Halloween Reads
A Goodreads user asked this question about Outlander (Outlander, #1):
why are people saying Outlander is a rape book?
Jean Cole SPOILER ALERT: No, not a rape book. But justifying domestic abuse? Absolutely. It almost seems as if some people don't understand what rape is. Yes, t…moreSPOILER ALERT: No, not a rape book. But justifying domestic abuse? Absolutely. It almost seems as if some people don't understand what rape is. Yes, there is lots and lots of sex in this book and yes, there is lots and lots of violence. And in one case there is what I would call "rough sex" but it is consensual rough sex. There is a huge difference between rape and rough consensual sex. There is only one incidence of actual rape and that is male on male -- perpetrated by the villain of the piece. The thing that horrified me was that there is an incidence of extreme domestic violence that is justified by the perpetrator and accepted by the recipient with this explanation: "I told you to stay in a particular place till I returned. You disobeyed me, and by disobeying me you put yourself and me and my men in danger. My father whipped me when I disobeyed but it was to teach me a lesson and I'm glad he did because it made me the man I am today. I had to whip you to impress upon you how important it is that you listen to me when I tell you to do something." He then makes a solemn vow never to lay a hand on her again and he keeps that vow for the rest of the book. I understand that in the context of clan warfare this probably makes sense. But in this day and age the idea that a woman should accept the explanation of "you misbehaved and I didn't want to do it but I had to and I'll never do it again" makes me shudder. This is precisely the explanation chronic domestic abusers use to keep their victims in line. Although I enjoyed the book for the most part, this justification of domestic abuse makes me really question whether I want to read the rest of the series. (less)
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Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)
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