[Air-L] New Special Issue of Sexualities on the Fifty Shades Phenomenon

[bethanvjones]

(With apologies for cross posting)

Dear all,

The latest issue of Sexualities journal is out today, which is a special issue on Fifty Shades co-edited by myself, Sarah Harman and Ruth Deller.  The issue is open access until March and is available at http://sex.sagepub.com/content/current

Obligatory blurb from Sage’s website:

Since their release in paperback in the spring of 2012, the Fifty Shades trilogy by British author E.L. James have generated enormous interest both in terms of sales and public debate. The novels blend a somewhat conventional romantic narrative with sexual passages that have a BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism, Masochism) flavour. They quickly became bestsellers, topping the New York Times bestsellers list on eBook sales alone. Their success led to a range of similar titles being marketed in their wake. It is suggested this heralded a ‘revolution’ of women downloading erotic eBooks.

The interest in the books as a phenomenon arose from the backgrounds of the authors of this issue as academics with an interest in studying media, sexual cultures, gender, literature and audiences. The articles presented in this special issue (http://sex.sagepub.com/content/16/8.toc) represent a range of responses to the series. Contributors come from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, literature, law, religious studies, geography, media and cultural studies. The contributions explore three significant areas of study: the texts themselves; the responses of different reader communities to these books; and the series’ relationship to wider debates about sexuality within culture.

We hope you enjoy!

Bethan, Sarah and Ruth
_____
Bethan Jones
PhD Candidate, Aberystwyth University 
Board Member, Fan Studies Network

http://fanstudies.wordpress.com
http://aber.academia.edu/BethanJones
http://bethanvjones.wordpress.com