discussion

1. In the article I assigned for you to read, “Are Feminism and Romance Novels Mutually Exclusive?: A Quickie with Kay Mussell,” Mussell says,

“More difficult to illustrate, but I think equally important, is the change in feminist thinking itself. Twenty or so years ago [she’s talking about the mid-1970s], when academic feminists first became interested in the romance genre there was wider agreement among feminists themselves on what the feminist agenda should be–and conventional romantic relationships, widely assumed to be discriminatory toward women, were not part of it. Thus romances were seen as threatening to female autonomy.”

Describe a scene in The Duke and I that an early feminist (as described above–those that rose up during the second wave of feminism in the early 1970s) might view as discriminatory toward women and threatening to female autonomy. Be specific and quote from the text in your explanation.

2. Mussell goes on to say,

“But as feminism has matured–and as feminist scholars have come to recognize a broader range of female experience–some scholars have challenged those earlier notions in productive ways.”

Now discuss that same scene and defend it with a new and more mature feminist perspective.