In Defense of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

After my blog post 'Fifty Shades of Shame', I've been taken to task by a couple of people who claim I've been too harsh on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Now that I've finally finished the first book, I've decided to dig down (way, way deep down) and find seven reasons why Fifty Shades may not be as bad as I and many others make it out to be. Be warned, there will be spoilers. Here goes nothing:

1) It may not seem like it but the characters do have talents and interests outside of the bedroom. Anastasia has a degree in English literature and her knowledge of the literary canon is semi-impressive. I would imagine that for the heroines of most romance novels, Romeo & Juliet and/or Pride & Prejudice would be the literature of choice. Anastasia's interest in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'urbervilles is at least something different. Christian has a keen interest in flying planes, has an eclectic taste in music and, according to Anastasia, is excellent on the piano. Neither Anastasia nor Christian are fully rounded characters but by indicating these interests/ talents, E.L. James at least tries to make them seem that way.

2) Though most of the laughs are unintentional, the book can be very funny. The cheeky e-mail exchanges between Christian and Anastasia are a case in point. I particularly liked one instance where, after asking Anastasia if she's looked through his contract which binds her to his S&M practices, she replies 'yes, nice knowing you'. Also the fact that Christian is 27 yet speaks as if he's an anal-retentive 60 year-old is a masterstroke of comic writing.

3) The sex scenes are entertaining and insightful at times. No seriously, they can be. I mean I didn't know what vanilla sex is before reading the book. Nor did I know so many everyday objects could make such useful S&M toys.

4) If you imagine that Fifty Shades is a modern adult retelling of Bluebeard or Beauty and the Beast it's not as bad as it seems. Part of the antagonism towards the trilogy is that its roots are in Twilight fan fiction. If it was actually based on a fairytale narrative, it might have seemed a bit more intelligent and have greater credibility. I mean E.L. James is definitely no Angela Carter but a thesis comparing Fifty Shades to the above fairytales could yield some interesting results.

5) There are enough red herrings to keep readers coming back for more. What secret is Christian keeping about his past? Will Christian and Anastasia get back together? These are questions which can only be answered once you've read Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

6) The book is actually not as misogynistic as it seems. The fact that Christian gives Anastasia quite a bit of power in their relationship attests to this. She may end up with a  a sore heart and a sore ass but at least she has the freedom to navigate the relationship as she sees fit.

7) Well I read the whole book and I've now written two blogs on it. Hence despite the fact that I call it boring and ridiculous, I must have liked it to some extent if I can't stop talking about it!

And there are my seven reasons. With that, this is where it all stops. I've ended my contract with Christian and Anastasia . The Red Room of Pain will have to live on without me.  I'm now Fifty Shades Freed.

Source for Pic : ashionista.com/2012/06/fifty-shades-of-grey-to-blame-for-spike-in-sales-of-rope-neck-ties/