Great Sex in Literature

Writing about sex can be a very hard thing to accomplish, not to pun anything. That is why an author that pulls off one heck of a sex scene is definitely worth praise. Now there are many different writing styles and therefore many different ways to describe an intimate encounter. There is the vulgar, borderline rape scene, the somewhat comical sex scene, and the two different perspectives from male to female.

To start off with, let's take a gander at one of Chuck Palahniuk's novels, Choke. Just to give a brief synopsis, this story is about a Victor character who chokes himself at high price places in order to get the pity charity from his rescuers. People often do enjoy being a hero, but rescuing a man from sirloin steak is no better than leaving him to choke on his own poverty as described in the letters he sends to keep in contact with such rescuers. Victor is quite the con-artist in everything he does.

The sex scene is downright hilarious. Victor attends church on certain nights, not to praise the Lord but to meet up with his sexaholic girlfriends. This is a fast-paced chapter when Victor is pulled into the ladies room and pinned down by Nico's hips as his inner monologue describes the best parts of attending a sexaholic seminar. The cliental is already aroused and the literature on avoiding addicting temptation is nothing more than a guide on how to seduce someone.

As Nico continues to lift and plop herself over Victor, we are given a brief tour of his life. We learn about his best friend and a bit about his mother. We also get insight into Victor's bitter outlook on women and that "until your mom dies it seems like all the other women in your life can never be more than just your mistress" (Palahniuk 15). This is definitely a funny montage of sexual performance, awkward dialogue, and the male's inner thoughts. Especially when the thoughts turn to postponing climax, "Ask any guy about his mom during sex, and you can delay the big blast forever" (Palahniuk 20).

Then there is Palahniuk's more boorish sex writing. His most recent book, Rant, portrays a rape scene that is written at a very gradual pace. The book is an oral biography of a man who was able to con a school into letting him leave early, determine the diet and mood of women by the taste of vaginal fluids, and unlocked the key to time travel. Though I do enjoy a good story of magical realism, at some parts Rant seemed to be a tad bit over extravagant, but what can you expect from Palahniuk?

I did enjoy the sex scene, though it is a terrifying act of violence, the writing style is superb. The rape is described by an Irene Casey, who becomes the protagonist's mother. Despite the blood and urine and pain that are depicted, which is a great list in itself since these biological discharges are rarely used in sexual writing, Irene describes the event in an almost romantic fashion. An example used from Irene's testimony, "every time I breathed out, he settled on top of me... Crushing my insides, smaller, until stars of light spun around in my eyes. In the blue silk sky" (Palahniuk 279). It's truly a thin line between pleasure and pain if someone is still able to describe the beauty of the sky.

Which brings me to the next author experienced in writing about sex, Bret Easton Ellis. This man's writing truly challenges the reader's tolerance for vulgarity. His well-known American Psycho portrays Patrick Bateman, an up and coming Wall Street rep during the 1980s in constant search for the next best restaurant. He obsessive over material items on a constant basis, describing his attire in intricate detail. He is the epitome of 80s materialism and over-spending capitalism.

He's also a psychopathic murderer. A misogynist sexist and a sadistic rapist. The scenes of sex and violence are near pornographic. However, pornography is typically defined as an attempt to arouse the reader. Though there are segments of pure sexual entertainment, the heart of the book centers around violence and thus does not necessarily mean that the book was intended to be pornographic. Just rude. Though I do mean that in a good way because there is an exhibitionist sense of intrigue one can get from reading this book.

The same goes for the sex scenes no matter how horrendous they become. I suppose to take an example is one of the first scenes between Pat Bateman and a couple of prostitutes. This simply starts out as a sort of man's fantasy come to life as Bateman describes the performance and positioning in graphic detail using certain c words and not leaving out a single organ in his detailed list.

This scene is devoid of any sort of violence, though it is quite aggressive, until the reader gets to the second coitus round. It occurs when the trio is awakened and Bateman is rejuvenated. At this point, nothing too graphic is described because there is a time lapse, in order to intensify the moment and to keep the reader begging for more. "An hour later I will impatiently lead them to the door, both of them dressed and sobbing, bleeding but well paid," (Ellis 176) is all that is really inferred during the second session of sex. As stated before, this leads the reader to crave what other sadist acts Bateman indulges in. And Ellis certainly does not disappoint.

But it's not only the men who can write one heck of a sex scene. Quite on the contrary. I would point out that Aimee Bender probably writes some of the best sexual encounters that I have ever read. She is definitely a favorite female author of mine and writes about various topics including magical realism, quirky situations, and definitely stories that can be viewed as a piece of feminism.

One of her most famous books, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, is a collection of short stories, typically including a female protagonist. One such protagonist is a librarian in the short story Quiet Please. The librarian had just discovered her father died and as such has an appetite for men. She propositions who are willing and gitty at the idea of fulfilling their librarian fantasies. The very beginning starts out with a sex-fest but it is the librarian that is telling the man what to do and how to please her. Each different man is blown away by her and one wants to marry her but as she explains "man, this is a one-shot deal. Thanks" (Bender 60).

Without going into too much detail this story gives power to the female lead. It is almost a reversal of the typical behaviors in sex. It is the woman that has a hunger for passionless sex and it is the woman that wants nothing to do with the person after she has had her fill. Call it feminism or call it fun, this story makes the reader not want to be quiet.