Fifty Shades of Grey: The story of our age?
- By Heiko Khoo
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 23, 2015
Firstly, it is undoubtedly a masterpiece of sadomasochism because the process of reading it is a form of excruciating masochism. Encountering its endless repetition: like the 16 times in the book that Christian Grey "cocks his head to one side", and the 47 times that Ana Steele is spoken to by her "inner goddess," makes the reader feel like they are being whipped by a sadistic stranger.
Soon, turning each page becomes terribly painful and finishing each chapter feels like having a tooth extracted - without anaesthetic. The reader is lured into a false sense of security by its occasional sexual interludes and hopes that something will turn up to relieve the pain of reading further. So, against their better judgement, they decide to finish it, despite a growing feeling that they, too, are in an abusive relationship.
Secondly, there is nothing unconventional, exciting or erotic about it. The Marquis de Sade's florid and dream-like 18th Century tales of deviant libertine sexuality and unrestrained morality are a wondrous garden of pleasure compared to this trite and boring modern work.
Anyone wanting a quality BDSM novel need look no further than the magnificent "Story of O," penned by the French author Pauline Reage, a bisexual journalist whose real name was Anne Cécile Desclos. It weaves a magnificent labyrinth of erotic adventure around sadomasochistic desire.
When it was published in 1954 a publicity ban was imposed in France as its content was deemed too obscene, which seems bizarre today.
Finally, Fifty Shades is utterly stereotypical. Young pretty girl falls for rich, handsome guy... yawn.
To me, it is truly an abomination against literature, yet more than 60 million people have already "read" it! Perhaps this is really what all the hype is about. A handful of billionaires have accumulated more personal wealth than half of the world's population.
They gain mastery over the world and abuse, enslave and torture us. Their power is enshrined in legal and contractual relations that we often appear to consent to, and they exploit this power for their personal gratification. They are glorified and worshipped despite making a virtue out of perverting and distorting the collective pain of millions into a vehicle to gratify their personal lusts.
The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm
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