tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348815.post4098932033831137972..comments2024-03-28T01:04:21.897-06:00Comments on Gossamer Obsessions: Corny Cliche Hatefest: Part DeuxAnimeJunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18229748454410488167noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348815.post-53324421833673869842008-12-29T19:48:00.000-07:002008-12-29T19:48:00.000-07:00Anonymous - I love Julia Quinn precisely because s...Anonymous - I love Julia Quinn precisely because she doesn't feel the need to pack the cliches in with a shoehorn to create believable drama - there's just enough magic and fantasy, without it straining credulity. I haven't read "Romancing Mr Bridgerton," but I plan to.<BR/><BR/>Ana --> I do get the whole romance is an escape thing, and I also believe it needs some realism and at least internal consistency (it can break laws of physics and biology so long as it sticks to its own rules) so that the fantasy and escape can be ACCESSIBLE. Myself, I can't totally get into a story where one Greek Statue falls in love with another Greek statue. <BR/><BR/>Maybe this comes from us being readers of fantasy as well as romance - where (yes, Virginia), even the wizards and the spells and the demons operate according to some rules if not to ours. <BR/><BR/>The villainous villain I hate, too - the one who's evil for no reason. The one who's not satisfied with stealing the heroine's money, but has to kick puppies and be kinky. That's a clunker for me - the villain who's a corkscrew in the bedroom. How, exactly, does kinky = EEEEVIL? If I ever find myself in a romance novel, remind me not to trust the man with harnesses attached to his bedroom ceiling - a sure sign that he kicks puppies. <BR/><BR/>Evil mistresses can be awful, too - but that's the thing. It's not only about the cliches. All cliches, when written well, I don't notice. When it makes sense to the drama and flow of the storyline. In the evil mistress case, I have at least two examples where I didn't mind: "The Price of Desire" by Jo Goodman, because the mistress was part of the mystery, and "The Runaway Duke" by Julie Ann Long, where the crazy mistress was eeevil but FABULOUS and nuanced.<BR/><BR/>I guess that's the ultimate thing about cliches - when someone writes a well-plotted story with realistic drama and one of the plot points just happens to be a familiar idea, that's fine. I think the bad and noticeable cliches happen when authors put them in and use them as a crutch for the express purpose of creating drama instead of doing it themselves with better writing.AnimeJunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18229748454410488167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348815.post-86477430333542553292008-12-29T15:32:00.000-07:002008-12-29T15:32:00.000-07:00Again, very interesting article. It is amazing - b...Again, very interesting article. It is amazing - but all of these seem to be romance tropes: you know, the norm. <BR/><BR/>I don't mind the Too Beautiful people in romance (Thea does, it is one of the things she moans about when she is reading romance "why must they be the best at everything" LOL) but I do mind the sexual cliches like for example, the virgins that have multiple orgams. Is that really realistic - it is really realistic to have Regencies virgins knowing what to do by instinct ? No, it is not. However, isn't it all part of what most people look for when reading romance: the escape?<BR/><BR/>I don't know - I love romance, it is the genre I read the most, my top 10 of 2008 has more romance than any other genre. Yet, I find myself being more and more critical of the genre. There are things I simply can not take. Other cliches that I hate - the villanous villain. The scorned, crazy former mistress. and the need to add too many secondary plotlines.....I want my romance to be GOOD. Is it too much to ask?<BR/><BR/>Gosh, how I digressed.Anahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17051732778079285105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348815.post-29455866202470825152008-12-27T08:17:00.000-07:002008-12-27T08:17:00.000-07:00This is why I adore "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton" by ...This is why I adore "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton" by Julia Quinn. Yes the hero is considered attractive by the ton, but he tends to get blurred in with his siblings and numbered or called a simple charmer. And the heroine is not a devastatingly gorgeous lady, she's not considered a 'beauty by any stretch' but the hero sees her lovliness and attractiveness over time as he falls for her and sees her wittiness. <BR/> And there's none of that no means yes shit and she actually has no idea what to expect when they hit the sheets.<BR/> I kinda rank it as my favorite romance novel currently.<BR/> And thanks for the review of To Sin with a Stranger. I was thinking of picking it up maybe but seeing as its full of that crap? Pass.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com