Let's Talk About .... Physical Intimacy in Fiction
when do tHeY call it trash and when do tHeY call it art?
Hello readers! Today’s newsletter is about a topic that many people have a LOT to say about ~ physical intimacy in fiction. I’m going to be deliberately vague in how I talk about this so that every single one of you can be seen to be reading an ANALYSIS and not something filter-worthy.
It is absolutely no secret around here that I love reading and listening to romance novels with a lot of descriptive physical intimacy. We can also call them open door romance novels, or spicy or steamy stories. Whatever the term, they all mean the same thing. Bodies coming together in intimacy with every little thing described. In my favorite romance stories, these acts are beautiful and happy and advance the emotional relationship of the characters. Some of my recent favorite examples of this type of story are by The Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver and The Vancouver Agitators series by Meghann Quinn.
ExTrEmElY LiTeRaRy SeRiOuS™ readers absolutely adore to trash this type of novel and it never ceases to confound me. I have never understood this desire to raise oneself up by dragging someone else down, and I truly see a deep sense of insecurity in how staunchly some readers will defend their hatred of the romance genre. What are you even hiding? I love what writes in her piece “More Than a Romance?” about this, and highly encourage you all to read it!