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Women, Romance Novels and Shame

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Submitted By MacEH
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Women, Romance Novels and Shame

Mac H
English Composition 111

22 March 2013
Introduction

“Bodice-ripper”, “trashy books”, “porn for women”, these are just some of the derogatory terms used to describe romance novels. The romance genre has maintained a steady popularity among women for many decades. Afraid of women gaining power in any form, they were labeled sub par literature by a male dominated social and literary culture. This anthology will attempt to answer the question of why women who read romance novels are ashamed of their choice or reading material and why these books are vilified in the literary world. Previous generations established a woman’s place as a mother and homemaker no matter her social status. This fear of women wielding more knowledge and power through reading was born because the women depicted in romance novels were independent and free of the sexual, social, and financial constraints that a patriarchal society placed on them. Although romance novels do not come to mind when literature is discussed, if you listen carefully you will realize they are actually the subtle battle cry of the feminist movement. Romance novels fly high the flag of feminism; they are the drumbeat swelling the dynamic purposefulness of women who read them. Nevertheless, the genre is covered in a layer of disdain and scorn and women are made to feel ashamed of reading such literature. The stigma attached to these books suggest that anyone who reads them is not very smart nor do they have aspirations. Most romance readers try to avoid the experience of shame and embarrassment at being connected to that stereotypical image of patrons of this genre. The covers of the books are hidden so no one will see what is being read and connect the reader to the reputation the genre has unfairly earned. A reputation that says if you are a consumer of

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