How Stimulating

Jean Gill/Getty Images

As the erotic novel by E. L. James continues to be a best-seller (and stir up controversy, with libraries in Florida, Wisconsin and Georgia banning the book), the writer herself admits that she had no idea that the story of an innocent virgin being seduced by an impassioned sexual dominant would become such a sensation. In fact, James has called Fifty Shades of Grey, which started out as Twilight fan fiction, her own "midlife crisis." But readers across America keep turning the pages, and the story will soon be made into a big-budget movie. So why are so many women who have never read erotica suddenly embracing the genre?

It's Like Romeo and Juliet…With Spanking

Fifty Shades is a non-intimidating read, especially for those who have read romance novels before. In terms of story and style, the novel isn't so different from your classic romance, which places a romantic conflict at the heart of the story from which the central characters can grow. Consider Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.