Comments on: How Come Good Literature Has to be Ruined by Bad Sex? http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/ Maw Books - book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more! Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:11:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Rebecca http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-160875 Rebecca Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:01:14 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-160875 I started reading this book a month ago, because I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. I reached the first bad scene, and put it down. It drives me crazy to start a book but not finish it, but since you have warned that there are more heavily sexual scenes, I may skip the book and watch the movie. I hear that the on-screen version has been cleaned up quite a bit. I started reading this book a month ago, because I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. I reached the first bad scene, and put it down. It drives me crazy to start a book but not finish it, but since you have warned that there are more heavily sexual scenes, I may skip the book and watch the movie. I hear that the on-screen version has been cleaned up quite a bit.

]]> By: Mary http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-153060 Mary Sat, 14 May 2011 19:01:34 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-153060 Thanks for the heads-up! I read the first bad scene this morning and was wondering if the descriptive sex was going to continue. I am pretty torn on whether to continue reading or find a better book. I think I could settle with just skipping over the bad parts, but how can I know where the bad parts are? Thanks for the heads-up! I read the first bad scene this morning and was wondering if the descriptive sex was going to continue. I am pretty torn on whether to continue reading or find a better book. I think I could settle with just skipping over the bad parts, but how can I know where the bad parts are?

]]> By: Anne Selby http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-142057 Anne Selby Tue, 29 Mar 2011 06:22:25 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-142057 I totally agree with the fact that it is rare these days to find a book, a television show or a movie that doesn't seem to have an overwhelming need for gratuitous sex of some kind. When I started to write my own book which has recently been published, I actually made a conscious decision to lead the reader up to a certain point and then let them decide from their own imagination what might have happened next and I do not regret that decision even though publishers kept telling me that 'sex sells' throughout the time I was trying to get it published. I personlly think people have had sex shoved down their throats to the point where an act that is meant to be beautiful and personal is nothing other than a daily strip show. Kudos to you for your guts and saying it out loud and the others on the blog who have agreed. You have reaffirmed my own decision on this! I totally agree with the fact that it is rare these days to find a book, a television show or a movie that doesn’t seem to have an overwhelming need for gratuitous sex of some kind. When I started to write my own book which has recently been published, I actually made a conscious decision to lead the reader up to a certain point and then let them decide from their own imagination what might have happened next and I do not regret that decision even though publishers kept telling me that ’sex sells’ throughout the time I was trying to get it published. I personlly think people have had sex shoved down their throats to the point where an act that is meant to be beautiful and personal is nothing other than a daily strip show. Kudos to you for your guts and saying it out loud and the others on the blog who have agreed. You have reaffirmed my own decision on this!

]]> By: Julie http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-138162 Julie Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:36:36 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-138162 I couldn't agree with you more. So many good stories ruined by smut. I'm glad you had the guts to say it! I couldn’t agree with you more. So many good stories ruined by smut. I’m glad you had the guts to say it!

]]> By: Elizabeth Jacobson http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-119282 Elizabeth Jacobson Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:51:05 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-119282 I realize that the sex in this book is very offensive but did you ever stop for a minute and try to understand the symbolism behind it? Authors never just put sex in a book of literary merit just because. It is put in there to make a statement about something other than sex. I encourage you to read a book called How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster and then you will understand what I am talking about. I do agree with you that Water For Elephants has very graphic sex scenes but when you look for the symbolism behind it you may find that it was necessary. I realize that the sex in this book is very offensive but did you ever stop for a minute and try to understand the symbolism behind it? Authors never just put sex in a book of literary merit just because. It is put in there to make a statement about something other than sex. I encourage you to read a book called How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster and then you will understand what I am talking about. I do agree with you that Water For Elephants has very graphic sex scenes but when you look for the symbolism behind it you may find that it was necessary.

]]> By: Holly http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-93314 Holly Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:50:40 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-93314 It has been interesting reading this blog. Thank you Natasha for sharing your opinion. I am an avid reader and I must admit that the few scenes you mention did make me uncomfortable and uneasy about recommending the book. Funny though I read the book because over the past two years several people recommended it. I was only told it was good and it was about nursing homes/old people and the circus. I did enjoy the story yet I think as a society we are becoming desensitized to what is possibly offensive to other people. It really is like smoking and nonsmoking sections in a resturant. For those who don't mind the explicit stuff they are like smokers and to those who are offended we are the non-smokers.I am to the point that I think even some of the content of the Disney channel has lost a certain innocence. what one thinks is family friendly is not family friendly to another. Unfortunately we loose some respect for opinions when one from one side of thinking resorts to name calling the other. As one who is known for sharing what I read with others I feel I need to give people a heads up about the content that could raise eyebrows. I do know that the book is currently being made into a movie. It will be interesting to see what it is rated and how explicit Hollywood will be in filming it. Robert Pattinson, Twilight heart-throb (Edward), will be playing young Jacob. There could possibly be quite a following of young girls interested in the movie just for this reason. It has been interesting reading this blog. Thank you Natasha for sharing your opinion. I am an avid reader and I must admit that the few scenes you mention did make me uncomfortable and uneasy about recommending the book. Funny though I read the book because over the past two years several people recommended it. I was only told it was good and it was about nursing homes/old people and the circus. I did enjoy the story yet I think as a society we are becoming desensitized to what is possibly offensive to other people. It really is like smoking and nonsmoking sections in a resturant. For those who don’t mind the explicit stuff they are like smokers and to those who are offended we are the non-smokers.I am to the point that I think even some of the content of the Disney channel has lost a certain innocence. what one thinks is family friendly is not family friendly to another. Unfortunately we loose some respect for opinions when one from one side of thinking resorts to name calling the other. As one who is known for sharing what I read with others I feel I need to give people a heads up about the content that could raise eyebrows. I do know that the book is currently being made into a movie. It will be interesting to see what it is rated and how explicit Hollywood will be in filming it. Robert Pattinson, Twilight heart-throb (Edward), will be playing young Jacob. There could possibly be quite a following of young girls interested in the movie just for this reason.

]]> By: kelly http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-93206 kelly Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:17:50 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-93206 wow, guess i'm in the minority on here. i loved water for elephants. even the sex moments. it was an amazing book, and i can not wait for the movie. i wasn't put off at all by the sex scenes in it. that stuff took place in the circus back then. to john really you want to fight to ban the book....people like you are the reason why so much literature is being taken away in this country. if you don't want your daughter to read then you tell her that..dont ruin it for others who do want to read it. wow, guess i’m in the minority on here. i loved water for elephants. even the sex moments. it was an amazing book, and i can not wait for the movie. i wasn’t put off at all by the sex scenes in it. that stuff took place in the circus back then. to john really you want to fight to ban the book….people like you are the reason why so much literature is being taken away in this country. if you don’t want your daughter to read then you tell her that..dont ruin it for others who do want to read it.

]]> By: Debbie, Genre Reviews http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-76499 Debbie, Genre Reviews Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:29:09 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-76499 I've not read this book, but I totally agree with you. Part of the reason I started my book blog was to help others know which books were "clean" reads when it came to explicit sex, bad language, and violence. Since the point, in my case, is to not get that type of content into my brain, skimming over the content whenever I encounter it in a book just doesn't work. I’ve not read this book, but I totally agree with you. Part of the reason I started my book blog was to help others know which books were “clean” reads when it came to explicit sex, bad language, and violence.

Since the point, in my case, is to not get that type of content into my brain, skimming over the content whenever I encounter it in a book just doesn’t work.

]]> By: Rebecca Herman http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-76349 Rebecca Herman Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:36:19 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-76349 Oh and I forgot to include this with my last comment, but I don't like extreme graphic violence either. I recently reviewed a YA book on my blog which was about a real child who died under some pretty horrible circumstances during World War II. Rather than describe what happened to her the author ended the book right before she died. I don't think describing her mother killing her would have added anything to the story, we already saw how terrible it was, how much war hurts children, how nasty a person her mother was, etc. Including the actual murder scene would have been gratuitous (and likely inappropriate for the intended age group). Oh and I forgot to include this with my last comment, but I don’t like extreme graphic violence either. I recently reviewed a YA book on my blog which was about a real child who died under some pretty horrible circumstances during World War II. Rather than describe what happened to her the author ended the book right before she died. I don’t think describing her mother killing her would have added anything to the story, we already saw how terrible it was, how much war hurts children, how nasty a person her mother was, etc. Including the actual murder scene would have been gratuitous (and likely inappropriate for the intended age group).

]]> By: Rebecca Herman http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/good-literature-bad-sex/#comment-76347 Rebecca Herman Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:21:44 +0000 http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/01/12/water-for-elephants/#comment-76347 Yes sex is a part of life but there are a lot of things a part of life that I don't really want to read about in graphic detail (such as illness, going to the bathroom, etc). Personally I don't like sex in extreme graphic detail in my books. Some sex can help to advance the plot but I feel like a lot of authors just go way too far to the point where it's just gratuitous and not adding anything. I've been very frustrated because I like the historical romance genre and some books lately it feels like rather then including sex to show how the relationship progressed they are just cramming in as much sex as possible into the book for no real reason. I read some inspirationals recently and not for the religion but because I wanted to read a romance where I wouldn't be surprised by dozens of pages of unneeded sex that added nothing to the story. I just don't understand why nothing is private anymore. We can know the characters had sex and how it affected them and advanced the story or their relationship without a 10 page gratuitous sex scene every time they do it. Yes sex is a part of life but there are a lot of things a part of life that I don’t really want to read about in graphic detail (such as illness, going to the bathroom, etc). Personally I don’t like sex in extreme graphic detail in my books. Some sex can help to advance the plot but I feel like a lot of authors just go way too far to the point where it’s just gratuitous and not adding anything. I’ve been very frustrated because I like the historical romance genre and some books lately it feels like rather then including sex to show how the relationship progressed they are just cramming in as much sex as possible into the book for no real reason. I read some inspirationals recently and not for the religion but because I wanted to read a romance where I wouldn’t be surprised by dozens of pages of unneeded sex that added nothing to the story. I just don’t understand why nothing is private anymore. We can know the characters had sex and how it affected them and advanced the story or their relationship without a 10 page gratuitous sex scene every time they do it.

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