Fifty Shades of Respectability

Scott Hardie | April 11, 2015
Could/will Fifty Shades of Grey ever be taken seriously as literature?

Perhaps at some point in the future where it represents this historical period in popular American culture?

Erik Bates | April 13, 2015
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | April 19, 2015
Plenty of literature was not taken seriously in its time. But I think if there was anything truly valuable about Grey, the massive attention that it has received would have turned it up by now. The book will remain a pop culture landmark, not a literary one—any scholarly articles about it will be about its place in millenial American culture, not its writing or subtext.

Joanna Woods | April 19, 2015
Having read the books, I don't believe they will ever be considered anything but pop culture icons. I enjoy reading them, not because they are great literature but because they are so dumb and mind numbing. Sometime you just need dumb and mind numbing when it comes to books.

Scott Hardie | April 21, 2015
I have come to appreciate the same quality in television and movies, too. I am so much more relaxed going to bed after watching a dumb sitcom or superhero movie than something more demanding, and I get better sleep too. I now choose my entertainment by the time of day.