What makes fifty shades of grey good

In , Random House picked up the series. Since then, the now-titled Fifty Shades of Grey series, has sold over million copies, making it one of the bestselling of all time. Over at the New Yorker today, Anthony Lane says:. So what is it? And as writers, can we tap into that appeal with our own writing?

I also want to give credit to those who have serious issues with Fifty Shades of Grey. This is a post about writing, not a model for your romantic relationships. But more about that later. Is it really a surprise people like Fifty Shades of Grey?

It fits the time-honored trope: innocent girl falls for troubled man, endures his anti-social behavior out of belief in his ultimate goodness, and eventually teaches him to be a sociable, polite member of society. They say the best way to make sure a book is a success is to get it banned, and in the case of Fifty Shades of Grey , all the hate-press from feminists and religious groups has done nothing but make the book, and now movie, infinitely more interesting.

Not all feminists are anti, though. Many say that the books have allowed women to talk about and explore sexuality sexual fantasy, in particular in a way that they would have been impossible even decades ago.

In this way, they say, the book is empowering. The book also presents a worldview in which women in the end—despite male privilege, physical strength, and societal norms—have the power. Each year, 1, women are killed in the U.

And Taylor-Johnson and Marcel somehow give Ana the one thing that makes her truly endearing: a sense of humor! Strike it out. Already a subscriber? Log in or link your magazine subscription. Account Profile. Sign Out. With a smoldering gaze, he melts her insides, turns her legs to jelly and paralyzes her subconscious, paving the way for hot sex scenes while she attempts to crack his steely veneer.

Formulaic as it is, E. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy is poised to become one of the fastest-selling series in recent years, with 20 million copies sold in the United States and 31 million worldwide since March. What's behind the trilogy's runaway success? The books hit the romance novel scene at just the right moment, insiders say, riding a wave of smart marketing and benefiting from the erotica world's e-book savvy.

Plus, if the plot and characters sounds a bit like "Twilight" fan fiction, it's because they're modeled after them. Read More. The fantasy starts when he's into it and ends when he's done," she said. Whatever the case, sex has long been selling erotic tales, earning spots on best-seller lists and testing attitudes toward sexuality. The heroine in French author Pauline Reage's "Story of O" consented to being whipped and branded more than 50 years before Anastasia Steele signed Christian Grey's non-disclosure agreement and terms for becoming his submissive in "Fifty Shades of Grey.

Casting 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. And I believe that that is one of the themes that is magnetizing millions of readers to the series.

Research shows that large numbers of Americans believe that they are duds in bed; they think that everyone else is having a more interesting sex life than they are and believe that their tendency to rely upon unimaginative, tried and true bedroom patterns makes them bored and boring.

One of the significant messages offered in the trilogy is that consensual adults can greatly enhance the quality of that experience and by extension, the quality of their relationship itself.

The key factor that distinguishes this type of relationship from one that is based primarily on sexual pleasure is Anastasia's insistence that their relationship include the experience of mutual and unconditional emotional honesty. She took the lead took in this area while Christian exposed her to sexual delights that had previously been unimaginable to her. In doing this, she assumed the dominant position in the relationship, affirming her identity as a woman willing to take a stand for something authentic intimacy to which she was fiercely committed.

Anastasia was willing to risk the relationship if Christian refused to join her in this intention. His desire to continue and deepen their connection overrode his reluctance to protect himself emotionally and opened a depth of intimacy for the lovers that neither had ever experienced or even conceived of. For Christian, the challenge of intimacy was every bit as daunting and compelling as the world of BDSM was for her. The contract that they made with each other stretched each of them into worlds that they both simultaneously feared and longed for.