Romance, indeed?
Dec. 14th, 2010 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailbheI was in the library today and looked at some of the books in the Romance section. I was pretty shocked. Even the ones without titles like "His Reluctant Mistress" or "Oh god no please no don't oh hang on I mean yes" (I made that one up) are creepy and horrible.
Of course, I thought of Pleasure Town is Invite Only, and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and Georgette Heyer, but I wondered what else there is. And whether books with sex scenes are always at least somewhat dreadful (I have read at least two, in my life, that weren't - possibly three) or some of them are worth reading anyway. Or, you know, improved by it, but I doubt that. I'm not at all sure that the sex scenes improved Fanny Hill, though they were, of course, necessary to the plot. However. I'm open to the idea.
I did notice that Chick Lit is apparently not Romance, but General Fiction, and filed accordingly, so perhaps Romance is secret library code for another word beginning in R. The librarian I spoke to said "You have to read the blurb, when you're putting jackets on, and -" *shudder* " - yeah, well." Then we had a brief conversation about Temeraire the dragon and the boat, and wondering which member of the royal family was locked up for epilepsy.
(I also learned that although my librarian did read after bedtime and stay up all night reading, she did not get into trouble for reading in school during lessons, so perhaps she and I aren't as similar as I thought. My fourth-class teacher gave me permission to read in class, though, when he learned that I was being bullied for always finishing my work first - reading under the table made it less noticeable that I was done).
Of course, I thought of Pleasure Town is Invite Only, and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and Georgette Heyer, but I wondered what else there is. And whether books with sex scenes are always at least somewhat dreadful (I have read at least two, in my life, that weren't - possibly three) or some of them are worth reading anyway. Or, you know, improved by it, but I doubt that. I'm not at all sure that the sex scenes improved Fanny Hill, though they were, of course, necessary to the plot. However. I'm open to the idea.
I did notice that Chick Lit is apparently not Romance, but General Fiction, and filed accordingly, so perhaps Romance is secret library code for another word beginning in R. The librarian I spoke to said "You have to read the blurb, when you're putting jackets on, and -" *shudder* " - yeah, well." Then we had a brief conversation about Temeraire the dragon and the boat, and wondering which member of the royal family was locked up for epilepsy.
(I also learned that although my librarian did read after bedtime and stay up all night reading, she did not get into trouble for reading in school during lessons, so perhaps she and I aren't as similar as I thought. My fourth-class teacher gave me permission to read in class, though, when he learned that I was being bullied for always finishing my work first - reading under the table made it less noticeable that I was done).
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 09:42 am (UTC)And I thought that Jane Austen was the pinnacle of Romance :-(
(Though "Oh god no please no don't oh hang on I mean yes" could almost describe Elizabeth Bennett's view of Darcy.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 10:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 12:09 am (UTC)I recommend Courtney Milan's Victorian romances; the modern sensibility doesn't always jibe perfectly with the historical setting, but they deal very well with serious issues like spousal abuse and mental illness.
Joanna Bourne's The Forbidden Rose, set in the French Revolution, is pretty ludicrous plot-wise, but the romance is AMAZING, mostly because of the heroine's exceedingly (but not excessively) French internal monologue.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 12:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 12:52 am (UTC)Is this a reference to The Lost Prince? Heartbreaking and wonderfully well done.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 02:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 03:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 08:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 08:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 09:20 am (UTC)Violet is reading "Devil's Cub" for English, and has surprised herself by liking it :)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 09:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 11:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 01:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 04:30 pm (UTC)I see you've already had Crusie recced. She's one of the few authors whose sex scenes actually work for me. I do prefer my romance novels to have sex scenes, but I'd rather fade to black than the ones were you feel the author is uncomfortable.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 07:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-15 07:26 pm (UTC)