Discovering sex in literature!

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Sex scenes in literature and erotic fiction can be cringe worthy. In fact, the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award has selected a work each year since 1993 to "honour" for, well, bad sex in fiction.

But, sex can also be used as a device to challenge ideas, and open up discussions about social mores and sensibilities.

In this post, we are going to take a little look at five books that feature sex, and sexuality, because we all have a relationship with sex, and it is as worthy a subject or theme to explore in literature as any other!

1. Crash by J. G. Ballard

Originally published in 1973, this is a classic of underground literature.

'In a sense, pornography is the most political form of fiction, dealing with how we use and exploit each other, in the most urgent and ruthless way.

'Needless to say, the ultimate goal of Crash is cautionary, a warning against that brutal, erotic and overlit realm that beckons more and more persuasively to us from the margins of the technological landscape.'

- J. G. Ballard, from a 1995 introduction to the novel

You can purchase Crash by J. G. Ballard here.

2. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Constance Chatterley feels trapped in a sexless marriage to Sir Clifford. She is attracted to Mellors, her husband's gamekeeper, and she embarks upon a passionate affair with him that sparks new life in her stifled world. The novel itself sparked tremendous controversy on publication, and is still an erotically charged and powerful novel today.

You can purchase Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence here.

3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Humbert Humbert - a doomed monster, scholar, and the unreliable narrator of this tale - has fallen hopelessly in love - or a delusional lust - with Dolores Haze, or Lolita as he calls her, his landlady's twelve-year-old daughter. This novel is all about obsession, delusion, lust, and objectification.

You can purchase Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov here.

4. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Unlike previous entries, this is not a novel, but the author's recounting of her experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. However, there are scenes in the book where Strayed writes candidly about her sexuality.

In the wake of personal loss, the author uses sex as a means to self-destruct, and distance herself from her marriage. But we find that sex can also be healing, and a means of connection to something profoundly beautiful.

We find here that sex can be an empty act, but it can also be empowering.

You can purchase Wild by Cheryl Strayed here.

5. The Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova

Casanova, whose very name is synonymous with sexual conquest, was also a swashbuckler, a poet, a storyteller, and many other things in his adventurous life. This collection of his memoirs (unfinished at the time of his death in 1798) highlights his youth in Venice, his dabbling in the occult, encounters with great literary figures, and, of course, many amorous encounters. 

His was an adventurous life.

You can purchase The Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova here.

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