Explicit Content – Parental Advisory

In my honest opinion as an eclectic reader, the only thing about modern romance which makes it substantially different from other genres, and might take some getting used to, is the treatment of explicit sex. And I insist on the treatment. Before I started reading romance, I had read several non-romance books which contained graphic sex scenes; to name a couple off the top of my head: Annabelle, by Marie Laberge and Les jolies choses, by Virginie Despentes.

These two books are quite different, yet I feel that their use of sexual content represents a similar tendency, one which unfortunately dominates all non-romance literature. Talking sex sounds raw, realistic, dirty, rock’n'roll. Quite the convenient device when you’re very afraid of becoming cheesy, fluffy, corny and God knows what other horrors love and attraction between people have in store. While I do not at all mind raw, dirty or rock’n'roll, I often get tired of what seems to be a generalized fear of the happy, healthy sexual relationship. No wonder people now think of sex as being necessarily and merely a sensationalist tool.

Thank God, there’s modern romance! (Thinking of copyrighting this sentence. ) In modern romance, as opposed to all literature classics considered as romance or love stories, there is always at least one explicit sex scene. But unlike any other book’s sex, romance sex is always depicted in a positive light, like something beyond wonderful, with benefits only to be dreamt of. And before you go all har har (ie an unlikely mix of crudeness and embarrassment, like if I was showing you a sex tape) and imagine I’m only referring to the physical pleasure side of things, this includes emotions, self-image, self-confidence, all these things that have both all and nothing to do with sex.

Here is not the place, nor is today the time to explain why sex is insanely important and should never be relegated to second place in a relationship (wait for this entry, though). All I’m going to say is that modern romance is perhaps the only literary genre which consistently, fundamentally recognizes sex as something more than physical, would I dare say… more than sexual? Despite what some people may like to believe, and despite even certain authors possibly considering it this way, sex scenes in romance are not gratuitous extras meant to increase the appeal of a novel.* They’re an integral part of the story.

For me, modern romance is the official, too-long-awaited acknowledgement that there cannot be love without physical relations. This, I would argue, is even true for friendship, albeit in a different way. There cannot be love without physical acceptance, without physical commitment, without physical expression. Love is anything but a pure, spiritual thing. It’s a practical experience. Love is only one of these extreme occasions when you get to glance at a person’s inner truth. By all means: don’t avoid or miss it. Both in real life and on paper.

Bonus question: Guess which books the illustrations come from!

* Though if it can actually make more people curious to open a romance book, I’m all for it! Frankly, I’d much rather my future children learn about sex through modern romance than through low-quality, commercial porn.

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