Erotic literature is evolving

Author Lora Leigh, whose best-selling novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” defends erotic literature against potential stigmas stemming from its sex scenes, graphic language, and threesomes, remarks without surprise: “Women also like to read about sex,” and… she adds, “Every 10 years, the media discovers that women like sex”…

This new trend in fiction, featuring sexually explicit scenes, is not a new fad; on the contrary, it has a long tradition despite its past “devaluation.” Its growing popularity in modern society, where women no longer view sex as a taboo, means that the demand for this genre is more akin to erotic romance than exclusively pornographic literature.

Comments such as, “People finish the book and want to find something similar,” suggest that the readership of erotic literature will finally extend beyond a predominantly male audience. Other examples of female authors in this romantic-erotic genre include Sylvia Day, whose bestseller, *Bared to You*, reaffirms this shift away from older authors such as Iris Johansen, Linda Howard, and Beatrice Small.