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Fifty Shades of Grey
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Combating "50 Shades"
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I've seen a few brief articles about it, but never knew the details as you present them here. I don't know anyone who has read it yet. Perhaps people aren't anxious to share that they are reading it...
Jamie,Thank you for speaking out regarding this book. We need more people who are willing to stand and be counted.
I have not read it; looked at it on Amazon, saw that it was intended to be erotic, so I moved on. It appears that this is book one of a trilogy directed at depravity.
Philip wrote: "Perhaps people aren't anxious to share that they are reading..."My young adult daughter told me she had read it and it so disgusted her she made a beeline for Jane Austen and promptly read Northanger Abbey which she loved. She is in her second year college now and although I'd love to stop her from reading such trash I distinctly recall when I was her age there was a book I was reading (and hiding) which I'd concealed under my mattress. My dad caught me retrieving or stashing it there once and I remember he only gave me a long look and said, "You know what you put in your mind stays there and becomes who you are." I got rid of the book and have avoided such junk ever since.
I've said similar things to my own kids ... but never in the same context or with quite the same effect.
Hi Maribel! Good to "see" you here ... and elsewhere on goodreads. :) God bless for the kind words.
Hi all,Just read the Teresa Tomeo opinion on this book! among TOB explorers we are preparing some material to bring 50 shades of Light.
www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1516...
booklady wrote:My young adult daughter told me she had read it and it so disgusted her she made a beeline for Jane Austen and promp..."
Wow, what a good moment with your dad. True wisdom right there.
It's probably safe to say many of us have heard about this book and have passed on it. How do you think we should start a discussion with the people who HAVE read it and DO think there are "safe" forms of BDSM as Jamie mentioned without coming off as lecturing or judgemental?
Cecilia wrote: "Hi all,Just read the Teresa Tomeo opinion on this book! among TOB explorers we are preparing some material to bring 50 shades of Light.
www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1516......"
50 Shades of Light...how intriguing! God bless your efforts.
Only encountered 2 people and I just told them i wasn't interested. I'm sure my sister understood because she knows I practice my faith.
I severely dislike these books, not only because they are a pathetic attempt at 'turning us on' (what's the point in that? What pleasure do you ever get in 'being turned on' by a book) but because it's trying to portray Christian Grey, a dominant, absolutely horrible man in a positive light.
Jamie wrote: "I've been hearing a lot lately about Fifty Shades of Grey, especially on Catholic radio, and I was wondering if anyone here has anything to say on the topic, especially with regard to warning peopl..."I am a romance writer and I read the series. I think the poor writing bothered me more than the subject matter. Look, bondage is not my thing, but I certainly wouldn't consider "confronting" anyone about their reading material. This was not intended to be a morality tale. It was some writer's fantasy life that took hold and became popular. I write paranormal romance novels that deal with a lot of "good vs evil" and yes I include some explicit sex scenes. I write for adults but I certainly wouldn't consider my books depraved in any sense but I guess some people might. Quite frankly, if the Fifty Shades books bother you then don't read them. http://www.bernadettewalsh.com
I read the complete series....it is a lot of hype. A fun read, definetly won't win any literary awards...besides those who are caught up in the 'frenzy' of bdsm lifestyle was interested in it, or already dabbling in it, before reading these series. The are other novels pertaining to this subject in the mainstream...it is just a book series. Actually because I was reading "don't read it"...made me want to read it. Again, a lot of hype.
Christina wrote: "I read the complete series....it is a lot of hype. A fun read, definetly won't win any literary awards...besides those who are caught up in the 'frenzy' of bdsm lifestyle was interested in it, or a..."Christina, I agree. If someone really objects to the series the best thing to do is ignore it. Agreed, the books was over-hyped!
Bernadette wrote: "Jamie wrote: "I've been hearing a lot lately about Fifty Shades of Grey, especially on Catholic radio, and I was wondering if anyone here has anything to say on the topic, especially with regard to..."Hello Bernadette,
I'm also an author. Admittedly, I have not read the 50 Shades books and I'm not interested in doing so. You said "I write paranormal romance novels that deal with a lot of "good vs evil" and yes I include some explicit sex scenes..."
Just wondering why you include explicit sex scenes in your novels. What is the purpose of the sex scenes?
Ellen
www.ellengable.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Well Ellen, I write contemporary romances where the sex scenes are not explicit ( I "shut the door" so to speak) and some paranormal romances that lend themselves to more explicit sex scenes (certainly not to the erotica level). The stories just took me in that direction. While I am a practicing Catholic and believe my faith has of course influenced my writing, I do not market my books as "inspirational". Really the only book that could possibly fall under the category of a Catholic themed book is The House on Prospect--but happy to discuss more offline. bernadettewalsh.author@gmail.com
I think you touched on an important point of sexual abuse and how this abuse harms the mind of the abused to the point of distorting everything in his life. This is a feature in the book I would never have known had I never read your comment. Of course I still have no intention of reading the book, but it is a clear reflection of the harm the sexual revolution has already done on society, where no sexual theme can be given attention unless is explicit and, by the way, inspire bodily abuse with financial gain attached. Very sad.
Robert, I agree with your dismay at the fact that sexual themes aren't given attention unless they're explicit. As a Catholic I cannot reconcile writing explicit sex and my faith. In writing an explicit scene, the author is putting the reader into an area of possible temptation. Why would someone even consider this? In my novel, I tackled several sexual topics without having to describe any sexual acts. It's a challenge, but I'm glad I was able to pull it off. In doing research for my next novel, I've read up on sexual addiction and spoken to counselors that specialize in this area. They all agreed that an addiction can easily start with an adolescent merely watching R-rated movies. I don't want to set my readers up to fall. I feel that as a Catholic I have a responsibility to my readers not to lead them down a path that God wouldn't.
Mod
Now as I only have the responsibility for myself and not anyone else, I can't speak for anyone else's motives, but it is difficult to imagine how anyone in a similar position in life to mine (let alone those who also have responsibility for others - a spouse and children, for example!) could reason that reading such works doesn't form such a danger.
A fully grown person, strong in his Faith, runs from such occasions - he doesn't stand there and think 'Oh, I can handle this.' (I'm paraphrasing here)
We don't necessarily need to get all Mary Whitehouse on something like this (no disrespect to her memory intended), nor should we burrow ourselves away from the modern world, ignorant that such books exist. But it's easy enough to get a decent idea of the content of a book, and decide whether it's edifying or not, without going anywhere near it.
And this is all before one even touches the issue of whether it's well-written - something which pales in comparison to the moral issues in question.
I actually did read it. It probably wasn't a very good idea but I had no idea that it was basically porn. I stopped about 3/4 through because it did disturb me. However, when discussing it with other women and stating how horrible and awful it was, they said "well, he gets better and you didn't finish". So after a week break I finished it and realized that yes the last two weren't as bad. Christian is a formerly abused child (physically) and sexually as a teen. He abuses Ana, the girl he is interested in physically because that's what he knows. Its basically porn,(I skipped most of the sex stuff because it really is gross) and in between is boring and poorly written. I probably shouldn't have read it, but now that I have I can and do argue about it informatively. Its misogynistic and only popular for the hype and shock. That's what I tell people.
Katy wrote: "I probably shouldn't have read it, but now that I have I can and do argue about it informatively."Thank you for sharing your informed perspective. I have not read it, but some people close to me did and told me their takes on it - that was the basis for my original post.
That's the nice thing about a place like Goodreads - we don't have to read things ourselves to have a decent guess at the quality of a book. Just as in life, we can learn from the experiences (good and bad) of others.
Very true. Some generic Amazon reviews or whatever don't tell you everything. I bought a book last week that was suppose to be 'funny' and 'charming' and read one chapter and deleted it because it was absolute filth. So from now on I am checking every book out on here so I don't get duped again!
Jamie wrote: "Anything that treats a human subject as merely a means to satisfying one's own needs/desires, without respect to the person themselves, is an abuse..."I'm a Catholic (and quite a traditionalist one at that) and I haven't read "50 Shades" (mainly because it sounds as if it's really badly written and I'm not generally into populist books - haven't read any Harry Potter, either!), so I can't comment on that particular book. However, I have read a lot of other BDSM stuff and really enjoy it. At it's most innocuous it can actually have much in common with traditional, pre-sufragette marriage.
Question: Does it have to be abuse if both parties get something out of it (albeit very different things)?
Annabel...I do believe it is abuse. Both parties may get something out of it...but that does not mean it is helping them resolve whatever issues they may have. This continuation of a bdsm relationship does not heal the wounds that caused it, it only continues them. ---------
All,
I am thinking about writing a paper based on theology of the body/bdsm/healing from sexual abuse/ relationships/relationships with the Church...I know that these are a complex issues but I think that faithful Catholics need to write on these issues to help other fallen away Catholics back to the Church.
Thoughts?
~
A Franciscan University Student
@Maria I would love to read your paper when you're finished with it. I totally agree with you.
MariYour idea for a paper could be very interesting but what angle would you take it? Would it be from a purely theological stand point or psychological take or a mix of many? Also how academic would it be or would be of interest to a lay person?
Curious
Morals aside, I just couldn't stand the constant "Holly f**ks". And I have no problem with coarse language usually.
I generally accept some "mature" content (though it ought to be called immature) in the books I read, so long as it's in-character. For example, I actually find it a turn-off when a Christian novel censors the language of not-so-saintly characters. When a character is supposed to be a ruthless serial criminal, yet he never utters a 4-letter word because the novel is "Christian fiction," I feel it drags down the genre. As such, my own novel Dead and Godless doesn't censor itself in this regard.That said, when mature content is there not to illustrate something important like a character trait, but simply for the sake of raising eyebrows, it strikes me as trashy. There may be some good message underneath it all, but the end doesn't justify the means.
Donald. .... I agree with you. Coarse language can really add to writing. Marc Barnes blog 'Bad Catholic' is a good example. I personally draw the line on sexual content when it either turns the sacred into the profane like Ken Follet's writing or it personally disturbs me. That's when I know it is time to close the book for good.
Catholic Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Dead and Godless (other topics)Northanger Abbey (other topics)
Fifty Shades of Grey (other topics)
Love and Responsibility (other topics)
Many people are reading this book because of the sensationalism around the topic, the controversy of libraries banning and un-banning it, etc. Sadly, many of the people who end up reading the book miss the "moral" of the story of the 50 Shades series. (I take it I'm not giving away any spoilers, in that you've either already read it by now or have no intention to ever do so.)
The series revolves around a "man" who was sexually abused as a teen by a much older woman. Her depraved fixation on BDSM (bondage/domination/sado-masochism), coupled with his delusion that her "love" saved him from a life of drugs, crime, etc. became the only way in which he understood and could express his own sexuality. The other main character is an "innocent" young woman who is attracted to him, feel pity for him, and tries to "save/redeem" him, but nevertheless goes along with his twisted version of "romance" and "love-making".
The reason I say "moral" of the story is because this same story could have been told in a much less graphic, sensationalistic way (but then it wouldn't have been such a huge best-seller now, would it?) As it is, it is a book that tries to convey a moral through immoral means (and this is how some are rationalizing reading the whole thing).
Due to this diabolical trap, many are missing the moral point - BDSM is sexual abuse and the main male character is psychologically damaged and incapable of true love because of it - and instead are becoming arosed and curious about these unnatural acts. This is happening so much so that the 50 Shades series has spawned a cottage industry of books about "safe" BDSM (about as safe and loving as "safe sex"). There are even a few hotels and motels in Great Britain that are replacing Gideon's Bible with 50 Shades.
FYI - this is not just a "harmless" book, anymore than Playboy is a harmless magazine and prostitution is a victimless crime. Anything that treats a human subject as merely a means to satisfying one's own needs/desires, without respect to the person themselves, is an abuse (and not a proper use) of one's of God's creatures created in His image and likeness.
It seems like many are unaware (as our beloved JP2 wrote in Love and Responsibility) of the proper role of fellow human beings in our lives, and are willing to let them simply be objects for the fulfillment of their own pleasures.
I'd like to know: has anyone confronted anyone who was reading or considering reading 50 Shades? What did you say, and what response did you receive?