It sounds odd, but I read the occasional romance novel as a guilty pleasure. Well, less pleasure than guilt, since they seem to be over-wrought. The writing, for the most part, isn't unreadable, but I find them dumbed down and repetitive. I know there's a formula, but even within it, it could be so much better than it is.
I've also been reading My Secret Life by Walter in fits and starts. It is little more than Victorian porn. It, too, suffers from a certain repetitiveness, but instead of being over-wrought, it's under-wrought.
Graphic language aside, it makes for an interesting comparison between the two. Romance novels are about innocent touches that make the heroine weak in the knees and wanton desire. My Secret Life cares not at all for the exploration of desire, only the satisfaction of it.
I guess one of the reasons I wanted to write a Victorian romance/porn was to find the balance between "His smile was confident, roguish, and enough to set my very flesh to flame" and "I fucked her three times before the dinner-hour, my prick or my finger was in her cunt for an hour and a half". A romance without being over-wrought and porn without being over-graphic...sounds like a challenge. :)
I've also been reading My Secret Life by Walter in fits and starts. It is little more than Victorian porn. It, too, suffers from a certain repetitiveness, but instead of being over-wrought, it's under-wrought.
Graphic language aside, it makes for an interesting comparison between the two. Romance novels are about innocent touches that make the heroine weak in the knees and wanton desire. My Secret Life cares not at all for the exploration of desire, only the satisfaction of it.
I guess one of the reasons I wanted to write a Victorian romance/porn was to find the balance between "His smile was confident, roguish, and enough to set my very flesh to flame" and "I fucked her three times before the dinner-hour, my prick or my finger was in her cunt for an hour and a half". A romance without being over-wrought and porn without being over-graphic...sounds like a challenge. :)