Random Thoughts on Sex in Fiction
So, I've just been thinking in general (I think it was brought on by a lack of well written smut in the CATs fandom) about the place of sex in stories/fiction/movies/TV shows. It's interesting because in a lot of ways I feel it's a taboo subject in our culture (or at least a sorta generally disliked one in public discourse) but at the same time we seem so utterly fascinated by it.
There are so many places I could go with these, and for that matter I'm sure so many people have gone there in the past. This is pretty informal but after going to the MLA convention this weekend and attending no less than nine panels I've been feeling rather quite in the mood for exploring issues. ((The MLA is *the* convention of the English academic profession. Usually it's in New York, Boston, Chicago, basically anywhere but here. This year it was not only on the East Coast, but actually at Seattle. I think the number I heard was 4,000 people attending? Anyway, there were people from France, the best known Oscar Wilde scholar was there, there were people from all over the world who were experts in their field. It was... quite the place to be.))
Alright, so, sex in fiction. I'm sure it's simple to say that in a lot of ways it's over done. Maybe I'm alone in thinking that, but on occasion I feel like you really didn't need to deal with the sex there. There are two levels here: First of all the idea that to be in love, to be romantic, there must be sex as well. I think that's perfectly valid in a lot of cases but I think there are plenty of cases where love doesn't have to be sexual, or even soul mates don't have to be sexual, but so often get boiled down to that. It's easy to do I suppose but I feel like it leaves something complex out.
The second way in which I sometimes feel like sex is overdone is how often it's chosen to show the actual sex scene itself, in writing and in film. Specifically, I'm looking at you, Joss Wheadon. I feel like there are quite a few moments where either he really didn't need to show the sex, or else it goes on a little long. I just, I feel like there are enough moments where honestly certain sex scenes could be cut. What's especially interesting is in Firefly (Which I just rewatched) Zoe and Wash, the married couple, are never shown to have sex whereas Mal and Inara are (with separate people of course, never each other) often are. Now, Zoe and Wash reference sex, and they are shown in the afterglow, which honestly is an entirely more effective scene anyway. Not entirely sure where I'm going, but it just seems like sometimes rather than showing the /sex/ there are other ways to approach it that might be more effective? There's something about the way Wheadon films sex scenes that actually make me feel vaguely uncomfortable and I'm not entirely sure why but I don't enjoy watching them and he has so very many of them.
Now, so I've said there are certain times when the sex scene doesn't seem to actually advance the plot or be really, to me at least, worthwhile to watch/actually any reason to show it except to possibly go "oooh look we have sex!" But there are other times when I think it is oh so important in terms of plot and character and themes to show these actual sex scenes. For example, I was rewatching the new version of Brideshead Revisited (It has Emma Thompson in it, not Jeremy Irons) and honestly the moment when Charles and Julia meet again after like, four years, and then just about transition from "hello" into having sex, that's a particular scene that really does need to be shown. The way they react to each other, the pent up passion and all that, makes for a good sex scene that advances the story and plot. That's honestly a scene I don't mind at all even though some other sex scenes make me roll my eyes. I feel like for a sex scene to be really worthwhile, it should express something about the characters, and their relationship.
So then I started thinking in terms of my own writing. Now, as I said, I tend to roll my eyes at quite a few sex scenes, and honestly I've never felt entirely comfortable with writing them (Though the point of that is to practice, right? >.>). Not to mention, while writing with someone else, the thought of full blown smut feels about ten shades of awkward (Though muses have been pushing that limit quite a bit lately. It's like... muses... dears...). But the more I think about it, I think most of these scenes can happily be skipped over. But there's a couple I almost regret skipping over because in many ways, as I said, I feel like the way characters treat sex, and each other during sex, can actually be so relevant to their characters as well as their relationship. Which is what really good smut fanfiction deals with as well as of course all other mediums, but of course online fanfiction smut is what I'm more familiar with. XD I don't know, I've just been wondering more about the place of sex in fiction in general, what goes into a good scene, and various things of that sort. And how often the most beautiful and sometimes tragic love stories don't even need that sexual element.
There are so many places I could go with these, and for that matter I'm sure so many people have gone there in the past. This is pretty informal but after going to the MLA convention this weekend and attending no less than nine panels I've been feeling rather quite in the mood for exploring issues. ((The MLA is *the* convention of the English academic profession. Usually it's in New York, Boston, Chicago, basically anywhere but here. This year it was not only on the East Coast, but actually at Seattle. I think the number I heard was 4,000 people attending? Anyway, there were people from France, the best known Oscar Wilde scholar was there, there were people from all over the world who were experts in their field. It was... quite the place to be.))
Alright, so, sex in fiction. I'm sure it's simple to say that in a lot of ways it's over done. Maybe I'm alone in thinking that, but on occasion I feel like you really didn't need to deal with the sex there. There are two levels here: First of all the idea that to be in love, to be romantic, there must be sex as well. I think that's perfectly valid in a lot of cases but I think there are plenty of cases where love doesn't have to be sexual, or even soul mates don't have to be sexual, but so often get boiled down to that. It's easy to do I suppose but I feel like it leaves something complex out.
The second way in which I sometimes feel like sex is overdone is how often it's chosen to show the actual sex scene itself, in writing and in film. Specifically, I'm looking at you, Joss Wheadon. I feel like there are quite a few moments where either he really didn't need to show the sex, or else it goes on a little long. I just, I feel like there are enough moments where honestly certain sex scenes could be cut. What's especially interesting is in Firefly (Which I just rewatched) Zoe and Wash, the married couple, are never shown to have sex whereas Mal and Inara are (with separate people of course, never each other) often are. Now, Zoe and Wash reference sex, and they are shown in the afterglow, which honestly is an entirely more effective scene anyway. Not entirely sure where I'm going, but it just seems like sometimes rather than showing the /sex/ there are other ways to approach it that might be more effective? There's something about the way Wheadon films sex scenes that actually make me feel vaguely uncomfortable and I'm not entirely sure why but I don't enjoy watching them and he has so very many of them.
Now, so I've said there are certain times when the sex scene doesn't seem to actually advance the plot or be really, to me at least, worthwhile to watch/actually any reason to show it except to possibly go "oooh look we have sex!" But there are other times when I think it is oh so important in terms of plot and character and themes to show these actual sex scenes. For example, I was rewatching the new version of Brideshead Revisited (It has Emma Thompson in it, not Jeremy Irons) and honestly the moment when Charles and Julia meet again after like, four years, and then just about transition from "hello" into having sex, that's a particular scene that really does need to be shown. The way they react to each other, the pent up passion and all that, makes for a good sex scene that advances the story and plot. That's honestly a scene I don't mind at all even though some other sex scenes make me roll my eyes. I feel like for a sex scene to be really worthwhile, it should express something about the characters, and their relationship.
So then I started thinking in terms of my own writing. Now, as I said, I tend to roll my eyes at quite a few sex scenes, and honestly I've never felt entirely comfortable with writing them (Though the point of that is to practice, right? >.>). Not to mention, while writing with someone else, the thought of full blown smut feels about ten shades of awkward (Though muses have been pushing that limit quite a bit lately. It's like... muses... dears...). But the more I think about it, I think most of these scenes can happily be skipped over. But there's a couple I almost regret skipping over because in many ways, as I said, I feel like the way characters treat sex, and each other during sex, can actually be so relevant to their characters as well as their relationship. Which is what really good smut fanfiction deals with as well as of course all other mediums, but of course online fanfiction smut is what I'm more familiar with. XD I don't know, I've just been wondering more about the place of sex in fiction in general, what goes into a good scene, and various things of that sort. And how often the most beautiful and sometimes tragic love stories don't even need that sexual element.