How do you feel able E.L. James?
- Emma13
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Re: How do you feel able E.L. James?
- Kieran_Obrien
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- Eener14
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- Snrains13
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- jessinikkip
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I will speak from the perspective of someone who has personal experience with the lifestyle, as well as having several friends with even more experience than me (not hard to do lol). The number one rule is that everything has to be safe and sane and consensual. Just about none of which I felt was present in the series. To me it was reminiscent of an ex- I had that would find just about every way to manipulate me possible. "You love me? Then do this." "You want me? Then do this." "You want me to not kill myself? Then do this." "You want me to help you? Then do this." That's the same vibe I got off of Christian and to me, poor Anastasia just seemed like a battered woman too innocent to know better. It wasn't BDSM, it was abuse. There's a difference.Jennifer Allsbrook wrote: ↑05 Jan 2017, 20:20That may be true. I don't have any personal experience with the BDSM life style or approach to sexuality so I don't know how true to form the story's portrayal is. I have however suffered physical, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of someone who was supposed to "love" me. Christian was controlling, quick to anger, and often "punished" Anastasia. The punishment occurred in the realm of BDSM. My abuse was with belittlement, criticism, fists and broken bones. I don't know...it all took place in a fictional story that I knew was fiction. I enjoyed it and was able to step into Anastasia's shoes or bonds as it where for just a little while. Isn't that what makes a good story? Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a story's value is also, based on the experiences and frame of reference of the reader. What is crap to one person is often gold to another.cvega93 wrote:See, the development of the characters wasn't the issue for me. She is a good writer, but even good writers have their flaws. I don't like how most of the time it seems like Christian was more on the abusive/manipulative side. Even though he didn't physically put his hands on her, there was still quite a bit of emotional/psychological abuse going on. It happens in life yes, but I feel it was portrayed wrong. I feel the entire BDSM aspect was also portrayed wrong too.Jennifer Allsbrook wrote:I think people give E.L. James a bad wrap but I have read the Fifty Shades Trilogy several times. I enjoy Anastasia! The writing is not epic but much of it is internal dialogue. How complex are our conversations with our inner selves? Overall, the sexual tension and the chemistry between Christian and Anastasia is present and accounted for. This is, after all, what many readers of erotic fiction are after. For many, the wham, bam thank you mam is enough. I enjoy insight into characters including their faults, their insecurities, their hopes and dreams, etc. James provides these aspects of the story albeit in simplistic prose. I wish I could make millions of dollars even when everyone says my writing sucks!
- sarah92480
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I don't think she's a bad author; not one of my favorites either, but bravo to her for that immense and immediate success.
- Mekkinism
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That said, I was somewhat excited at the thought of more mainstream BDSM erotica, but I truly felt like there's so little actual BDSM in the books that it hardly deserves to be associated with it. And what was with Anastasia's constant references to her "inner goddess"? It was like every other page!
- holsam_87
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“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
—J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- KRay93
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- sarah92480
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I think you're right about the curiosity here...everyone heard about the book and just had to see what it was all about. I mean, that's why I read them; to see what the big deal was. I think the majority of her book sales came from that exact thing.KRay93 wrote: ↑13 Mar 2018, 12:15 I've read part of the first book and saw the first movie. I found the writing quite atrocious, the characters bland and the relationship between the protagonists improbable and abusive, to the point that one doesn't even fells empathy for Anastasia. I suppose the success can be attributed to the same formula of "Twilight" plus all the nearly morbid curiosity about the whole BDSM issue: shy and lonely girl meets beautiful and introverted man, finds herself immediately attracted to him and discovers a whole new world she has never experienced.
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Also, Stephanie Meyer was writing Twilight from Edwards's point of view and it was stolen and released online so she scrapped the project. That HAS to be where EL James got the Grey idea.
- Sakilunamermaid
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I feel she's a poor author with little understanding of relationships or BDSM. Her pacing is poor as well, considering the sequel to her original story was split into two separate books, meaning the rising action is cut in two. Yikes.
- strawberrysab
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- innocentdemand
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I also know plenty of people who are into BDSM and they refuse to acknowledge the 50 Shades series even exists because it's a purely abusive relationship no matter how you paint it. Very little respect of limits, consent is iffy at best in many situations in it, and it perpetuates a horrible stereotype that people into the lifestyle are broken in some way thanks to Christian having a troubled past.