Guest Post: Bodice Rippers – the original dub-con?
by Paige Turner
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Scenes of dubious consent in erotic romance novels are a hot-button topic – a kink for some people, and a definite squick for others.
But let's face it, dubious consent scenes are nothing new in romance. The traditional (and rather dismissive) view of romance is the Barbara Cartland bodice-ripper. All steely-eyed heroes and manly embraces on one side, all heaving bosoms and swooning on the other. Although Barbara Cartland's later novels had little in the way of saucy scenes, her heroes were dominant and her heroines were virginal – and often had to be coerced or even forced into the hero's arms. Of course it was what they really wanted deep down and everyone lived happily ever after. But if that isn't dubious consent, I don't know what is.
I think the difference today is that we write dubious consent scenes with a little more self-awareness. We write dubious consent
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Scenes of dubious consent in erotic romance novels are a hot-button topic – a kink for some people, and a definite squick for others.
But let's face it, dubious consent scenes are nothing new in romance. The traditional (and rather dismissive) view of romance is the Barbara Cartland bodice-ripper. All steely-eyed heroes and manly embraces on one side, all heaving bosoms and swooning on the other. Although Barbara Cartland's later novels had little in the way of saucy scenes, her heroes were dominant and her heroines were virginal – and often had to be coerced or even forced into the hero's arms. Of course it was what they really wanted deep down and everyone lived happily ever after. But if that isn't dubious consent, I don't know what is.
I think the difference today is that we write dubious consent scenes with a little more self-awareness. We write dubious consent
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