Since Random House bought the rights to the trilogy in 2012, the series has sold well more than 100 million copies worldwide. Love it or despise it, American culture’s sexual fantasy of the moment is Fifty Shades of Grey. In culture, fantasy works like a mirror: It reflects who we are, but it also shapes what we become.
What is a fantasy? From Freud to Ludacris, it’s been an elusive idea, suggesting both an escape from reality and an expression of hidden desire.
