I'll have to admit my comments will largely qualify as an uninformed opinion, because I refuse to read it. I ventured a cautious peek in the bookstore just because I was morbidly curious. Not only is it porn, as far as I could tell it's poorly written porn. And it's a runaway success?
I'm not 100% against sex in novels. It happens between characters and is often integral to the plot, but there are artful ways to imply it, gloss over it, etc. It's about knowing what to describe and when to cut the scene. If the book is so much about sex that there is no other plot, it doesn't have much chance of being an edifying read. In short, the wild popularity of books like "Fifty Shades of Grey" are disturbing to me as a Catholic and insulting to me as a writer.
Fortunately, the Church is prepared for these kinds of things. I'm pretty sure they didn't have pulp fiction in mind when they wrote this prayer, but it will do just fine.
A PRAYER FOR THE PRINTING OF GOOD BOOKS
O glorious Apostle of the Gentiles, Saint Paul, who with such zeal didst busy thyself in destroying at Ephesus those books which thou knewest well would have perverted the minds of the faithful: turn upon us thy gracious eyes also at this present day. Thou seest how an unbelieving and licentious press is attempting to rob our hearts of the precious treasure of faith and spotless morals. enlighten, we beseech Thee, O holy Apostle, the minds of so many perverted writers, that they may cease once for all to do harm to souls with their evil doctrines and lying insinuations; move their hearts to hate the evil that they have done and are doing to the chosen flock of Jesus Christ. For us, too, obtain the grace of being ever docile to the voice of the Supreme Pontiff, that we may never allow ourselves to indulge in the reading of bad books, but may seek instead to read and, so far as it is given to us, to diffuse those books which by their salutary doctrine shall assist all of us to promote the greater glory of God, the exaltation of His Church and the salvation of souls. Amen.
This (and other reasons quite inappropriate to post, perhaps even to entertain in one's mind) is why I decided to write my own stories. The plan had lain dormant for years until it germinated in 2007... and now I have five books - self-published via the "on demand" method. I believe them to be Catholic in both the lower and upper case senses... time will tell.
ReplyDeleteSee http://DeBellisStellarum.blogspot.com if you are curious.
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