Is Sex really necessary?

Use this forum to discuss the July 2020 Book of the month, "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.
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cameronleung
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Re: Is Sex really necessary?

Post by cameronleung »

I am also confused with the book's constant sex scenes. It makes sense that the expeditioners would want to have sex and reproduce because they're the only humans in Zona, but it didn't have to be so free and frequent. I was not fond of these instances especially since it seemed to affect the women more and sexualize them. I think many of these parts could have been included just to appeal to the audience that enjoys erotic content.
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Post by marcie_sheeraw »

It is human nature to have sexual urges and I think the author showed the true human nature. i would be lying if I said the sex scenes were unnecessary
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Post by Keotiee »

I don't think there was a necessity for sex in the book,but my opinion is... It was annoying because it made the book to be longer than necessary
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himawari333
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Post by himawari333 »

Sexual content isn't necessary to make good fiction. And it may well be that the writer included sexual content to attract readers, but we will never know that for sure. However, people often joke that children are conceived and born even during wartimes under the most terrible conditions, so it's not really an issue of possibility.
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Post by shirleym89 »

Human are sexual beings, so including sexual urges and encounters in the book helps readers to identify with certain aspects in the book.
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Post by Veraok »

In as much as I enjoyed reading the book, I felt the sex wasn't necessary. However I think the author was trying to portray Grant as human, hence the sex scene.
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Post by cturnerwill »

The author did a good job of correlating human behavior to "getting back to nature." He illustrated his character at the onset as obligated to the task with social boundries to ensure the success of the expedition. After several exhaustive consequences, the characters presented a greater need for dependency and less protective of their human frailty. Their cohabitating lifestyle created an environment naturally engaging of intimacy - the next stage in human relation. Grant brought to the scene, early in the book sexual relations and early in the expeditions; however, the other explorer engaged much later. I felt the sexual relations, as described by the author, were described in good taste.
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Post by streetsolo »

I think some of the best ways to include sex in stories is to show off character growth or a connection between two characters, but here I feel like it didn't really "meet its burden" and I didn't think it really fit in this context.
"Your progress flows from where your focus goes."
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Post by AbhyarnaAman »

Sushan wrote: 01 Jul 2020, 10:37 Despite all the dangers and the exhaustion from the expedition, Grant, the protagonist, finds time for sexual encounters.

Has the author depicted the true human nature? Or is this inclusion just to attract the readers who are fond of sexually explicit content? Is sexual content really necessary for fiction?
In my opinion the author has depicted human nature here. Exhaustion can not kill the satisfaction of the expedition. The protagonist can be inclined to sexual activity in such cases. I would also comment here that mentioning such encounters tend to attract some readers.
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Post by Lhammamy »

Overall, sex content always bothers my in fiction. I really dislike unnecessary erotic scenes and so in this book I found it distracting.
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Post by Saint Bruno »

Well, I understand that the book can still be enjoyed without the sex in it. But, it cannot be discarded in its entirety as I believe it is part of what makes the book alluring!
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Post by Budhal »

I think by showing sexual content, the author wanted to show the true human nature. Since Grant is a young man, he would definitely have those urges. But having said that I totally agree that the book would have survived without those scenes as well.
What isn't said is as important as what is said.
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Post by ohlendorfbe »

Frankly, I'm about 3/4 through this book, and I'm about to stop reading it because of all the sexual encounters. Even though it's not done graphically most of the time, the suggestion of all the sex going on among the explorers is just not necessary in my opinion. I do agree that that was part of the science fiction element, considering the theory of the pheromones or whatever it was that seemed to be affecting most of the people. But it was not necessary to depict so many different partners for each person. Whatever happened to sex being saved for marriage? Or at least for love! Is that completely out of the question now?
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Post by Swamp witch »

I would like to suggest that we have all been programmed into having a shock reaction to some degree or another regarding sex. No a book does not need sexual content, profanities are not needed also. But in real life, if we are not getting any we are talking about it to someone. I remember a local soap opera type t.v. series that ran for several years and sex was very much part of the story line. After quite some time I stopped reacting to it and took it as a natural norm to the situation and characters, and I do not believe that it was exaggerated in anyway in its frequency of occurrence. :oops:
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antilochos
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Post by antilochos »

I don't think it's necessary, but the inclusion of coitus isn't so bad. Readers who like reading erotic scenes will want to read this part, so that's probably why it is included.
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