It's Getting Steamy in Here

Allow me to start by acknowledging the fact that most of us definitely pick up on the subject matter of this post when we're reading our English books.  Whether we talk about it or not, our ears perk up like little terriers whenever we stumble across that certain "steamy" section of the reading.  You know what I mean... you feel yourself losing focus while annotating... and just then... when you least expect it... WHOA. THIS JUST GOT SEXUAL.

Jillian

It's not as if this is a once in a while occurrence.  If you think back to every book we've read, there has been at least one or more passages dealing with the subject of sex or with sexual overtones:

1. Othello: "You rise to play, and go to bed to work" (2.1.14) - Check
2. The Namesake: Gogol's various girl friends and subsequent "encounters" - Check
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: McMurphy's prevelant sexuality - Check
4. Amsterdam: Page 12 quote - Check

So... what's the deal?  Why do all these writers (including Shakespeare, mind you) insist on including some allusion to sex or integrate it into the story?  Is it because they know English students will read their books and and want to create awkward moments in class discussion?  Is it because they thought the book was boring and needed some excitement?  Or maybe because it is such a touchy subject and it will make their book more "edgy."  Thinking with some maturity, I'd say these reasons are incorrect.  Rather, the authors feel that the topic of sex is just another part of life.  How characters deal with it reveals something about them, in one way or anther, just like any other subject could.  So, now that I really think about it, it shouldn't seem very unusual that the subject reappears in literature so often. But nonetheless, I'm not sure if we will ever be able to reach that day as teenagers where the awkward embarrassment we all feel when we read and discuss these sections will ever go away.  But it can't hurt to try I suppose.