A thought or two.

[hellozombies.livejournal.com]

While discussing the idea of sex in novels with a friend of mine, I (of course) brought up LKH and her...um...lack of skills in that particular area. My friend said that it's extremely difficult to write sex--descriptive or not--and that she feels "awkward" while reading sex scenes. I (again) chimed in about Anita Blake--about how not only did I feel awkward, I also felt pretty damn squicked out.

We've all lamented over the boring, repetitive, gross sex. My question is, have you ever--in any novel that's ever been written--seen a decent, titillating, enthralling sex scene?

The more and more I think about it, the more I realize that I haven't seen one that's left me breathless and panting. I know that I'm much more of a slash girl than anything, but isn't that what they're supposed to do?

(It's much more fun laughing about bad sex scenes than it is hunting for good ones, I'll tell you that.)

Thoughts, dear lashers?

Comments

[pandorasblog]

I think a big problem with writing about sex is that it's so personal. I've noticed that I find it hard to take a sex scene seriously if the terminology used is too different from words I myself would use. I love Anne Rice's The Witching Hour to death, but there were times when I just paused and went, "WTF? Cleft?", and snorted. In general, her (non-erotica) books have suffered from the sex being made more graphic.

Sometimes less is more. Use of setting and emotional context can make a huge difference by making the reader feel like they're there. In Ricardo Pinto's The Chosen, an erotic coupling in an Eden-like setting (I don't want to say who, as it's spoilery) is the more powerful for culminating in the very simple "They made love."

And the scene in Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now where Daisy and Edmond discover each other is very powerful because of the context of the war and their way of life crumbling around them. It's one of the best-written coming-of-age, sexual-awakening things I've read, and the fact that it's in a YA novel, a genre which many people would push aside as insufficiently literary, says a lot.

The Time Travler's Wife also has a very well-written sex scene (Clare's first time), which is beautifully grounded in the characters themselves and the nature of their relationship - it's not one of those books where the author just slapped on some naughty words and cliched metaphors.

I'm sure there must be more, but these

[evewithanapple.livejournal.com]

What, Mona? That was in the second book (which sucked, as did the third). I don't remember any underage stuff in TWH.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

Wasn't Julien fucked by a ghost or taltos or something when he was THREE? I distinctly remember a horrifying reference to "baby juices."

Granted, the whole thing was about this creature of darkness sort of breeding and controlling the family so I didn't expect it to use moral means, but GOD DAMN.

[pandorasblog]

Nope, that's Mona in Lasher. The much-lauded cleft belonged to Rowan, Mona's more legitimate rival for Michael's penis affections...

Ricisms

[bludflower.livejournal.com]

Funny, I wrote the same thing about the phrase "nether-lips" in an essay I wrote, mentioning Anne Rice's sex scenes.

Re: Ricisms

[easol.livejournal.com]

NETHER LIPS?

Re: Ricisms

[pandorasblog]

NETHERLIPS?! OMG, SHE DIDN'T!!!

Actually, I can well imagine it. Oh, Anne, Anne, Anne...