By: Alexandria Goncalves
This article is for all our bookworms out there, namely those who harbour a text or two that we classify as “guilty pleasures.” These are often non-canonical, frivolous texts, infamous for their disposable plots and superficial characters—popular fiction, Y.A., and chick lit are a few genres that fall into this category. We tend to shy from telling people about these books because we feel like we are going to be judged for reading so-called low-brow literature. I’d like to share my own journey to self-acceptance with my guilty pleasure reads. While I may not be able to redeem popular fiction for you, I hope to highlight the main virtue of the genre—that we derive great pleasure from reading it.
Personally, I confess to relishing in the contemporary/erotic romance genre. No, that does not mean the Fifty Shades series, although the books similar to the ones I read. My favourite works of the genre boast a stronger storyline than E.L. James’ texts, which—admittedly—were my gateway books into romance. However, I do not refer to the likes of John Green and Nicholas Sparks. Still, I make no judgement to people who read sappy romance as I know how much they can make your heart swell with pure joy or cause you to use an entire box of tissues in one sitting. Those books are idealized and follow a standard formula but we enjoy them nonetheless.
In high school, I would bring my books to class and others would visibly glare at me in disgust. I never understood why until my friends revealed that I was perceived as reading “smut,” which was especially scandalous since I went to a conservative school. Surprisingly, I felt no shame whatsoever reading these books because they made me happy. I felt ecstatic being that one individual that didn’t stop reading the books I love just because it made others slightly uncomfortable.
In the few weeks, I’ve undertaken a personal project of observing how people reacted to different books I carried and even how I reacted on transit, at work, and at school. The TTC was the place where I frequently noticed people hiding their love for books. Someone on transit even wrapped their text in paper to hide the title! All I had to do was look over and start reading one of the pages she was on to realize that she was reading the notorious Fifty Shades of Grey.
Funnily enough, I caught myself using the “hide the book” tactic when I had an older woman sit beside me and I turned my book away so she couldn’t peek at it. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but later on it hit me that I was hiding my book and I shouldn’t be—after all, it was titled Cocky Bastard and that alone would make people glance over!
I also went around and spoke to many different individuals who would tell me they love to read sci-fi, historical, horror, and so many more different genres. I watched their faces redden as they divulged these guilty pleasure reads to me! My co-worker told me that she is embarrassed for reading John Green, even though his writing has become so popular within the last couple of years. Why should we feel bad for something we like so much? The answer is that we shouldn’t—if something brings us happiness there should be no guilt attached to it. I loved the thought of being able to jump into someone else’s saucy life and escape into the imaginary world even temporarily. Embrace these spectacular pieces of literature no matter what genre it is!