Hotter than mr. Grey
Guess what, long before Christian Grey and his BDSM fetishes became a worldwide sensation, there are tons of tomes much better, sexier, hotter, and more critically acclaimed than what came out of EL James’ wild and kinky imagination. But they are hush-hush. After all, the discussion of our secret pleasures and the discovery of our sexuality were taboo (and remains so in some countries). But the literary world is becoming more open to this genre and with it came erotica flooding our bookstores and e-pubs, some even free for download.
Here are five books that we think are 100 times steamier than 50 Shades of Grey.
Here are five books that we think are 100 times steamier than 50 Shades of Grey.
THE AWAKENING BY KATE CHOPIN
Gist: The story centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggles to reconcile her role as a mother and a woman in the context of the 18th century. Edna leaves her two kids, husband, and two lovers in her quest for sensual and self-realization.
Why it’s better: Still a recurring issue over time, The Awakening has an epidemic theme that revolves around the emancipation of women, not just her sexual awakening. Kate’s novel is highly acclaimed by women’s movements and feminists. According to the New York Times’ article “Bored Wives and Jubilant Widows” written by Sharon O’Brien and published in 1990, the book is now firmly planted in the American literary canon, currently the only novel reprinted in both The Norton Anthology of American Literature and The Northern Anthology of Women’s Literature.
FANNY HILL OR MEMOIRS OF A WOMAN OF PLEASURE BY JOHN CLELAND
Gist: The classic erotica—frequently banned and prosecuted over time—tells the story of Fanny Hill, poor and innocent, as she falls under the hands of a brothel keeper. Watch how this naïve young lady rises to respectability from her climaxes and miseries as a prostitute in 18th-century London.
Why it’s better: Erasing the erotic side of the story, Fanny Hill shows us how to pick up and dust ourselves off to start all over again. In his article “Fanny Hill Still Giving Pleasure” for The New York Times, Jonathan Yardley says that while the classic novel will never replace Little Red Riding Hood as a kid’s bedtime story, it’s a splendid bedside novel for grownups. “Fanny’s story tells us that morality is a far more slippery business than most moralists would have us believe, and that the road to happiness and virtue is not necessarily either straight or narrow,” Jonathan says.
THE FLOWERS OF EVIL BY CHARLES BAUDELAIRE
Gist: A compilation of 53 poems that tackle eroticism and decadence from the imagination of the great French poet Baudelaire. At the time it was published, The Flowers of Evil shocked the 19th century world with its overt sensual imagery.
Why it’s better: Because it’s Baudelaire, the modern man of his time.
SLEEPING BEAUTY TRILOGY BY ANNE RICE
Gist: First published in the ‘80s under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure, the Sleeping Beauty trilogy finds modern re-release after the success of 50 Shades of Grey. We’re sure, you’ve guessed from the title that the trilogy is the adult version of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Why it’s better: Anne Rice epitomizes today’s modern women when she told the New York Times: “How can it be wrong for women to have the same right? We’re sexual beings! And fantasy is where we can do the things we can’t do in ordinary life.”
TAMPA BY ALISSA NUTTING
Gist: A mixology of the classics The Reader by Bernard Schlink and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Tampa tells the story of Celeste, a 26-year-old teacher and her a 14-year-old boy toy.
Why it’s better: It’s a satirical novel that questions society’s double standards when it comes to sexuality. In the Telegraph UK, Duncan White says in his review that Tampa explores the hypocrisies of society and the psychology of women. He wrote: “The reader gets the occasional didactic nudge, such as when one of Celeste’s female students complains that ‘when women hit it they’re labeled sluts, but with men, it’s just expected.’”
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