04-05-2009, 12:31 PM
Call me a prude, but I do not believe that sex should be included in traditional Gothic romances or Regency romances. I read Regencies because they are historical and sometimes they do have some Gothic elements. However, I am finding that many of today's authors feel that the public demands erotic scenes. There is definitely a market for such, but if they feel they must write sex into their stories, they should consider the historical context. Women in those historical periods would not be well-regarded if they engaged in extramarital sex.
There is a time and place for sex. I quite expect to find it amongst the modern-day chick-lit romance fiction, though some authors have the good taste to leave it behind closed doors. There are subgenres of fiction nowadays that perfectly fitting for sex - such as Erotica. I know that many vampire Gothics also have sex, but again, those are not my "traditional" gothic romances.
If an author sets out to write one of those traditional Gothic romances, I hope that he/she will leave out the sex and concentrate on plotting a good gothic story. Make me feel the danger, the fear, the uncertainty. I don't know how other readers on this forum feel, but this reader would like a return to the old traditional gothic.
There is a time and place for sex. I quite expect to find it amongst the modern-day chick-lit romance fiction, though some authors have the good taste to leave it behind closed doors. There are subgenres of fiction nowadays that perfectly fitting for sex - such as Erotica. I know that many vampire Gothics also have sex, but again, those are not my "traditional" gothic romances.
If an author sets out to write one of those traditional Gothic romances, I hope that he/she will leave out the sex and concentrate on plotting a good gothic story. Make me feel the danger, the fear, the uncertainty. I don't know how other readers on this forum feel, but this reader would like a return to the old traditional gothic.