The dust may have begun to settle in the blogosphere, but M. L. James's Fifty Shades of Gray novels continue to dominate the bestseller list, impervious to the literary outrage that greeted their remarkable success. In the wake of this phenomenon, LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory invites essays on literary works that flirt with, dabble in, or wholly embrace the pornographic. We are interested in scholarly engagements with the history, theory, and politics of pornography, as well as studies of the popularity, reception, censorship, and "literariness" of texts considered pornographic. We welcome essays on both canonical and lesser-known works, from John Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1748) to Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (1934) to, yes, Fifty Shades of Gray. LIT welcomes essays that are theoretically grounded but also engaging and accessible. Contributions should be from 5,000-10,000 words in length.

LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory publishes critical essays that employ engaging, coherent theoretical perspectives and provide original, close readings of texts. Because LIT addresses a general literate audience, we encourage essays unburdened by excessive theoretical jargon. We do not restrict the journal's scope to specific periods, genres, or critical paradigms. Submissions must use MLA citation style. Please email an electronic version of your essay (as an MS Word document), along with a 100 word abstract, to litjourn@yahoo.com.