I've noticed that, among readers and writers alike, there is a certain bar that divides respectable writing from...well...everything else. It isn't the quality of the writing, the depth of the characters, the originality of the story, or anything like that. It's the genre.
Literary? Uber-respectable.
Mysteries? Thrillers? Contemporary fiction? Respectable.
Horror? Pushing it.
Science Fiction or Fantasy? Clearly you're just a geek who doesn't want to grow up, but because of Harry Potter, we'll let it slide.
Then we get into the Romance genre, where it seems that respectability is determined on a - and pardon the phrase - sliding scale based on the presence or absence of those scenes (tm). The dirtier it is, the farther down Ye Olde Scale of Respectabilitah. Nevermind whether or not it's a good story with sympathetic, believable characters and decent writing...no, Ye Olde Scale of Respectabilitah is based on those scenes (tm).
But why?
Okay, everyone get the snickering and 3rd grade humor out of your system. Sex sex sex.
All better?
Off we go, then.
If you write a nice, wholesome romance with minimal dirty bits, great! Color yourself respectable.
But tell a story that includes a few (okay, several) forays into the bedroom (or wherever), and suddenly it's smut. And smut = BAD. It's a bunch of dirty scenes strung together by a plot that exists only to string those dirty scenes together. For the record, I loathe stories that really are just a bunch of sex scenes held together by a sad excuse for a plot. I can't stand them. However, what really gets me is the assumption that "lots of those scenes (tm)" automatically means "smut, and therefore crappy".
Prepare for a massive epiphany:
Not all sex - graphic or otherwise - in fiction is gratuitous.
Here's the bottom line: Sex is a significant part of the human condition. It can change or reveal a relationship between characters. It can change or reveal significant aspects of an individual character. It can be used to manipulate, hurt, reconcile, love, soothe, betray, destroy, confuse...anything really. Sometimes sex is the most profound way to do those things, and to avoid such a scene actually has a detrimental effect on the story.
So how is a writer less respectable for being willing to explore that aspect of human nature as long as it is furthering the story and/or characters? I emphasize that last aspect because, as I said, I find gratuitous sex - the kind that serves no purpose other than to give the reader dirty bits to flip to later - annoying and, well, gratuitous. However, graphic sex can, and often does, have a significant impact on story and character.
Yes, of course those scenes (tm) are generally going to effect the reader in fairly predictable ways. Some readers aren't comfortable with that. Fine. I'm not overly comfortable reading about graphic, violent murders, but sometimes that's what the story calls for. That said, those scenes (tm) don't always have predictable effects. I have read (and written) sex scenes that are designed to anger, move, sadden, enlighten, even devastate. It's not all for the purpose of tantalizing, though that has its place too.
So, my blog minions, I ask you to ponder this thought: What is it about the presence of those scenes (tm) that downgrades a story's (or writer's) respectability, when said scenes are not used gratuitously?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Excellent points, well made. I love reading your writely posts, they always make me think.
ReplyDeleteAdam, a geek who doesn't want to grow up, but because of Harry Potter, we'll let it slide. ;-)
I loathe gratuitous...anything. Fighting, sex, violence, dialogue, you name it. If it doesn't serve the story, it doesn't deserve the story.
ReplyDeleteI've often said "Graphic =/= gratuitous." People seem to think if you write graphic sex you're a pervert (well you are, but bear with me) but it's part of human life. We're one of only two species on the planet which make love for pleasure apart from procreation - the other being dolphins, don't know if you knew that - so why not write about that?
And sex isn't always about pleasure. I mean, with DAE I've had sex scenes that are about dominance, control, retribution, punishment...and the hottest scene in my opinion doesn't involve sex at all. It's two people kissing and they can't keep their hands off each other.
Mind you, it's two MEN so some folks would take offence at that.
Some people will always conclude the presence of sex in a novel makes it dirty, but they're probably the kind of folks who think sex ITSELF is dirty. They can suck my left one.
Conversations, body language, writing, singing, you name it - they're all ways of communicating and nobody bats an eyelid at those. Sex is another way of communicating too, so...pfft. If the story needs it, the story needs it.
Yes, I could write DAE without any sex scenes but the motivations of the characters wouldn't be so clear and I'd probably have to resort to TELLING the reader why they're doing what they're doing.
Meh. I'd rather SHOW them that Character X feels Emotion Y for Character Z because they fucked. Or made love. Or had sex. Or screwed. Or were dominated. Or dominated. You name it. There are as many different reasons for sex as there are emotions in the human heart.
I think it is a throwback to many people being told growing up that sex is bad/dirty. Even those not told outright are told in many ways by society at large.
ReplyDeleteAs a society we glorify sex but also want to tear down those who feed the glorification. On one side society wants scantily clad models on magazine covers (or else these covers would not sell) but society also seems to make clear that these models are whores for doing so. With that in mind I find it hardly surprising that the same holds true for for books.
Obviously there is a demand for sex in books (graphic or otherwise) if not then there would be no reason to publish so many of those books. However whenever sex is portrayed it also has to be torn down and made dirty. With novels we do it by declaring the writer of such filth, which we thoroughly enjoyed, must not be ABLE to do anything else so they were stuck writing *those* kind of books. Just like the pretty playboy model must be doing it due to stupidity, Daddy issues or a lack of self respect.
To admit people do these things because they want to would mean that it may be a valid choice and potentially not dirty.
I think I may have started rambling so I will stop now.