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Books And Chat :: Romance - Including Contemporary, Historical :: Romance of all Kinds :: Old School romances

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Topic: Old School romances (Read 230 times)

cerulean
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Old School romances
« Thread Started on Jul 1, 2008, 1:13pm »

I was just reading a discussion on Smart Bitches about old school (aka "old skool") romances and the use of rape/nonconsensual sex between the hero and the heroine. I was trying to remember the romance books I used to read that used this and if I rememberd liking them, and whether I'd still be able to like them. Here are a few I could remember (or stole from Smart Bitches)

Kathleen Woodiwiss: the Wolf & the Dove, The Flame and the Flower
Johanna Lindsey’s Fires of Winter
Linda Howard's After the Night
Most Rosemary Rodgers

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loveswillow
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #1 on Jul 1, 2008, 7:18pm »

After the Night isn't so much non-consensual? sex as it is make up sex. Even the bathroom scene, which rocks!, is pretty much make up sex.

Maybe it would be better to phrase it as Relationship Adjustment Sex.

I recently re-read the Wolf and the Dove. It still moves me.

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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #2 on Jul 1, 2008, 7:59pm »

Oh man, I used to love Rosemary Rodgers' books. I still have the Steve/Jenny series.

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cerulean
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #3 on Jul 1, 2008, 9:27pm »

I haven't re-read any of these in a long time, so I can hardly remember

The one I definitely remember was The Flame and the Flower, though - definitely rape there. The "hero" mistakes the heroine for a prostitute and forces her to have sex with him on his ship. It's all pretty straightforward ... although I wasn't really aware of it when I read it as a teen. Now, though, wow - it's definitely unambiguous.

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cerulean
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #4 on Jun 1, 2009, 1:40pm »

I'm in the midst of reading Beyond Heaving Bosoms and the Smart Bitches/Trashy Romance discuss this at length in very funny, yet insightful ways.

Here they're talking about how being a virgin makes the rapist/hero realize that he did something wrong - because if she wasn't a virgin, then she was certainly asking for it. It's on p. 46-47.

The hymen, however, provides proof of the heroine's purity and allows her to hold her head high despite the slings and arrows of outrageous misunderstandings, and should the hero choose to divest the heroine of her virginity via rape, not only does her hymen prove him wrong, it can actually inspire regret - possibly even contrition.

The postrape regret hangover brings up a rather sticky question: How does a hero adequately express the regret and sorry raging through his brest? It is, at the very least, a tremendously awkward situation. Well, wonder no longer! Behold our new Smart Bitch line of "Holy Crap, I Raped a Virgin!" greeting cards. With sentiments like:
*"Sorry I raped you ... Again. And Again. And Again."
*"I thought you were a whore, not a real person ... please forgive me"
*Mom was an evil slut and I assumed you were, too ... but your hymen proved me wrong"

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loveswillow
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #5 on Jun 1, 2009, 11:33pm »

How about:

"Sorry I raped you! Will you marry me?"

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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #6 on Jun 1, 2009, 11:38pm »

Jul 1, 2008, 1:13pm, cerulean wrote:

The Wolf and the Dove = War Rape...not in the same category as modern rape. It is still rape, yes, I agree but both the time period and the circumstances of the story are less violent than modern rape lines.

The Flame and the Flower = definitely rape, but it is a part of the character growth. Even modern publishers would allow it.

After the Night = not rape but not consensual either... put me on the bathroom scene laugh riot wagon too! Is there a place between 'give me a chance to say yes or no' and rape? Cause that's pretty much where this one landed.

Rosemary Rodgers... never have liked her stuff

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cerulean
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #7 on Jun 3, 2009, 2:51pm »

Jun 1, 2009, 11:33pm, loveswillow wrote:

How about:

"Sorry I raped you! Will you marry me?"

Perfect! Actually, that sounds better than a couple of theirs!

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cerulean
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #8 on Sept 7, 2009, 5:45pm »

I picked up a box of very old romances from my mom's house a few weeks ago. It's a crate of mostly Johanna Lindsay books from way back, although it includes some Iris Johannson books and a couple others. I think these are the some of the first - if not actually the first - romance books I ever read. I re-read Captive Bride by Lindsay last week and ... wow. How utterly rape-tastic. Horrible. I can't believe I actually liked this book! The hero kidnaps the heroine after she wouldn't marry him after he totally bungles his proposal "I"ll give you lots of jewels if you marry me" and acts like a cad. The first night he graciously lets this 17-year-old heroine sleep but the second night he forces her to have sex, which she resists until passion sweeps her away. Until the next night, when he does it again. And again and again. These days this guy would be the villain, not the hero. I'm wondering if I should bother reading the others from that long ago ... but I suspect I won't be able to stop the feeling of time-travel.

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nutz4twilight
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #9 on Sept 24, 2009, 12:39pm »

I am going to have to start reading some of my Johanna Lindsey books that I have sitting around. I haven't read the book you are talking about cerulean so I think I will be grabbing that one and starting it soon. Then I guess I can give my thoughts on these books that you are talking about.

Is the Smart Bitches that you are talking about is that a web site or blog?
Thanks!!

« Last Edit: Sept 24, 2009, 12:39pm by nutz4twilight »

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darkmatron
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #10 on Sept 24, 2009, 3:15pm »

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php

Wonderful place, I almost always get a good laugh when I got there.

I read some Johanna Lindsey in my younger days, but I haven't picked anything up of hers in years. I do remember that many of them pushed the line in consent/rape though. No means no unless you kiss her until she says yes, even if the yes doesn't come until he comes?

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cerulean
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Re: Old School romances
« Reply #11 on Sept 30, 2009, 2:21pm »

LOL, Darkmatron!

And yes, it's a great blog. They also wrote a book, "Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance", which I found to be absolutely hilarious.

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