Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site houxa.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxa!hok382 From: hok382@houxa.UUCP (P.CARSTENSEN) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: pornography Message-ID: <362@houxa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Feb-84 08:40:49 EST Article-I.D.: houxa.362 Posted: Fri Feb 17 08:40:49 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 02:06:34 EST Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 15 I heard on the radio a couple years ago, the really interesting comment that books like Harlequin romances and gothic thrillers were a form of feminine pornography...that is, the proper analogue of Playboy or whatever. This strikes me as correct, tho I have never had much luck explaining the idea convincingly. I only read gothic romances when I am on a junk-book binge that even cheap science-fiction won't satisfy, and, to be honest, I have never read a Harlequin romance, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but based on a small sample, where the meek innocent girl gets the handsome mysterious man (after he expresses his admiration for her by raping her) because she doesn't care about his numerous possessions but just wants to have his kids (there's always a rival that just wants his possessions, see) I've pretty much decided that reading such stuff encourages some attitudes in me that I've been working n years to get rid of.