Reading and Readings
I just finished re-reading all of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, after reading two more of her spinoffs about Lord John Grey (one of the best homosexual male characters I've ever read-- particularly because being homosexual isn't his whole life-- you know, like a real person...) I love this series, by the way-- it suits as either light or heavy reading, depending on how much I want to think about the history and the moral dilemmas. And there's sex and costumes and violence and comedy. And men in kilts. And pirates and kings. I know I've written about this before, but I'm reminded all over again. Maybe more scientists should take up writing?
Actually, in general, this time-traveler romance turns a lot of romance-novel cliches on end... here's a short list:
* there is a forced marriage, but the groom is the virgin
* the male protagonist is raped early in the series
* homosexuals exist, other than as villains or as part of explicit sex scenes (Lord John does have sex, but not as a simple plot device)
* other variants exist, too, and are discussed in ways appropriate to the persons discussing them and their times
* someone's raped by a pirate, and he smells bad and is not in any way a nice person
* in fact, none of the rapes turn out with the victim liking the assailant
* also, even the protagonists often need a bath very badly
* the dirt, grime, disease, malnutrition, pervasive alcoholism and common wounds of the 18th century (from before Culloden through the American Revolutionary Era) are not ignored-- and are even sometimes compared with the hygienic and health problems of World War II theaters, and the prosperity and cleanliness of upper-class American living in the '60s
* an ultimately happy marriage is explored in detail, even after the husband and wife are in their late forties and all scarred up from their exciting lives
*on the other hand, the reality of 18th century marriages and the contemporary views of marriage and marriage law are also taken into consideration
* there are some mystic/religious/psychic experiences, but they are not allowed to take over the whole book - although I did find them a bit too frequent at one point in the series
* there are friendly Indians, and they are not idealized
And so on.
Actually, in general, this time-traveler romance turns a lot of romance-novel cliches on end... here's a short list:
* there is a forced marriage, but the groom is the virgin
* the male protagonist is raped early in the series
* homosexuals exist, other than as villains or as part of explicit sex scenes (Lord John does have sex, but not as a simple plot device)
* other variants exist, too, and are discussed in ways appropriate to the persons discussing them and their times
* someone's raped by a pirate, and he smells bad and is not in any way a nice person
* in fact, none of the rapes turn out with the victim liking the assailant
* also, even the protagonists often need a bath very badly
* the dirt, grime, disease, malnutrition, pervasive alcoholism and common wounds of the 18th century (from before Culloden through the American Revolutionary Era) are not ignored-- and are even sometimes compared with the hygienic and health problems of World War II theaters, and the prosperity and cleanliness of upper-class American living in the '60s
* an ultimately happy marriage is explored in detail, even after the husband and wife are in their late forties and all scarred up from their exciting lives
*on the other hand, the reality of 18th century marriages and the contemporary views of marriage and marriage law are also taken into consideration
* there are some mystic/religious/psychic experiences, but they are not allowed to take over the whole book - although I did find them a bit too frequent at one point in the series
* there are friendly Indians, and they are not idealized
And so on.