Although there’s no doubt E. L. James’ work got a brand-new audience a few years ago with its box office hit adaptations, the books still have a life of their own. Sure, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan did a pretty good job, but they’re not everyone’s Ana and Christian Grey.
Namely, reading a novel and watching a movie is an entirely different experience. Literature gives everyone a chance to imagine how their protagonists and the surrounding scenography appear. On the other hand, with a movie, you get what the director gives you. And sometimes that’s not bad. But for erotic novels full of sex scenes, we’d always prefer to imagine them on our own.
Our article aims to convince you to give James’ novels a try. Not only are they modern classics of erotic literature, but they’re fun and exciting as well. Everyone’s sexual relationship can benefit from this inspirational story. Therefore, let’s check what the books are actually about, shall we?
The Author
Erika Leonard James is a British writer born in 1963 in London. She spent her childhood in Buckinghamshire with her Chilean mother and Scottish father, who did camerawork for various BBC productions. Her education was pretty much straightforward. She went to Pipers Corner School and Wycombe High-School, before going to the University of Kent in South East England to study history.
Leaving the university, she began a career as an assistant to a studio manager at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield. Later on, in 1987, she married a screenwriter, Niall Leonard. The couple has two sons and resides in Brentford, just west of London. She was always into books, but Erika’s start was pretty different from the ones of other authors.
The basis for her novels was another modern book series. Her first draft of “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a fan fiction sequel to “Twilight.” Later on, she published them as kindle books, and the success came all by itself. The mainstream success of the Fifty Shades trilogy convinced her to follow it up with another book — “The Mister.” The piece is unrelated to her previous work, and it did not do well commercially and critically.
What Was the Novel About
The synopsis of the “50 Shades of Grey” series begins with the introduction of Anastasia Ana Steele, a young Washington State University student. She’s good at heart, innocent, and naive. Ana dreams of working in publishing one day when she finishes her studies. By chance, she meets Christian Grey, a wealthy yet mysterious and attractive businessman.
Although initially repulsed by his cold demeanor, young Ana can’t help but fall for his good looks. On the other hand, Christian also begins to show interest in her and starts giving her expensive presents. After some time, they confess their feelings to one another, but Christian tells her that they’re unfortunately not compatible.
However, he changes his stance, and they begin a romantic relationship. But Ana soon realizes his true motives — Christian is into kinky BDSM sex. He doesn’t want an emotional connection — he only wishes for dominance and submission. Anastasia is struck by that, seeing how she’s a virgin and has never had anything similar to kinky sex in her life.
Christian’s intentions and desires begin to tear their lives apart as Ana realizes he’s controlling personality intervenes with her life far too much. Nevertheless, she agrees to sign a disclosure agreement for him to have his way with her. This event leads them to experiment with all sorts of fetishistic scenarios involving physical violence. The themes of emotional and kinky battling with one another continue to develop in “Fifty Shades of Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed.”
Controversy
Controversial passages in the “50 Shades of Grey” books are many. The involvement of BDSM sex in the novels is the reason behind it. Before E. L. James’ series came out, there were lots of similar books and films. But unlike those pieces of work, “50 Shades” was and still is a big mainstream hit.
There were many instances of public libraries removing the books from their selection. These actions were, of course, related to the sexual content in the novels. But in reality, they’re not extreme as people will have you believe. Luckily, the public demand won, and most libraries that removed “Shades” returned them.
Either way, they’re great if you’re looking for something to give you inspiration for your personal sex life. James herself told in numerous interviews that the book is somewhat of her reaction to her midlife crisis. Unfortunately, there was a heated discussion about the portrayal of people who’re into BDSM.
How Racy Were the Scenes?
There are numerous “50 Shades of Grey” controversial scenes that talk openly about all sorts of sexual content — from Ana being surprised by Christian’s boner to her describing how she gives him a blowjob, you’re in for a treat. Yup, it’s the famous Christian Grey-flavored popsicle scene. But the most intriguing stuff comes with BDSM.
See how 50 shades of Grey gets BDSM dangerously wrong
There are moments when she talks about him slapping her ass while she’s in his lap in a more than dominant way. Also, Ana gets way over her head with slick silver anal beads that Christian draws from his pocket. She describes how they make her needy for sex and wants them to stay inside her forever. Moreover, there’s cuffing, hair pulling, slapping, and all sorts of kinky stuff going on in the book.
Nevertheless, the book’s perfect if you’re into erotic literature. Not only will you enjoy the more-than-okay plot, but you’ll also find ways of incorporating its scenes into your sex life too. It’s no wonder why it was such a big box office hit when the movie came out. It’s sexy, perverted, and lots of fun.