The fuss around 50 Shades of Grey has left me decidedly nonplussed. Apparently women are writing and reading erotic stories all of a sudden—NO WAY! Why hasn’t this happened before…oh wait, what’s that you say, women have been writing and reading erotica since the invention of the printing press? Ah. Nothing to see here then, move along please, move along.

Despite everyone rolling their eyes and saying, ‘duh’, there will no doubt be a continual bevvy of mainstream media stories this year on the ‘phenomenon’ that people actually enjoy reading about a little rough and tumble, a bit of slap and tickle, a smidgen of tea and crumpet…oh, you get the idea, vicar.