As the premier publisher of erotic romance in its many colors and flavors, EC editors know quite a bit about the shades of BDSM. We've been contributing to the discussions about the Fifty Shades trilogy going on at the USA Today Happy Ever After blog.
The HEA article "Fifty Shades of Grey: Who knew women like erotica?!?!?" (yes, she's being sarcastic) includes an interview by blog host Joyce Lamb with EC Publisher Raelene Gorlinsky. Joyce's inquiring mind wanted to know what makes erotica, erotica. According to Raelene, "Erotica is designed to make the reader pleasurably sexually turned on. Of course, what is "pleasurable" can be different for every person. But the current use of erotica to describe a category of fiction is intended to have a positive connotation — it's not porn, it's not skanky, it doesn't make you feel "dirty". So much current erotica is aimed at women readers, to give them not just excitement, but a positive and empowering view of sex."
And if you liked Fifty Shades and want to try some more BDSM erotica, check out our recommendations of some great books:
Beyond 'Fifty Shades of Grey': Recs by Ellora's Cave editors
So tell us--have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? And the second and third (Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed)? Are you in agreement that these are erotica, but not erotic *romance*? Did you like the stories, did you consider them well-written?
What happens in the Cave doesn't always stay there... Conversations and news from Ellora's Cave Publishing, an erotic romance publisher.
9 comments:
Not me. The EC authors do it so much better.
I haven't read 50 Shades, but when I went to a family wedding this weekend, I had to answer MANY questions about it and the genre in general.
Someone actually said "They're calling it romantica" I set them straight that it was my fabulous publisher who'd coined the term!
Nah, I've heard too many things, and the snippets I've seen don't really do it for me. But then I didn't like Twilight, either, so that may have something to do with it.
I'll stick to reading my BDSM from the folks who write it well :-)
I'm reading the book now. I'm a slow reader bec. I spend my free time writing. I think James is v. good at sexual tension. It's an interesting dynamic between the two characters, more of an obsession than love. I expect it won't end well, which is what I've heard and I prefer my HEA or Happy for now. Reminds me of 9 1/2 Weeks.
I just finished the Fifty Shades trilogy. They were very good. It's a deep subject matter. It goes well in to the psycology of the BDSM lifestyle. It's not just fluff, and there are many tender moments as well. Although the series started out as something the author wrote to continue the Twilight saga for herself, it really is NOT like Twilight any longer AT ALL.
Joy
And it does end well at the end of the trilogy. Almost fairy tale ending.
Joy
I've read the 50 Shades Trilogy twice. I had no idea it had any connection to Twilight and do not understand it still. The trilogy was wonderful I judge it so because the characters especially Christian Grey were extremely memorable and the sex likewise. The storyline is intriguing enough to carry the eroticism however, additionally, the sex and BDSM are an integral part of the story not particularly gratuitous. For these reasons I would call it erotic fiction NOT erotica. If you want to read real plagiarism I'm afraid I would have to nominate Gabriel's Inferno, which is a very pale copy.
50 Shades doesn't have anything to do with Twilight except it is also a trilogy. I did like 50 Shades a lot because of the underlying emotion.
nice.
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