First paper is “Love in Outer Space: Science fiction romance—the ideal place to explore gender and love” by @DonnaMHanson (University of Canberra) #IASPR18
Donna is going through her definition and origins of SF romance. Two origins: SF (Bujold, Asaro, Spencer) and romance (Hackett, Sinclair and I missed the other one). #IASPR18
Warrior's Woman by Johanna Lindsey (1990) takes 7 chapters before the heroine meets the hero. Legislated on heroine's planet that you had to have sex by 25. She's a virgin bc she can't find a man who she can't beat up (not worthy). #IASPR18
On Barbarian World by Anna Hackett is shorter with a less complex build-up. We meet the hero on chapter 2, h/h meet on chapter 3. #IASPR18
Both books have a similar synopsis: Woman from a technologically advanced culture lands on an alien world and meets a warrior/barbarian from an alien culture and has a relationship and interacts with the rules and restrictions of that culture. #IASPR18
Hero archetype: BIG with muscles, alien/humanoid, very patriarchal, honourable, courageous, arrogant, capability, position of authority, gentle, soft, sexy, in love with heroine. #IASPR18
Donna has found a way to include a slide filled with bare-chested warriors. I applaud this decision. #IASPR18
Heroine archetype: intelligent, physically fit, ... the slide was too quick! 😭 #IASPR18
Consent: In Warrior's Woman, no obvert consent, but the heroine is keen. In On Barbarian World, there's a more explicit consent. #IASPR18
Conclusions:
Space warrior/barbarian tropes similar to other barbarian warrior tropes wrt hero
Heroine not passive and is either physically or mentally strong
Both included consent, but the more recently published book featured explicit consent
#IASPR18
Space warrior/barbarian tropes similar to other barbarian warrior tropes wrt hero
Heroine not passive and is either physically or mentally strong
Both included consent, but the more recently published book featured explicit consent
#IASPR18
Q on whether culture of hero permits lack of consent. Donna: In these books, hero is very protective and in the more recent one, the hero has to deal with another male character who rapes a woman. #IASPR18
Q on whether heroes stand out among other men in their society. Donna: Yes in that they're the strongest, etc. But meet cute is opportunistic rather than due to the hero's position (ie he didn't *win* the heroine because he was the alpha male). #IASPR18
Q on whether the books have strong sf themes. Donna: Hackett used more elements of technology and scientific themes. Linsdey had stronger feminist themes, negotiating the patriarchal society of the hero, looks more at social setting. #IASPR18
Q on how physical equality. Does he always win? Donna: Physical contest mainly in Warrior's Woman. Heroine is an assassin but in their first encounter, her heart wasn't in it. She *could* if she wanted to. #IASPR18
Q on HEA. Donna: If no HEA, she would not consider it romance. Could be a series in the same vein as urban fantasy, but to consider it romance she would expect the book to have an HEA. #IASPR18
Next paper is “Representations of Otherness in Paranormal Romance: Nalini Singh and J.R. Ward” by María T. Ramos-García (South Dakota State University) #IASPR18
Paranormal romance represents the racial other in two ways: metaphorical (the monsters) and literal (human racial diversity). #IASPR18
eg Sookie Steakhouse in which hate of vampires is likened to homophobia. Slide graphic: "God hates fangs". #IASPR18
Variation within the genre: different worlds and representations, diversity of authors, complexity of monsters, opposition between progressive and regressive authors and texts. #IASPR18
Amanda Hobson talks about the "consistent whitewashing" of vampires.
But this isn't as clear cut when you look at the reality of the genre.
Maria provides caveat around scope. She looks at BDB series by JR Ward and Psy-Changeling series by Nailing Singh.
#IASPR18
But this isn't as clear cut when you look at the reality of the genre.
Maria provides caveat around scope. She looks at BDB series by JR Ward and Psy-Changeling series by Nailing Singh.
#IASPR18
BDB vampires: don't consume human blood, obscenely and conspicuously rich, "old country" clearly European, unambiguously white. Heroine in Dark Lover is almost raped by an all-American boy who will lose pigmentation to become albino. #IASPR18
Hobson: Series is problematic, perfumes in Blackface. Maria: Slang of the characters is not black slang. Their masculinity can compared with Hells Angels MC. #IASPR18
I'm not 100% sure but I think Maria is quoting from Mary Bly's analysis of Dark Lover, but I could be wrong so please fact check me. #IASPR18
Maria looks at art interpretations of BDB characters. Compare US and UK covers of The Shadows - in the UK cover, the hero is very clearly black. #IASPR18
Maria is going through the character/species types in the BDB world. Gonna interrupt my live tweeting to plug @my_lheage's fabulous BDB cheat sheets on the blog: bookthingo.com.au/black-dagger-b… #IASPR18
Doggen (servant class of vampires) slide has a graphic of Dobby from Harry Potter. No doggen love story has been implied so far. #IASPR18
Ward's books are problematic, but this series also features the first same sex couple in mainstream paranormal romance. Different categories of diversity can intersect in complex and contradictory ways. #IASPR18
We're moving to Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling books. Types of characters: psy, changeling, other humans. They exist globally. #IASPR18
Hobson: No character, thus far, has been described as black or as African-American in descent though many characters have a racially mixed background. Maria: This represents a very US-centric view. #IASPR18
Jayashree Kamble: Inclusion of interracial couples counters the narrative of white reproduction that lies within the (modern) romance genre. << ME: OMG #IASPR18
The Sheikh Novel by Amira Jarmakandi: story of how heroine comes to desire the desert sheikh turns out to symbolise how desire functions as an engine for contemporary US imperialism. #IASPR18
Maria is talking about technology as a symbol of US imperialism. But also I'm continually amazed at the nuances in Nalini Singh's writing. #IASPR18
I have to leave this session early to record a podcast. Please follow @JodiMcA & @PopFicDoctors for the next 2 papers! #IASPR18
