50 shades of grey-Why so popular?

panda100

So unless you've been living under a rock for the last 6 months, you are bound to have heared of this book.

As an avid reader and a fan of erotic literature,I was really looking forward to reading this much talked about book.I've just finished, and have to say while its not the worst book I've ever read,it really is not good. How people are still interested in reading the second and third book i will never know.

The first quarter of the book is quite engaging. There is a decent storyline and characters are interesting. But then it is just the same sex scene and same conversation between the two lovers over and over again, for the remaining three quarters of the book. I really am at a loss as to why this book is so popular.The sexual imagery and language used is appaling. I mean what self respecting women over the age of 15, would refer to her genitalia as 'my sex'?!

Far from being turned on, I felt anger and annoyance over a relationship which was esentially an annoying, lip biting, submissive,virginal woman being dominated and prostituted out to a wealthy,powerful man.

Why is this book so popular,please someone explain?

BunShopVoyeur

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDA57sttHEo

Catari Jaguar

People are sheep?

WhyGoBald

It started off as Twilight fanfiction (apparently you can still find it on the internet if you look hard enough, which I have absolutely no intention of doing) but had the names changed to avoid legal liability. I think there's a clue somewhere in there.

extra gravy

:pac:

phasers

I saw a couple of little girls reading this the other day. They were about 9 :eek: :eek: :eek:

Honestly, it's the same reason crap like Jersey Shore is popular. It's been overhyped in the media and people like stuff that isnt too challenging.

panda100

panda100 wrote: »

Far from being turned on, I felt anger and annoyance over a relationship which was esentially an annoying, lip biting, submissive,virginal woman being dominated and prostituted out to a wealthy,powerful man.

Why is this book so popular,please someone explain?

Because a lot of people fantasise about being young submissive virginal girls, or being wealthy, powerful men who get to sleep with young girls?

Just a guess.

panda100

WhyGoBald wrote: »

It started off as Twilight fanfiction (apparently you can still find it on the internet if you look hard enough, which I have absolutely no intention of doing) but had the names changed to avoid legal liability. I think there's a clue somewhere in there.

i actually quite liked the Twilight books This is no similarity between this book and Twilight from what I could read.


Extra Gravy,that pic is brilliant!

krankykitty

Some similarities between the two series:

Goodreads Similarities between 50 Shades and Twilight

Similarities between 50 Shades and "Master of the Universe" Twilight Fanfic by EL James

I thought they were quite alike in many ways personally, both stories about naive, drippy young women who hook up with guys with (IMHO, in 50 Shades anyway) psychotic stalker tendencies, to engage in an abusive/controlling relationship (at varying levels between the two series).

Except Christian Grey isn't sparkly

Oh and on topic, I think the books seem more popular than they are, a lot of people are reading them from curiosity (I for one read them because I had heard so many people going on about them). And in fairness they're so badly written, and the story is so far fetched that it's actually amusing. Apart from the fact they portray abuse as opposed to BDSM.

meeeeh

Because people like naughty stuff that is generally acceptable? Add to that the usual summer blockbuster and you have a winning formula.

I haven't read the books and I do read quite a bit of erotic stuff. After being hoaxed into reading davinci's Code and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I just couldn't be bothered with another badly written summer craze. Plus anything related to Twilight is a massive turn off for me. I haven't read the books, I found first movie so annoying I couldn't even last to the end. And I can usually at least fast forward through some pretty bad stuff.

lindtee

I read the first one. I found it incredibly annoying though especially the "oh mys" and "inner goddess" tripe but I felt compelled to finish it. It is very badly written. It was embarrassingly unrealistic too. Christian Grey mentions at some stage that he earns €100,000 per hour:rolleyes::rolleyes: I didn't think it was very erotic/sexy/shocking either and I would consider myself on the prudish side. Started the second one but decided to read something else a few chapters in, I may or may not go back to it! Probably not though.

starfish90

Well I don't know one person who is reading it because they heard it was good-its all curiosity drawn from hype and over exposure. Saying that, the author is really modest about it all, hates publicity and spent her earnings on a volkswagen! It's safe to say i'm well jealous i didn't come up with the idea first-i'd be buying more than a volkswagen with the money!!

m'lady

I attempted to read it a few weeks back and couldn't get passed the 15th chapter.. I seriously thought it was the greatest load of crap going! I thought to myself 'am I the only woman that actually doesn't like Christian Grey?' lol.

I put it down and swore never to return to it.. Then picked up a decent book and read it in a night!

The Idyll Race

lindtee wrote: »

I read the first one. I found it incredibly annoying though especially the "oh mys" and "inner goddess" tripe but I felt compelled to finish it. It is very badly written. It was embarrassingly unrealistic too. Christian Grey mentions at some stage that he earns €100,000 per hour:rolleyes::rolleyes: I didn't think it was very erotic/sexy/shocking either and I would consider myself on the prudish side. Started the second one but decided to read something else a few chapters in, I may or may not go back to it! Probably not though.

I'll leave the psychologists analyse that :rolleyes:

Millicent

phasers wrote: »

I saw a couple of little girls reading this the other day. They were about 9 :eek: :eek: :eek:

Oh what?! I didn't know it was possible to be more depressed by this book but that did it. Cheers, Phasers. :mad: :pac:

Stheno

Has anyone here read the likes of the story of OH?

mike65

"the Story of O", Shirley?

carbob

I have to say I read them all just to say I read them lol I would actually pick up a mills and boons book would never pick up another of this author's book her writing is very very bad! I also after reading them was so disappointed as I was expecting something far greater it was such a let down. money thrown away or what?!!

WhyGoBald

Interesting article on why Fifty Shades... is so popular. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/27/why-are-women-devouring-fifty-shades-of-grey/

The Sweeper

Christian Grey is, by all accounts, an obsessive, controlling, abusive partner. With a large wallet and some good looks. The message in these books is frightening.

flowerchild

I have not read any of the series, but it does seem to have an elegant pulled back cover. Not the normal embarrassing torn bodice look of traditional romance literature. Could a more adult look and positioning have affected audience acceptance and sales?

OakeyDokey

Unrealistic, sex scene threw in to fill space, extremely repetitive. I really tried to get into this but just couldn't.

I just find it funny when people who wouldn't usually touch a book let alone read one suddenly runs out and buys the whole series!

xDramaxQueenx

Let me sum it up.
Oh im so modest and clumsy and quite ordinary but all the boys love me.
Oh christian, hes so arrogant.
Oh anastasia don't hurt yourself.
OH christian, my 50 shades.
Oh Anastasia here is a mac and blackberry, dont ever leave me.
Oh christian i wouldnt ever leave you.
Oh ana, i want to beat you.
oh christian, im not hungry.
oh ana, you must eat. i need you to be healthy while i watch you sleep.
oh christian can i touch you?
FREAKOUT!

Book 2:
ana you said you would never leave me
christian, im now a nympho and completely harmless to boot
ana my mother has a hard on for you
christian, im just so plain, ms kate is the pretty one.
ana are you eating
christian ill have some granola


now im bored, you get the jist and yaaaah, i read all 3.

Arawn

No interest in the thing at all. Was highly amused about the talk of a film, the first real hollywood type of its sort... Because the secretary doesnt exist apparently

LittleBook

The best review of 50 Shades EVER!

And there's a word count.

"Oh My" - 79
"Crap" - 101
"Jeez" - 82
"Holy (shít/fúck/crap/hell/cow/moses)" - 172
"Whoa" - 13
"Gasp" - 34
"Gasps" - 11
"Sharp Intake of Breath" - 4
"Murmur" - 68
"Murmurs" - 139
"Whisper" - 96
"Whispers" - 103
"Mutter" - 28
"Mutters" - 23
"Fifty" - 16
"Lip" - 71
"Inner goddess" - 58
"Subconscious" - 82

But to answer the OP's question, I think there are several reasons:

1. Marketing
2. It appeals to people who don't read for pleasure
3. It was available on e-readers so the books could be read anywhere discreetly

meeeeh

Well I read a column that was saying that the book was product of today's capitalistic society. In essence it the relationship between protagonists is the same as exploitation and enslavement of workers by greedy capitalist overlords. It almost reminded me of the good old times and the texts I had to read when studying.

Those books are bad but it is even worse when they are taken seriously.

WhimSock

There is far more obsession about the popularity of the book, rather than the book itself.

Judes

Myself and several friends are on an Anti-Grey Protest i.e. we won't read this trilogy, as it sounds like the books were very badly written - repetitive - and the story line sounds so, so, familiar?!* I realised that when I asked a colleague for a summary of the story line.

So - if you ever read Jilly Coopers, "Riders" or "Rivals" - or Julie Burchill's "Ambition" these were viewed as explicit/raunchy at the time. Also, sounds like there are bits of "Pretty Woman" and "Nine and a Half Weeks" thrown in - and if there was any doubt as to where the story line came from -watch "The Secretary" - with Maggie Gyllenahall and James Spader. I've just lifted a synopsis of that film from Wikepedia - you will laugh when you read the main character's surname - and the basic story line.

FROM WIKEPEDIA:
"Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the socially awkward and emotionally sensitive youngest daughter of a dysfunctional family, adjusts to normal life after having been hospitalized following an incident of dangerous self-harm. She learns to type, starts to date an acquaintance from high school named Peter, and begins to work as a secretary for an eccentric attorney, E. Edward Grey (James Spader), who hires her despite her stilted social skills and unprofessional appearance.

Though at first Grey appears highly irritated by Lee's typos and other innocuous mistakes, it soon becomes apparent that he is sexually aroused by her submissive behavior. After he confronts her about her propensity for self-injury and commands that she never hurt herself again, the two embark on a BDSM relationship. Lee experiences a sexual and personal awakening, and she falls deeply in love. Edward, however, displays insecurity concerning his feelings for Lee, and he shows shame and disgust over his sexual habits. After a sexual encounter in his office, he fires Lee.During this period of exploration with Edward, Lee has also been attempting to have a normal boyfriend in Peter, played by Jeremy Davies, even engaging in lukewarm sex with him. After Lee is fired from her job, Peter proposes to Lee, who reluctantly agrees to marry him. However, while trying on her wedding gown she leaves and runs to Edward's office where she declares her love for him. Edward, still uncertain about their relationship, tests Lee by commanding her to sit in his chair without moving her hands or feet until he returns. Lee eagerly complies. Days pass, as Peter, family members, and acquaintances individually visit Lee to alternately attempt to dissuade or encourage her. After three days, Edward returns to the office and takes Lee to his apartment where he bathes and nurtures her. The pair marry and happily continue their dominant-submissive relationship. " END

See what I mean - very, very familiar!

Millicent

I think the difference being that Secretary was good.

Hillmanhunter1

panda100 wrote: »

Why is this book so popular,please someone explain?

It is striking that nobody seems interested in answering the question posed by the OP. There's plenty of sniggering, condescension and literary critique of what is, by any measure, a novel of limited literary value - but why is it so popular?

I say that it is popular because it appeals to a very arousing female fantasy - that of being dominated by and submissive to a male within a physical relationship, a consensual and non-abusive relationship.

As a fantasy it only works for both partners if they have equal respect for one another - only then will both partners be comfortable in playing out the fantasy. I also suspect that for most couples the reality of the fantasy extends no further than the man taking more control during lovemaking, but who knows where the imagination flies in those moments?

I'm not suggesting that this is what is precisely what is portrayed in the book, but the story is sufficiently close to this fantasy to generate the frisson that it has.

Honey-ec

It's p0rn for people who haven't had sex with the lights on in years. That's it. No great mystery. Also one for people who only read one book a year, just to reassure themselves that they still can...

carbob

Honey-ec wrote: »

It's p0rn for people who haven't had sex with the lights on in years. That's it. No great mystery. Also one for people who only read one book a year, just to reassure themselves that they still can...

now that is the truth only it doesn't even make good porn for these with lights off haha:D

hmmm

Because people have suddenly realised that they can buy erotica on their Kindles, and not have to deal with the embarrassment of having to pick it up off a shelf and hand it to some teenager at the counter.

panda100

xDramaxQueenx wrote: »

Let me sum it up.
Oh im so modest and clumsy and quite ordinary but all the boys love me.
Oh christian, hes so arrogant.
Oh anastasia don't hurt yourself.
OH christian, my 50 shades.
Oh Anastasia here is a mac and blackberry, dont ever leave me.
Oh christian i wouldnt ever leave you.
Oh ana, i want to beat you.
oh christian, im not hungry.
oh ana, you must eat. i need you to be healthy while i watch you sleep.
oh christian can i touch you?
FREAKOUT!

Book 2:
ana you said you would never leave me
christian, im now a nympho and completely harmless to boot
ana my mother has a hard on for you
christian, im just so plain, ms kate is the pretty one.
ana are you eating
christian ill have some granola


now im bored, you get the jist and yaaaah, i read all 3.

Classic post!Though I think you need to inlcude Ana biting her lip for the milllionth time, and christian asking her every minute what she has eaten.

rainbowtrout

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

It is striking that nobody seems interested in answering the question posed by the OP. There's plenty of sniggering, condescension and literary critique of what is, by any measure, a novel of limited literary value - but why is it so popular?

I say that it is popular because it appeals to a very arousing female fantasy - that of being dominated by and submissive to a male within a physical relationship, a consensual and non-abusive relationship.

As a fantasy it only works for both partners if they have equal respect for one another - only then will both partners be comfortable in playing out the fantasy. I also suspect that for most couples the reality of the fantasy extends no further than the man taking more control during lovemaking, but who knows where the imagination flies in those moments?

I'm not suggesting that this is what is precisely what is portrayed in the book, but the story is sufficiently close to this fantasy to generate the frisson that it has.

Hardly. It's nothing like that at all.

I read all three, a friend gave them to me so I figured may as well read them and have an opinion rather than going 'well I heard they're crap so they probably are'.

I won't get those hours of my life back again.

Christian stalks her from the beginning, it's clear (if you can suspend disbelief for the whole series: 26 year old self made billionaire, fluent in French, pilots his own helicopter, good looking, amazing on the piano, can't remember the rest of his attributes) that he stalks her from the start and can basically get any sort of information that he wants, he has her phone number, address, bank account details, keeps an eye on all her calls etc. Tells her what to eat, where to go, who she can be friends with, interferes with the running of her workplace, is emotionally, physically and sexually abusive to her, uses emotional blackmail to get what he wants, controls her, on their honeymoon gives her a load of love bites across her chest so she won't wear a bikini on the beach... oh god I can't remember half the crap there was so much of it. If you knew someone that treated a friend to even a fraction of this is real life you would say run, yet people seem to be lapping it up and for some bizarre reason think this is romantic?

I didn't think much of the never ending pages of sex which were boring and repetitive where Ana chews her bottom lip a lot, does stuff to please Christian a lot and has an inner goddess that makes an appearance at least once on every page.

And Ana the spanner that she is knows that most of this is wrong throughout the series but then justifies it with 'but he loves me, so it must be ok for him to do this, usually after he's justified the abuse'

So without spoiling it for anyone who wants the 'pleasure of reading the third book', an incident happens at the end, but they all live happily ever after and he seems to have a radical change of personality which is really the only way the author could end it because otherwise she's just married to an abusive control freak, and really people don't change that radically when they are like that.

Kimia

LittleBook wrote: »

The best review of 50 Shades EVER!

And there's a word count.



But to answer the OP's question, I think there are several reasons:

1. Marketing
2. It appeals to people who don't read for pleasure
3. It was available on e-readers so the books could be read anywhere discreetly

Funniest review ever.

I had to stop after getting about half way through the first book. It was just so cringy. I can't understand his obsession with her eating, when I think about it it makes me feel really uncomfortable - like what the f*ck am I reading. The 'murmuring' killed me. I wanted to slap her across the face to get her to pull herself together. She is like a limp dishcloth, pathetically biting her lip to entice Christian, who sounds like a complete weirdo altogether.

I could not relate to the characters at all - I just couldn't get into it. Ana is too pathetic and wishy washy. It honestly just creeped me out. I may as well have taken the 15 dollars I spent and set it on fire.

SusieBlue

I read all three. I found the first one mildly interesting, though I did notice that it was very badly written. I wanted to find out Christian's back story, which was what compelled me to buy #2 and #3.

The second and third book are just pages and pages of sex scenes, rehashed over and over again. It grew extremely tiresome so I ended up skipping the sex scenes cause they were predictible and frankly, I thought they disrupted the flow of the story. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likeable or admirable.

I have no idea why these books are so popular. I've even seen quite a few Christian Grey's on facebook, which is very worrying considering the profiles are full of middle aged women leaving messages asking to be dominated. Its kind of pathetic really.

I can also see loads of similarities between Twilight and 50 Shades. My OH has read out a few paragraphs to his friends, they were in stitches at how cheesy the sordid scenes are. He couldn't understand how I wasn't bursting out laughing every few minutes at the cringey dialogue.

I think its just the latest piece of pop culture. My bet is that it'll disappear faster than it got popular :pac:

The Sweeper

Judes wrote: »

Myself and several friends are on an Anti-Grey Protest i.e. we won't read this trilogy, as it sounds like the books were very badly written - repetitive - and the story line sounds so, so, familiar?!* I realised that when I asked a colleague for a summary of the story line.

So - if you ever read Jilly Coopers, "Riders" or "Rivals" - or Julie Burchill's "Ambition" these were viewed as explicit/raunchy at the time. Also, sounds like there are bits of "Pretty Woman" and "Nine and a Half Weeks" thrown in - and if there was any doubt as to where the story line came from -watch "The Secretary" - with Maggie Gyllenahall and James Spader. I've just lifted a synopsis of that film from Wikepedia - you will laugh when you read the main character's surname - and the basic story line.

FROM WIKEPEDIA:
"Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the socially awkward and emotionally sensitive youngest daughter of a dysfunctional family, adjusts to normal life after having been hospitalized following an incident of dangerous self-harm. She learns to type, starts to date an acquaintance from high school named Peter, and begins to work as a secretary for an eccentric attorney, E. Edward Grey (James Spader), who hires her despite her stilted social skills and unprofessional appearance.

Though at first Grey appears highly irritated by Lee's typos and other innocuous mistakes, it soon becomes apparent that he is sexually aroused by her submissive behavior. After he confronts her about her propensity for self-injury and commands that she never hurt herself again, the two embark on a BDSM relationship. Lee experiences a sexual and personal awakening, and she falls deeply in love. Edward, however, displays insecurity concerning his feelings for Lee, and he shows shame and disgust over his sexual habits. After a sexual encounter in his office, he fires Lee.During this period of exploration with Edward, Lee has also been attempting to have a normal boyfriend in Peter, played by Jeremy Davies, even engaging in lukewarm sex with him. After Lee is fired from her job, Peter proposes to Lee, who reluctantly agrees to marry him. However, while trying on her wedding gown she leaves and runs to Edward's office where she declares her love for him. Edward, still uncertain about their relationship, tests Lee by commanding her to sit in his chair without moving her hands or feet until he returns. Lee eagerly complies. Days pass, as Peter, family members, and acquaintances individually visit Lee to alternately attempt to dissuade or encourage her. After three days, Edward returns to the office and takes Lee to his apartment where he bathes and nurtures her. The pair marry and happily continue their dominant-submissive relationship. " END

See what I mean - very, very familiar!

Judes, 50 Shades and Secretary are really worlds apart.

50 Shades is extremely sex-negative, it's BDSM-negative and it's essentially domestic violence dressed up to pass it off as a 'perfectly normal' kink relationship.

In Secretary, Lee wants to be dominated and controlled. It gives her shape and boundaries in her world and helps her cope with things she couldn't cope with previously. She is a willing subjugate, actively and happily participating in her role. She is not at any stage frightened of, or by, her dom.

In 50 Shades, Ana spends her entire time being a begruding submissive to a dom who breaks a lot of rules and who is, frankly, a controlling stalker. He by turns frightens her and threatens her and intimidates her, but she carries on regardless. Additionally, Ana sees Christian's dominance as freakish, and is basically hanging around to try and 'cure' him of his kink. His behaviour is seen as a direct result of an abusive childhood, and she thinks she can 'heal' him of it.

In the meantime, she makes bad decisions and tolerates unacceptable, abusive, controlling behaviour in the hope that he'll desist because he loves her.

It's domestic violence in a suit.

It's all kind of fucked up, tbh. I worry about anyone who reads it and puts it down and says 'Oh ya know the sex wasn't THAT good, I don't see what the fuss is about' instead of 'Holy fuck this is the most subversive piece of anti-women propaganda since Stephanie Myers wrote a series of books about how utterly important it is to have a boyfriend, regardless of how obsessive he is'.

Hillmanhunter1

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Hardly. It's nothing like that at all.

I read all three, a friend gave them to me so I figured may as well read them and have an opinion rather than going 'well I heard they're crap so they probably are'.

I won't get those hours of my life back again.

Christian stalks her from the beginning, it's clear (if you can suspend disbelief for the whole series: 26 year old self made billionaire, fluent in French, pilots his own helicopter, good looking, amazing on the piano, can't remember the rest of his attributes) that he stalks her from the start and can basically get any sort of information that he wants, he has her phone number, address, bank account details, keeps an eye on all her calls etc. Tells her what to eat, where to go, who she can be friends with, interferes with the running of her workplace, is emotionally, physically and sexually abusive to her, uses emotional blackmail to get what he wants, controls her, on their honeymoon gives her a load of love bites across her chest so she won't wear a bikini on the beach... oh god I can't remember half the crap there was so much of it. If you knew someone that treated a friend to even a fraction of this is real life you would say run, yet people seem to be lapping it up and for some bizarre reason think this is romantic?

I didn't think much of the never ending pages of sex which were boring and repetitive where Ana chews her bottom lip a lot, does stuff to please Christian a lot and has an inner goddess that makes an appearance at least once on every page.

And Ana the spanner that she is knows that most of this is wrong throughout the series but then justifies it with 'but he loves me, so it must be ok for him to do this, usually after he's justified the abuse'

So without spoiling it for anyone who wants the 'pleasure of reading the third book', an incident happens at the end, but they all live happily ever after and he seems to have a radical change of personality which is really the only way the author could end it because otherwise she's just married to an abusive control freak, and really people don't change that radically when they are like that.

You say that I've got it completely wrong, and I have no problem with that, but do you have an alternative answer to the question of why these books are so popular?

It seems to me that very few people are addressing the OP's question. There's a lot of criticism of the style and content of the book, but little effort to explain why 40m people have bought it.

lindtee

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

You say that I've got it completely wrong, and I have no problem with that, but do you have an alternative answer to the question of why these books are so popular?

It seems to me that very few people are addressing the OP's question. There's a lot of criticism of the style and content of the book, but little effort to explain why 40m people have bought it.

Sex sells.......and people are curious about the books. On one side I was hearing the books were great/women were falling in love with Christian/people's sex lives were reignited...and so on. On the other I was hearing that they were ****e. So curiousity got the better of me. (I wish it hadn't) I'd say many of the 40 million were bought by the likes of me! I do have a problem with buying too many books though.

LittleBook

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

It is striking that nobody seems interested in answering the question posed by the OP. There's plenty of sniggering, condescension and literary critique of what is, by any measure, a novel of limited literary value - but why is it so popular?

All from before your post:

Catari Jaguar wrote: »

People are sheep?

WhyGoBald wrote: »

It started off as Twilight fanfiction but had the names changed to avoid legal liability. I think there's a clue somewhere in there.

Deleted User wrote: »

Because a lot of people fantasise about being young submissive virginal girls, or being wealthy, powerful men who get to sleep with young girls?

krankykitty wrote: »

I think the books seem more popular than they are, a lot of people are reading them from curiosity.

meeeeh wrote: »

Because people like naughty stuff that is generally acceptable? Add to that the usual summer blockbuster and you have a winning formula.

starfish90 wrote: »

its all curiosity drawn from hype and over exposure.

WhyGoBald wrote: »

Interesting article on why Fifty Shades... is so popular. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/27/why-are-women-devouring-fifty-shades-of-grey/

flowerchild wrote: »

it does seem to have an elegant pulled back cover. Not the normal embarrassing torn bodice look of traditional romance literature. Could a more adult look and positioning have affected audience acceptance and sales?

OakeyDokey wrote: »

people who wouldn't usually touch a book let alone read one suddenly runs out and buys the whole series!

LittleBook wrote: »

to answer the OP's question, I think there are several reasons:

1. Marketing
2. It appeals to people who don't read for pleasure
3. It was available on e-readers so the books could be read anywhere discreetly

WhimSock wrote: »

There is far more obsession about the popularity of the book, rather than the book itself.

But in spite of my own reply, I think now that the two responses I've highlighted are quite telling. This insistence that there has to be some deep meaning that applies to why the books are so popular is exactly the same question that was asked about why the Twilight books and films were so popular. It's not deep, it's not the same reason for every reader and it's certainly not universal.

Her husband wrote a book in a month and has been offered a three book deal by her publisher, that says a lot too.

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

I say that it is popular because it appeals to a very arousing female fantasy - that of being dominated by and submissive to a male within a physical relationship, a consensual and non-abusive relationship.

To be fair, that might be ONE of the reasons SOME people bought the book, but the problem is that what you describe here is the one thing the book is not!

Hillmanhunter1

50 Shades of Grey is a book about dominance and submission within a physical relationship. It would seem to me that any thesis that seeks to explain why 40 million people (most of whom it seems are women) have read this particular book, in a world that is saturated a broad specturm of erotic/pornographic publications and media, needs to acknowledge and take into account the subject matter of the book.

There's an interesting piece of research published in 2011 "A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire" that analyses a vast quantity of online data.
http://www.amazon.com/Billion-Wicked-Thoughts-Largest-Experiment/dp/0525952098

The research has its critics, but in a Q&A on the Feakonomics website one of the authors offers the following: "Most men are wired to be aroused by sexual dominance and most women are wired to be aroused by sexual submission, though a large minority of straight men (and a majority of gay men) prefer the sexually submissive role, and a small minority of women prefer the sexually dominant role.
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/05/17/the-neuroscience-behind-sexual-desire-authors-of-a-billion-wicked-thoughts-answer-your-questions/

We each must rely on our own experiences and perceptions, but this feels intuitively correct to me.

Honey-ec

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

50 Shades of Grey is a book about dominance and submission within a physical relationship. It would seem to me that any thesis that seeks to explain why 40 million people (most of whom it seems are women) have read this particular book, in a world that is saturated a broad specturm of erotic/pornographic publications and media, needs to acknowledge and take into account the subject matter of the book.

There's an interesting piece of research published in 2011 "A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire" that analyses a vast quantity of online data.
http://www.amazon.com/Billion-Wicked-Thoughts-Largest-Experiment/dp/0525952098

The research has its critics, but in a Q&A on the Feakonomics website one of the authors offers the following: "Most men are wired to be aroused by sexual dominance and most women are wired to be aroused by sexual submission, though a large minority of straight men (and a majority of gay men) prefer the sexually submissive role, and a small minority of women prefer the sexually dominant role.
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/05/17/the-neuroscience-behind-sexual-desire-authors-of-a-billion-wicked-thoughts-answer-your-questions/

We each must rely on our own experiences and perceptions, but this feels intuitively correct to me.

I think you're giving far too much credit to the book, tbh.

akelly02

Its simple. Its so popular because every woman is acting like a big white fluffy sheep. Hop on the bandwagon and lets pretend we are all great because we read a dirty book and we sont care who sees us! One person says its great, then we all say its great. Women on Facebook bragging about reading a feckin book, get over yourself! Women who havnt read a book since secondary school are reading it beacause they want to be like everyone else, talking about how 'great' it is. You would swear an erotic story was never written before!

meeeeh

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

You say that I've got it completely wrong, and I have no problem with that, but do you have an alternative answer to the question of why these books are so popular?

It seems to me that very few people are addressing the OP's question. There's a lot of criticism of the style and content of the book, but little effort to explain why 40m people have bought it.

I'm guessing most people didn't even know what they are buying. I gave the example of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Do a short recap and it sounds very appealing but when you start reading it, you realize it is badly written (or at least translated) and descriptions of 10-15 years old Apple products really aren't that interesting.

If somebody describes 50 Shades as a book in which a pretty girl does naughty stuff with mysterious billionaire using some nipple clamps and has loads of orgasms, you get very different idea than when you read rainbowtrout's recap here. I read some extracts from the books in newspapers and saw how badly written they were and decided I'm not going to read the books. But a lot of people didn't, they just heard how everybody is reading those books and some sort of a snowball effect was created. I'll make a wild guess here that the books will be forgotten in a couple of months, there might be a spike of interest if the movies come out but in the end it will turn out that somebody in marketing department just had a very good day and that is all. There might be a spike in erotic literature of any kind though, helped by invention of electronic readers.

Today nobody is interested anymore in Dan Brown's drivel (the time lost reading that book still stings). So if you want to make conclusions how dominated or abused women want to be, I'd wait a year or two when people won't be constantly bombarded how everybody is reading the book and how they have to read it themselves because there is loads of sex in it. Anyway take away the sex and dominance and you get exactly the same core story that sells books since i don't know when. Even classics like Jane Eyre are about naive girl who falls for a rich guy with a dark secret (I thought she was an idiot too btw) and that is the theme which seems to be universally appealing.

openup

I can't think why it became popular but I understand why it maintained it's popularity. It's simply because it's socially acceptable porn.

Women aren't supposed to like porn, but that's nonsense. I have two groups of friends, one are my college friends, we are all liberal and we all talk about sex, porn and masturbation like they're normal things. None of us read Shades of Grey.

My other group of friends are from school and much more conservative; we can talk about sex but if it's outside a relationship it's tinged with shame, and masturbation or porn: "Oh my god no! Do you think I'm that sick?". But they all read 50 Shades of Grey and were happy to both read it and talk about it in public. It's basically porn that conservative women feel they're allowed. IMO.

scoob70

Catari Jaguar wrote: »

People are sheep?

Mmmmm - religion seems to come to mind

Elmer Blooker

meeeeh wrote: »

Even classics like Jane Eyre are about naive girl who falls for a rich guy with a dark secret (I thought she was an idiot too btw) and that is the theme which seems to be universally appealing.

Good point. In Jane Eyre Edward Rochester is the Byronic bad boy, In Wuthering Heights its Heathcliff, in Gone With The Wind its Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and in 50 shades its yer man Christian Grey.
All above bad boy novels were written by women.

kylith

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Good point. In Jane Eyre Edward Rochester is the Byronic bad boy, In Wuthering Heights its Heathcliff, in Gone With The Wind its Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and in 50 shades its yer man Christian Grey.
All above bad boy novels were written by women.

That's a very good point. I haven't read the 50 Shades books, but I do remember thinking that Heathcliff was a dickhead and Cathy a complete tool. I really couldn't understand why people talked about this 'great romance' when they spent the whole book being gobshítes.

WhyGoBald

kylith wrote: »

That's a very good point. I haven't read the 50 Shades books, but I do remember thinking that Heathcliff was a dickhead and Cathy a complete tool. I really couldn't understand why people talked about this 'great romance' when they spent the whole book being gobshítes.

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=202

meeeeh

WhyGoBald wrote: »

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=202

Ahahahaha... So true.