :facepalm: -- that said there are books that cover consent. Such as the [I got it free on Amazon] Gynocracy. While on it's surface it's a book about a space crew trying to rescue one of their own from an amazon planet. When you actually read it's. It's just a primer on the BSDM lifestyle. Plenty of chapters dedicated to consent and the safety sane thing that BSDMers are always saying in interviews about their lifestyle. – wolfkin9 years ago
I read all 4 books. In a glimpse of a second. They were captivating, seducing, challenging and inspiring. I think we have kept the BDSM culture into darkness for way too long, allowing our society to let us believe it's wrong. There is a limit to every thing, but when performed the right way, it could add a lot of spice into a dull relationship. I think we all have a dark fantasy weather we want to say it out loud or hide behind masks that our society gives us. There is so much more to discover when we let ourselves free and let our imaginations go. I am tired of prudes, I am tired of boring people surrounding me every day. I don't think these "racy" topics should be hidden and not talked about, I think they should be up and on the front row of every couple's sexual life and discussions.
– elizadim8 years ago
When a writer explores the dark and disturbing — think rape, pedophilia, abuse, addictions, and so on — the subject matter makes the writer penetrate the side of life we so often like to leave alone and, in turn, the writer must come to terms with his/her personal views of the subject matter. However, when readers then take the work up and read it, they are given only so much of what a writer knows to be true about the world created within the story or novel. Do the readers really have the chance to work through their own views on the subject matter in a way that enables them to experience catharsis? How does this work?
By definition, catharsis means to experience release from a repressed emotion. To experience a release from horrific actions like this works from both ends. Your feeling is like the center clearing of the forest with two roads leading to it from completely opposite ends. What makes this difficult is writing it in a way where it is experienced by both parties. You need to find that point of commonality between both. In the end, even readers are touched ad hit. Perhaps it works best if the story is told from a first person viewpoint. In that way, both the reader and the writer get similar tastes of what it means to be in that situation. It is challenging but effective. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Look at depictions of robots in classic sci-fi literature – e.g. R.U.R. (1921); Automata (1929); I, Robot (1940); Farewell to the Master (1940); I Sing the Body Electric (1969); The Bicentennial Man (1976) – and determine whether our preconceived notions of robots, as shaped by these texts, have hindered our development of robotics in general and artificial intelligence in particular.
Not novelizations of the movie but books set in the same universe as the movie. Like the Star Wars or Star Trek books.
I have some X-Files books, Monk, Psych, and Sleepy Hollow. And some guide books that are made to look like the characters wrote them, like "Gravity Falls: Dipper's and Mabel's Guide to Mystery and Nonstop fun."
This topic hasn't received much attention in media.
There are also comic books set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (i.e. The Avengers, Iron Man 1-3, Captain America 1-2, Thor 1-2, etc). They are often released after a movie comes out in theatres, titled after that movie. For example, after The Avengers was released, a comic book called The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week hit bookshelves. These comic books tie into the movies and explain little extra bits and pieces within the universe and are always "preludes". They also include copies of older comics, but those are unrelated to the movies (directly). – VelvetRose9 years ago
