I encourage discussion, or even disagreement. Questions are welcomed.
[present picture of Twilight's book cover]
Most often, the reaction this images spurs is typically negative. Why? I can list why Twilight is a negative influence to its readers; I've written a research paper on the subject. A few examples-- anti-feminism, advertises unhealthy, abusive relationships. But that is not what I'm speaking to you about now. I'm trying to convince you of the opposite.
Few realize that even though Twilight is not usually a favorite, as a published work, it does hold literary merit.
Anna Silver writes that some problems with young adult books is that they're written by adults who usually tend to preach a moral or lesson to their audience. Silver points out that the unique thing with Twilight is that the teenage protagonist has no real didactic authority in her life--Bella's mother is childlike, Bella is represented in a way that's mature, which saves young adult readers from the sermon and continue with the story.
Meanwhile, Liesha Jones argues in a critical essay that the merit behind Twilight is its representation of a girl and her conflicted growth into a society where she grapples with womanhood, only to reject all of it for fantasy and a fantasy that she conditions. In essence, a coming of age story for the introvert teenage girl--
This easily relatable feature of Stephenie Meyer's stories are what could be argued as a key component to its success. It fuels a deeper need for fantasy in its readers and fans. Katherine Frank contests this in her book that "girl-next-door" types are deserving and eligible for tall, dark, and handsome hero types.
With this brief validation of Twilight, I'll move onto another and slightly more controversial topic.
[present picture of 50 Shades of Grey's cover]
Many people like this book, many more do not. For those of you who don't know, this was originally a "fanfiction" of Twilight called "Masters of the Universe." The author changed the names and made millions in self-publishing it as an ebook.
One reason it is not well liked is because it is a derivative work. If that is your issue with it, I submit to you these examples--Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, the Scary Movies. Or even the less obvious, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion King, Star Wars, Harry Potter, 10 Things I Hate About You. All are technically derivative works stealing something deeper than names and characters--plots.
Of course, the flashing neon sign is that the reason why many people do not like 50 Shades of Grey is because it is a budding success in the genre of erotica--erotica filled with bondage, sado-masochism, and clunky prose.
But just because it is erotica does not devaluate it as literature. Famous author Claudia Gray strongly argues that just because something is erotic does not make it 'cheap.' It is a genuine genre enjoyed by individual readers, just as fans enjoy Twilight, just I would enjoy science fiction and fantasy. Gray continues that the marvelous thing with 50 Shades of Grey is that it opens the platform for the success of other erotica genres--and not strictly the Harlequin market.
In a hypothetical scenario, if a woman were to be seen reading 50 Shades of Grey, the common response of its critics would be to ridicule her over it. This is wrong. This is the book, the story, this woman has chosen to read and expand her horizons. To ridicule her choice of reading material is ridicule her. Because it's more than just the subject matter, that woman is reading, an activity that is fast disappearing in an emerging culture of high-speed internet access and the mindless entertainment it provides. It must be understood that something we read, no matter what it is, offers a new perspective, which readers can take to help understand their own lives.
I recognize that young adult fiction and erotica may not be in everyone's taste. But when you see someone reading 50 Shades of Grey and think how utterly ridiculous they are--they may think the same of your Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or even Harry Potter. Books are stories written to entertain their readers, not to insult them.
So here, have a picture of Sean Bean in drag.
I absolutely agree with you that we should not confuse the literary merit of a work with its social value. I think your Twilight example is an excellent one.
ReplyDeleteBut 50 Shades of Grey...
I've not read the work, just an excerpt or two here and there during the firestorm of controversy surrounding it. But from what I *have* read, this is NOT the book that those hoping to expand the credibility of the erotica genre should want front and center. Calling the prose "clunky" is generous...disregarding subject matter, the work really does lack literary merit.
Just as with Twilight, of course, you can also argue that 50 Shades is dangerous. While the fantastical relationship in Twilight could be carried over by a young girl as an excuse for a boyfriend's controlling or abusive behavior, 50 Shades does worse - it explicitly portrays and promotes situations that are physically and emotionally dangerous as if they were "normal" for those within the BDSM community...a misconception those within said community are very, very quick to point out.
So then, my thought when I see someone reading 50 Shades of Grey isn't "she's so ridiculous"...it's "I *really* hope she doesn't try that at home!" A judgment I think is fair.
What *isn't* fair is that the author of 50 Shades of Grey is making millions off of honest to goodness literary trash when she didn't just write fanfiction...she wrote fanfiction OF A FANFICTION. Her plot seems lifted directly from a much, much, MUCH better fanfic called "The Dominant." The latter story is beautifully written, represents a much more accurate portrayal of the kind of relationship that made 50 Shades famous, and would have done a heck of a lot more for the genre than this drivel did.
So...yeah. My $.84.
I do not disagree with you!
DeleteMy main issue was getting point (a) across. Point (a) being-- we should not shame people for liking X, Y, Z product.
Of course, it's hard to bypass that with bringing up point (a), there's also point (b), (c), (d), and so forth. I thought "clunky" was very generous, indeed. Writing is poor (b). The situations represented are harmful (c). She is a thief (d). (Point d, I supposedly busted in thesis A, but it's still worth noting.)
When doing research for this speech I came across a LOT of articles, of course, the hardest being an article that promotes the benefits of this book. I made the comment where it can pave the way for other books of the erotica genre, and you are right, I think, in saying that "Fifty" is an 'ORRIBLE (I'm pretending I'm British) representation of what this genre is. Still, it can be argued that, with its growing audience, "Fifty" can allow its readers to research more into the genre, if they have the will to do so, and discover more and *better* books that they might enjoy. Kind of like...The Spiderman movies? I'm not sure what your opinion is of those, but the movie with Tobey Maguire was arguably awful, only to spiral more and more downward with its sequels. Still, the new one "The Amazing Spiderman" is *supposedly* (haven't seen it) better. The 2002 version wasn't great, but fans of DC comics were interested enough to give the new one a try. And for many (from what I've read), it paid off. This may be a bad example, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.
Also, it's difficult to argue something has merit when you truly despise it at your core.
I do want to say that after I delivered this speech, a classmate came up to me and thanked me for giving it because many people gave her flak for reading the series (and she reads a LOT), and while she enjoyed it what it was, she didn't think it was the BEST thing out there. Still, she seemed overall glad that I validated her reading it for enjoyment. Which, I'm glad, because I suppose that means I actually accomplished something.