Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > General Discussions

Notices

View Poll Results: Do you like sex/love scenes in the stories you read?
No nookie for me. I don't want to go there. 36 12.29%
Love scenes are fine if they contribute to characterization and plot. 165 56.31%
I really enjoy sexuality in fiction. 46 15.70%
Some sex is OK but only in small doses. 38 12.97%
Love scenes are why I read! 8 2.73%
Voters: 293. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 04-02-2011, 01:56 PM   #91
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
I would answer "it depends on the book". A book like "Pride and Prejudice" without love scenes (love scenes - not graphic sex) would be meaningless. Love scenes in a hard SF novel are probably irrelevant.
Harry... I'm surprised at you! Suggesting that SF characters can't have legitimate feelings that can be impacted by others, and that a sex scene can't play a legitimate part of that! You've been in that Dalek shell too long, mate!

I've read plenty of SF that has had well-placed sex scenes that were clear parts of the characters' development (in fact, I wrote a few of them myself). I see nothing wrong with them. As an aside, I can enjoy them too, even if they aren't absolutely essential to the story. So bring 'em on, and please don't read over my shoulder unless I know you very well...
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 03:47 PM   #92
cathie
Connoisseur
cathie doesn't littercathie doesn't littercathie doesn't litter
 
cathie's Avatar
 
Posts: 68
Karma: 200
Join Date: Dec 2010
Device: kindle, Kindle Fire
This seems to me like a rather strange poll. To which I have more than one answer!
It's not a true case of whether one likes love/sex scenes in a book or not, more a case of what type of genre do you read? Fiction or non fiction?
From there it's a case of authors, who are great storytellers, who create characters that touch a chord within us, the readers. In essence, who are our favourite authors.
Just remember lots of people read romance and erotica within the storyline elements of science fiction or paranormal or suspense or historical fiction too.

Books are to tell a STORY (fact or fiction), I have no problem with sex/love scenes as long as they make sense to the character buildup and the plot of the story I am reading. That being said, if I am reading romance story I want sex/love scenes.

Last edited by cathie; 04-02-2011 at 03:49 PM. Reason: grammer
cathie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 05:38 PM   #93
Piper_
~~~~~
Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Piper_'s Avatar
 
Posts: 761
Karma: 1278391
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: USA
Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady View Post
So are a lot of other bodily functions, but there is no reason to describe them in excruciating detail.
Oooh, I think sex says more about an individual (not to mention their relationships) than those other bodily functions.

Or at least it should be more ...creative. Done perfunctorily as other bodily functions would definitely be a snooze not worth reading about.
Piper_ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 05:46 PM   #94
Piper_
~~~~~
Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Piper_ ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Piper_'s Avatar
 
Posts: 761
Karma: 1278391
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: USA
Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350
Quote:
Originally Posted by cathie View Post
This seems to me like a rather strange poll. To which I have more than one answer!
It's not a true case of whether one likes love/sex scenes in a book or not, more a case of what type of genre do you read? Fiction or non fiction?
From there it's a case of authors, who are great storytellers, who create characters that touch a chord within us, the readers. In essence, who are our favourite authors.
Just remember lots of people read romance and erotica within the storyline elements of science fiction or paranormal or suspense or historical fiction too.

Books are to tell a STORY (fact or fiction), I have no problem with sex/love scenes as long as they make sense to the character buildup and the plot of the story I am reading. That being said, if I am reading romance story I want sex/love scenes.
Well said, cathie.

Bernard Cornwell seems to have a glaring lack of them for this reason. i.e., You get to know the characters so well, it feels strange to do a cut away when they might be getting warm. lol

It's always so glaring, it makes me pause to wonder why. Is he afraid of offending readers who don't want to read anything that smacks of romance? Porn?

Or is he afraid he wouldn't do even a little of it well? I mean, I don't expect him to be graphic, but a little reference to their thoughts about it a time or two would be nice.
Piper_ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 06:31 PM   #95
orlok
Close to the Edit!
orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
orlok's Avatar
 
Posts: 9,797
Karma: 267994408
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"
Quote:
Originally Posted by sircastor View Post
The thing that made me hate The Time Traveler's Wife was the sex scenes.
I really must be getting old. I don't even remember any sex scenes in the book .
.
orlok is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 06:40 PM   #96
Cyclops
Only need one eye to read
Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Cyclops's Avatar
 
Posts: 796
Karma: 6277024
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Darlington, England
Device: Kobo Touch N905C, Sony PRS-300, Nintendo DSi XL,
I get to those sexy bits and wish I coukd fast forward past them. It just seems pointless to me, and totally ruins a good film too!
Cyclops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 06:44 PM   #97
Cyclops
Only need one eye to read
Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Cyclops's Avatar
 
Posts: 796
Karma: 6277024
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Darlington, England
Device: Kobo Touch N905C, Sony PRS-300, Nintendo DSi XL,
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
I would answer "it depends on the book". A book like "Pride and Prejudice" without love scenes (love scenes - not graphic sex) would be meaningless. Love scenes in a hard SF novel are probably irrelevant.
I'm with Harry! I mean, Daleks making out, perrlease!
Cyclops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 06:50 PM   #98
Bilbo1967
Not scared!
Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Bilbo1967's Avatar
 
Posts: 13,424
Karma: 81011643
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Midlands, UK
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10
I guess it depends what you're looking for. My personal interests were flagellism, necrophilia and bestiality.

Then I realised I was flogging a dead horse.
Bilbo1967 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 06:52 PM   #99
Cyclops
Only need one eye to read
Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cyclops ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Cyclops's Avatar
 
Posts: 796
Karma: 6277024
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Darlington, England
Device: Kobo Touch N905C, Sony PRS-300, Nintendo DSi XL,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo1967 View Post
I guess it depends what you're looking for. My personal interests were flagellism, necrophilia and bestiality.

Then I realised I was flogging a dead horse.
Permission to post that on facebook?
Cyclops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 11:17 PM   #100
Enkidu of Abydos
Master of Disaster
Enkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplaneEnkidu of Abydos makes transoceanic flights without the assistance of an airplane
 
Enkidu of Abydos's Avatar
 
Posts: 386
Karma: 55466
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Split, Croatia
Device: Sony Reader PRS-505
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo1967 View Post
I guess it depends what you're looking for. My personal interests were flagellism, necrophilia and bestiality.

Then I realised I was flogging a dead horse.
I usually get jokes very quickly. It took me a while to get this one.
And then I went totally .


Quote:
Originally Posted by orlok View Post
I really must be getting old. I don't even remember any sex scenes in the book .
.
Forgetting about characters in a book having sex is normal, you're OK as long as you can remember who you had sex with (unless you're a rockstar of course). You should at least remember the ones you did in the last month.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Piper_ View Post
Oooh, I think sex says more about an individual (not to mention their relationships) than those other bodily functions.

Or at least it should be more ...creative. Done perfunctorily as other bodily functions would definitely be a snooze not worth reading about.
Enkidu of Abydos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 04:32 AM   #101
Poppaea
Lucifer's Bat
Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Poppaea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Poppaea's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,536
Karma: 19491715
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth/Berlin
Device: Kobo Libra 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo1967 View Post
I guess it depends what you're looking for. My personal interests were flagellism, necrophilia and bestiality.

Then I realised I was flogging a dead horse.
Poppaea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 04:48 AM   #102
orlok
Close to the Edit!
orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.orlok ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
orlok's Avatar
 
Posts: 9,797
Karma: 267994408
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enkidu of Abydos View Post
You should at least remember the ones you did in the last month.
Well that will be easy...
orlok is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 12:09 PM   #103
Bilbo1967
Not scared!
Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bilbo1967 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Bilbo1967's Avatar
 
Posts: 13,424
Karma: 81011643
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Midlands, UK
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyclops View Post
Permission to post that on facebook?
Of course, although I can't claim it as one of my own; I heard it somewhere else some time ago.
Bilbo1967 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2011, 03:48 PM   #104
Anthem
Guru
Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Anthem ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Anthem's Avatar
 
Posts: 704
Karma: 1622328
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady View Post
So are a lot of other bodily functions, but there is no reason to describe them in excruciating detail.
Unless your audience gets off on them. Then you got one, and that is totally the way so many hack writers make their money.
Anthem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2011, 05:03 PM   #105
Prestidigitweeze
Fledgling Demagogue
Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Prestidigitweeze ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Prestidigitweeze's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,384
Karma: 31132263
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: White Plains
Device: Clara HD; Oasis 2; Aura HD; iPad Air; PRS-350; Galaxy S7.
The value of sex in writing isn't always reducible to plot, story and/or vicarious gratification. All of that is great, but those aren't the only ways to incorporate sex into fiction.

Sex is a shared and yet exclusive experience -- shared in the sense of perhaps involving a partner and perhaps not being private (depending on one's situation and proclivities); exclusive because specifically linked to one's private perception of it.

The victory of sex, the emotional beauty of it, can be the sense that two people are sharing the same act as if they occupied one body. The tragedy can be that they can never truly share that experience in the most literal sense. The paradox of sex is an intense part of romantic love. I would argue that stories about lovers kept apart are often metaphors for this. The complication can symbolize repression, but it can also symbolize lovers' banishment to the helmets of their skulls, to the limitations of their joining.

Someone who writes intuitively about sex can offer insights into an experience that others might treat as rote. That person's style and point of view might also telegraph levels of meaning that wouldn't be there if they were writing about anything else.

The sense of being impaled on a grid of desire, of being the vessel for a kind of grim drive, is the nightside of sex writing and it, too, can be revelatory if written about consciously and well.

Peter Handke depicts an odd disconnected automatism in "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick"; I can see that mindset being interesting in a first-person or third-person-limited sex scene, too.

Molly Bloom's soliloquy in Ulysses is an obvious example of transcendent writing about sex, but there are many, many others.

Fine examples have been written by friends of mine throughout the years; sex scenes add to the sensibility, the aesthetic, the sweep, the inclusiveness of their fiction. I wouldn't say that sex necessarily added to their plots in every case because some of them were writing a different kind of fiction, which places more emphasis on rich sensory input and the interplay of thought than storytelling.

This is sometimes called stream of consciousness writing, which some people associate only with automatic writing (like Breton's) or unrevised writing (like Kerouac's), but which can be as carefully done as any conventional narrative that emphasizes story and plot. In many cases, the stream is carefully edited and rewritten.

John Hawkes' The Blood Oranges is a fine example of that. It is also a novel which is largely about sexual experience.

Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 04-04-2011 at 05:38 PM.
Prestidigitweeze is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
love scenes, poll, sex scenes

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Love, Sex and Tesco's Finest Cava? radiohead Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers 12 03-07-2011 05:46 PM
Peter Robinson The Price of Love and Other Stories $1.44 ngrant Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 2 03-10-2010 02:11 PM
Looking for non-stereotype love stories IceHand Reading Recommendations 38 09-04-2008 04:08 PM
Short Fiction Chekhov, Anton: (13) The Love & Other Stories. 18 Dec 07 RWood IMP Books 0 12-18-2007 10:31 PM
Short Fiction Chekhov, Anton: (13) The Love & Other Stories. 19 Sept 07 RWood BBeB/LRF Books 0 09-19-2007 05:38 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:54 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.