In which I muse about the Risqué writings!

   
    

 Dear reader I start this post by apologising for trying to be introspective in my last post. I realise that it is during these bouts of self discovery, that I most sound like the crashing bore that I usually am! *Grins*

Now for the question that has bothered me for the past day -Why does sex sell??? How many times do I have to ask this question??? *Rolls the eyes* I was reading a novel a couple of days ago and it was rather engaging; I liked the story and the characters and the most important thing was that it was really funny. However, after chapter 8, the author ventured into the territory of  "L'Amour" and My God! but there was steam on my glasses!! The entire section of the book was full of content so erotic in nature, that I went about with a blush on my face for the entire day!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and could have been on the my top ten reads of the year; but for all the amorous content. I had a conversation with a friend about it ( we kind of cribbed about it! ) and had to ask the obvious question. Was all that sex really necessary? 

21st century Bestseller

Oh alright! Yes! I admit that I am kind of a prude but what is wrong with being old fashioned? In the era when erotic novels like Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L James (dubbed "Mommy Porn) are selling like hot cakes, one can't help but long for books by the good old Victorian novelists who despite their puritanical content, were page turners.

 VS Golden Oldie: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

M&B( had to hide the jacket
from mom! :P )

New (insipid) Alternative?

I grew up reading books like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery and Tidewater Valley by Jo Evalin Lundy and Harry Potter. One read the occasional Mills and Boon romance when craving the illicit pleasure of risqué content. (I used to cover the explicit M&B book jackets with newspapers and read them on the sly! :P)  Thus, the current obsession among Young Adults for the Twilight Series (whilst well written yet kind of monotonous! *I totally said that with a straight face* ) is mystifying.
                                                                                   

It is just that one can't help but observe that now the more sex the book contains the more it sells.Even the high brow novelists (amongst whom are illustrious booker prize winners), have succumbed to the trend!The thing about such books is that some of them are actually quite good but, are we overdosing on the sex? Thus I end this post with the all important question to you Dear reader- should a writer solely depend on his talent to sell his book or is it sensible for him to surrender to the cult of Eros to achieve success?