In Defense of Lord Dirk Mightywood and Lady Chestina Voluptua
Mar 28 '00 (Updated Aug 25 '00)
First, a warning:
Don’t read this if you are
1. Under the age of 18
2. Offended by frank discussions of sexuality
3. My mother
That said, on to the topic at hand. Just when I think I can no longer be startled by a category in epinions, I find this: “Bodice Rippers”. And the question posed is: are they degrading to women?
Let me just say that romance novels are horrible, evil devices written to take advantage of lovelorn, frustrated women who sit around all day eating Twinkies (wink, wink), sighing with loneliness, being brainwashed by the overt sexism and degradation inherent in these awful books – What? What’s that on my bookshelf, hidden discreetly underneath "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"? Well, the cover says “Love’s Wild Fury”, but let me assure you, it’s NOT what it looks like. Ok, it’s my neighbor’s – er – my sister’s book. She left it here last week, and while my first instinct was to burn it, I kept it because – What? What about those dozen or so paperbacks by Katerina L’Orgasma in the bag under my desk!? Well … never mind that right now! Back to the topic…
Let me say that I find the term “bodice ripper” more offensive than most of the literature categorized under it. I prefer the term “Trashy Romance”, thank you, or even “Bodice Buster” has a better ring to it. (At least it implies the woman is busting out on her own, so to speak, of her own free will, not that someone is ripping her top off.) And what constitutes a Bodice Buster anyway? Some might say that just about any historical romance – with the exception of the puritanical regencies – qualifies. Any mass market with that kind of cover; you know, the covers with a heaving, wild-haired nymph (resourceful nymphs who, judging by the cover, can find eye shadow and lash curlers even in medieval England or fifth century Norway) popping out of a period costume while pressed against a taller, bare-chested bohunk with a chin like a horse and cement pecs. Of course, nowadays the cover picture is often found inside a plain, rather respectable front cover, that only hints at the intellectual suicide inside. (So that not everyone on the bus/plane/train has to know that you read THAT sort of book.)
Ok, it’s confession time. Since my secret is out anyway, I honestly feel that some of these historical romances are, dare I say it, decent books. (gasp!) Yes, it’s true. Romance novels, like mysteries, rely on formula to succeed: two lovers overcome various obstacles to live happily ever after. Sometimes these obstacles include plot devices that could indeed be disturbing if examined too closely (any book with “Captive” in the title is usually a warning of this), but the same could be true of so many things meant as lighthearted, formula entertainment. Imagine what the standard historical romance would become if stripped (pardon the pun) of all potentially degrading or remotely sexist elements: the answer? Incredibly boring. You may as well take all the violence out of James Bond.
Don’t mistake me, I do not like books that depict rape or violence as sexual elements; they are anything but sexy in my opinion. But many historical romances – in my experience anyway – are not like that. An increasing number of them are written by modern, intelligent authors who reject the old stereotypes and are aware that most readers do not want extreme violence in their romance novels. Yes, we want passion, we want wildness, we want villains we can love to hate, and we want some danger and threats that makes the lovers realize how precious the other really is. A good bodice buster delivers on this without degrading women - or men, for that matter - and is just good, clean – well, just good fun.
Why? Because, the bottom line is, they are fun to read as long as you don’t take them too seriously. After all, it’s not every day in real life we can act like the wild people in these books, so these stories allow us to revel in romance vicariously without any of the risks or practical limitations of reality. This is the reason that more romance novels are sold than any other genre of paperback. Yes, you read correctly, in case you didn’t already know it, romances are THE most popular type of book in the world. Which makes me wonder sometimes if any men ever read them …
So all you other closet bodice-whatever readers, speak out and stop being ashamed. What is wrong with passionate romance anyway? Shouldn’t it be celebrated? I think so. Now I have a bit of Roman history to catch up on …
Happy reading!
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Epinions.com ID:
ebolles
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Member: Elizabeth
Location: 420 17' N 710 25' W
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 203 members
About Me:
Aspiring novelist who enjoys harassing fish, taking blurry underwater photos and self-medicating with chocolate.
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