>>>And don't get me started on how those books stereotype Middle-Eastern love interests or how they always have to pair "ethnic" heroes with WASP heroines. <<<
But the targetted readers of those Harlequin 'romances' are WASP women, usually if not happilly then at least comfortably married to boring-but-dependable White men, who enjoy to fantasize about men who are everything their spouse is not: 'exotic', 'exciting' and 'dangerous'.
Now mind you, they enjoy a FANTASY, and they KNOW it's a fantasy. Like rape-fics - you know the kind, fanfics where the 'heroine' is raped but falls in love with her abuser because, well, fill in the gap - these kind of stories never reflect what the readers want in real life. People in general LIKE living 'boring' lives. 'May you life in interesting times' is a CURSE. 'Boring' lives are safe, but we humans enjoy the thrill of the illusion of danger. That's why we take rides in a roller-coaster and take bungee-jumps.
I suspect that 'Hush, Hush' is a similar kind of book. It offers its readers an illicit affair with someone who is 'forbidden', 'dangerous' and certainly not the kind of person the reader REALLY want to hang out with. The 'heroine' is a 'Nice Girl', one who gets A's and is a virgin for a reason; she reflects the targetted audience. The authority figures in the book are absent (parents) or else mocking the heroine/reader for being a virgin, as does her peers/best friend. This to give the reader permission to follow the author into the fantasy-thrill of forbidden, dangerous sex. This is also the reason why the female protagonist is always a dimwit and a victim; if she is a victim, she can't be hold responsible for the illicit sex, and thus the reader is absolved from feeling guilty enjoying the *fantasy* of forbidden sex.
These kind of fantasies usually only florish when life is very, very safe. Girls who life in neighbourhoods and countries where rape is a very real possiblity tend not to fantasize about being molested by 'dark, handsome men' (reason why the target-audience are middleclass WASP teenage girls).
I understand why these kind of books sell like hotcakes, why they are usually so illogical and unrealistic (they're not supposed to be), why the female protagonist is always a dimwitted victim and why the abuse in them is sold to the audience as 'romance'. What disturbs me is not the fact that these abuse/rape kink stories exist but that they have lost their 'guilty pleasure' status. People used to read Harlequin novels, KNEW they were trash, enjoyed them regardlessly (or maybe even more because they were considered trash) and own up having read them to their friends with a giggly, "oh, I spent the whole evening on the couch with one of those awful bodyrippers. You know, innocent maiden, dark and dangerous swashbuckling ne'er do well overpowering her and sweeping her to his lair.. That and a box of chocolates, giggle, giggle. Bliss!" Nowadays, trash like 'Twilight' and 'Hush, hush' is presented as good and wholesome YA lit!
Anyway, excuse my ranting! Better to have the same 'tude as Fascinating Aida in the following clip on writing bestsellers ("Stuff art, we'll be laughing all the way to the bank!")
no subject
But the targetted readers of those Harlequin 'romances' are WASP women, usually if not happilly then at least comfortably married to boring-but-dependable White men, who enjoy to fantasize about men who are everything their spouse is not: 'exotic', 'exciting' and 'dangerous'.
Now mind you, they enjoy a FANTASY, and they KNOW it's a fantasy. Like rape-fics - you know the kind, fanfics where the 'heroine' is raped but falls in love with her abuser because, well, fill in the gap - these kind of stories never reflect what the readers want in real life. People in general LIKE living 'boring' lives. 'May you life in interesting times' is a CURSE. 'Boring' lives are safe, but we humans enjoy the thrill of the illusion of danger. That's why we take rides in a roller-coaster and take bungee-jumps.
I suspect that 'Hush, Hush' is a similar kind of book. It offers its readers an illicit affair with someone who is 'forbidden', 'dangerous' and certainly not the kind of person the reader REALLY want to hang out with. The 'heroine' is a 'Nice Girl', one who gets A's and is a virgin for a reason; she reflects the targetted audience. The authority figures in the book are absent (parents) or else mocking the heroine/reader for being a virgin, as does her peers/best friend. This to give the reader permission to follow the author into the fantasy-thrill of forbidden, dangerous sex. This is also the reason why the female protagonist is always a dimwit and a victim; if she is a victim, she can't be hold responsible for the illicit sex, and thus the reader is absolved from feeling guilty enjoying the *fantasy* of forbidden sex.
These kind of fantasies usually only florish when life is very, very safe. Girls who life in neighbourhoods and countries where rape is a very real possiblity tend not to fantasize about being molested by 'dark, handsome men' (reason why the target-audience are middleclass WASP teenage girls).
I understand why these kind of books sell like hotcakes, why they are usually so illogical and unrealistic (they're not supposed to be), why the female protagonist is always a dimwitted victim and why the abuse in them is sold to the audience as 'romance'. What disturbs me is not the fact that these abuse/rape kink stories exist but that they have lost their 'guilty pleasure' status. People used to read Harlequin novels, KNEW they were trash, enjoyed them regardlessly (or maybe even more because they were considered trash) and own up having read them to their friends with a giggly, "oh, I spent the whole evening on the couch with one of those awful bodyrippers. You know, innocent maiden, dark and dangerous swashbuckling ne'er do well overpowering her and sweeping her to his lair.. That and a box of chocolates, giggle, giggle. Bliss!"
Nowadays, trash like 'Twilight' and 'Hush, hush' is presented as good and wholesome YA lit!
Anyway, excuse my ranting! Better to have the same 'tude as Fascinating Aida in the following clip on writing bestsellers ("Stuff art, we'll be laughing all the way to the bank!")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOt1Rz1InHo