Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
I am curious to see that none of us has yet mentioned the sexism and racism implicit in this book (after having had a good go at Tarzan). The racism is no more than I would expect of the era, but the sexism is interesting...
Such a strong and independent female lead, and yet she falls for (and directly justifies doing so) the stereotypical macho male - one who even threatens ‘I shall carry you away and beat you black and blue!’ It was tongue-in-cheek, sort of, but still made me somewhat uncomfortable to read (especially as Anne was reported as "pleasurably excited" by these declarations of violence). I wonder how much was deliberate satire, and how much was merely a reflection of the times.
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gmw, I've been thinking upon these comments. I think there were hints about romance stories in the first few chapters so I wasn't surprised of the type of character that Anne would fall in love with (as if she were a character in those romance stories). I think it was probably a combination of both satire and the times. Ultimately they did seem to make a good match though and her life after marriage seems not stereotypical in gender roles, and she had the possibility of still being a fiery spirit with opportunity for adventures (especially since he was not interested in regaining his identity as an estate gentleman).
Anne was kind of a mixed bag in that she seemed to both belittle herself as a female with throwaway comments but then take charge fearless of the risk to her personal safety. Sir Eustace definitely made many derogatory remarks about women, but then in the next sentence he would admire Anne as an adversary. Of course, I think he saw himself superior to all - male or female.