Both romance and anti-romance have connotations of triviality and low-brow culture, reducing women to simplistic figures to indulge in. Yet for all their critical analysis, it seems difficult to determine which genre is more sexist. This question can be approached with reference to the author's intention, but, as Edward Said claims, "the reader participates fully in the production of meaning, being obliged, as a moral thing, to act, to produce of meaning,” which indicates that the two genres operate ideologically only to the extent that the reader interpolates it. This essay will examine the theory that such readings of sexism depend on how the novels are received, using the idea of ​​ethnographic consideration to investigate this question. I will divide the reception of these genres between passive pleasure readers and ironic or critical readers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Spellbound and The Stud illustrate the varied potential readings of the two genres. Both are primarily intended for quick consumption by mass audiences and are what Snitow describes as an "easy-to-read pablum". Certainly, today's commodity culture has produced a certain depth, reflecting Adorno and Horkheimer's theory that the culture industry produces pseudo-individualized commodities intended for passive consumption during leisure. Romances are more obviously susceptible to condemnation by feminist critics because of their female characters relying on men for fulfillment. Spellbound in particular can be thus condemned because of its references to medieval times – an almost nostalgic allusion to a patriarchal period in which women had a stricter and more subservient role in romantic relationships. However, this essay will examine the argument that the anti-novel, despite its supposedly empowering message for women, is also sexist in its depiction of how women gain and maintain such power. Clearly, anti-novel novels (The Stud being a particularly relevant example novel due to its male and female narrative perspectives) are capable of altering Laura Mulvey's idea of ​​the domination of the male gaze and the objectification of women. women in art. Although seemingly empowering for women previously subject to the gaze (as Bryna is in Spellbound from the male narrative point of view and is the object of both male characters' desires), it is clear throughout The Stud that the gaze is apparently celebrity appropriate. figure, meaning that both women and men are always objectified. In fact, both Bryna and Fontaine enjoy the male gaze, although the former is for marital monogamy and the latter is for power. Yet both exhibit traits of sexism, as romance dictates women to center their lives around finding a husband, while anti-romances make it seem like identity is directly tied to appearance, indicating that women remain under superficial scrutiny in the modern world. Certainly, Tony criticizes the fact that Fontaine is "a little lacking in the breasts and buttocks" even as she gives in to his dominance, suggesting that the male gaze will remain even with the woman's new status. Stud reduces the woman's action to a superficial display of material prosperity. Yet, women's skills in consumerism and celebrity image prove lucrative in the context of this contemporary world and act as asource of economic power. This differs from the domestic sphere of female sentimentality; Compared to the sentimentalism and domestic traditions of the 19th century, the sex and shopping novel permeates the convention of male writing representing public and rational social criticism, rather than relying on the domestic and emotional commentary in which the Women were considered to be concerned only with maternal and domestic issues. aspirations. Through this genre, women are now positioned within consumer culture rather than relegated solely to the domestic domain. This can be seen as a new empowering position for women, as not only does it place them in the public and commercial sphere of consumerism, but it also describes the masculine narrative of ambition and economic mobility. In addition to the massive emergence of a commercial culture, the anti-novel rewrites the story of the American dream, appropriating the contemporary capacity of women to live the story of a self-taught woman, thus refuting traditional representations of women. But through this, characters like Fontaine display essentially masculine characteristics of ambition, but also of hedonism, excess, narcissism and the search for immediate gratification. The Stud also depicts a dependence on men as well as immorality and exploitation when it comes to how women achieve wealth. This could be interpreted, as Felski sees it, as “a repair of past inequalities”, offering women the opportunity to dominate, in their own way. Alternatively, we can consider criticisms directed at men in patriarchal society as hypocritical, denoting the harmful effects of such a representation of women which encourages the use of sexuality and appearance to access economic and social mobility . Furthermore, this representation retains the idea that women lack intellectual depth, and even this reliance on social manipulation and sexual exploitation is unstable; for example, Fontaine's husband, who depends on the funding and prestige behind his extravagant lifestyle, leaves her. To this extent, the novel depicts the idea that women must still sacrifice a part of themselves to succeed, just as Bryna sacrifices her entire life for Calen. In this circle of celebrities, it remains socially unacceptable to have a husband who is not considered respectable. Furthermore, the consumption of commodities presents an opportunity for fulfillment, illustrating how women are seduced by material wealth, just as heroines of romance are seduced by men. For example, Fontaine reconciles with Benjamin because she simply must have the fur coat she wants him to buy her to impress those around her. Thus, the sex and shopping novel applies constraints and social pressures similar to those of patriarchal society, and arguably constraints more severe than the world of romances like Spellbound, whose female protagonist has at least the potential to a compassionate relationship. Nevertheless, Kay Mussell notes that romance novels fail to "develop mature and triumphant models for female life beyond marriage, motherhood, and womanhood", just as The Stud fails to develop models for female life beyond consumer and celebrity culture. It is therefore obvious that both genders impose constraints on women. In his article, Régis writes that “the authors of canonical novels used [the novel form] to free their heroines from the barrier and free them from the choice of their hero”. Emphasis is placed throughout the article on thewomen's free choice, but novels such as Spellbound establish the hegemonic ideology of monogamous marriage and the vital need to find a man to complete one's life, and thus refuse to offer other options for female fulfillment. Douglas corroborates this, arguing that courtship in romance novels is reduced to "a coupling in the primitive and cautious modes of animal mating", thus providing limited horizons for women. According to Modleski, romances encourage the reader "to actively participate in and desire the feminine self." -betrayal', because in fact Bryna waits and relies on Calen for a thousand years without any question of this commitment being asked of the reader. On the other hand, an important aspect of novels about sex and shopping such as The Stud focuses on the idea that women can enjoy sex for free without shame, but in doing so it denies any emotional connection and reduces it to hedonistic insignificance. Thus, both representations are limited in representing female development. Additionally, the lack of depth and complexity in the writing style of both texts further indicates a lack of intelligence as a vehicle for women, both in terms of the characters presented and the metatextual concept of popular fiction associations . In The Stud, the emphasis on glamor and materiality serves to highlight the maintenance of women's femininity within a masculine role of domination and economic autonomy. However, for a critical reader rather than for pleasure, this may describe the postmodern view of the social construction of gender, drawing on Judith Butler's theories on the performativity of gender as a social construction. To this extent, the overtly camp aesthetic of the novel's lifestyle and characters constitutes a form of ironic resistance to hegemonic gender roles. Andrew Ross argues that in the presentation of camp, the exaggeration of characterization works to undermine and challenge the accepted normality of essentialist gender roles, relating to Robertson's ideas on gender parody as a means of critique. Considering this, one might turn to the Brechtian technique of verfrumdungseffekt, in that the exaggerated characterization of the camp aesthetic alienates the audience in order to give them a detached judgment on dominant gender roles. However, with ethnographic consideration, it is clear that the majority of the anti-romance audience are passive, pleasure readers, meaning it must be assumed that most would not read this in depth. As Robertson points out, “camp is a reading/viewing practice that, by definition, is not accessible to all readers; for there to be a true camp spectator, there must be another hyperbolic spectator who looks at the object “normally”. This once again confirms the idea of ​​an audience divided between Adorno's idea of ​​"passive dupes" and critical readers. Additionally, as a part of popular culture, one should not necessarily read such a text from a sociopolitical perspective. Indeed, Susan Sontag notes that the constructed and stylized manner of the camp aesthetic, by its very nature, is apolitical, the problem being its utter frivolity and not its capacity to criticize. It is certainly difficult to read such a text as serious social criticism, especially when considering the authors. The celebrity and homology of the authors, exemplified by Jackie Collins and Nora Roberts, provide evidence that their novels are a celebration rather than a critique of this lifestyle and position of women. Certainly, novels about sex and shopping almost instruct the reader about social mobility within the lifestyle of the rich and wealthy.celebrities, and the intertextual evidence of the authors' own celebrity depicts encouragement for the values ​​displayed in the novels. For example, Collins socializes within circles of real-life celebrities and makes a living by revealing secrets to the public on chat shows and online forums. This indicates a voyeuristic fascination rather than a distanced critique; it seems to aim for readers to live out their fantasies through the characters. This festive representation seems to endorse a new definition of femininity, even if this definition still includes engendered roles, to the extent that men are necessary to finance women and provide them with status. In order to determine the effects of such representations, it is necessary to evaluate ethnographically how these texts are received. The Stud and Spellbound both represent legendary genres that feature exceptional and extraordinary heroines. The pleasure here is to contemplate this extraordinary femininity and therefore does not denote a commentary on social reality. Indeed, this follows Robertson’s logic of the “pleasure of the masquerade,” removed from reality. According to Adorno and Horkheimer, readers of novels and anti-novels "seek novelty, but the tension and boredom associated with real work lead them to avoid effort during that leisure time which offers the only chance for life a truly new experience.” Instead, they crave a stimulus.' In this way, readers are not necessarily expected or expected to refer directly to reality when reading these texts. According to Douglas, romances are porn softened for the needs of female emotionality, and The Stud, while not passionately or explicitly sexual, acts as a form of female pornography in its titillation of power and domination. feminine. In both cases, the categorization of “pornography” indicates a lack of realism and more of an indulgence in pleasure rather than reflection on reality. However, the potential for real-life association would be more plausible in The Stud, which could be read as a vision of a desired reality because the descriptions of commodity culture are very existing and thriving, as well as the authors engaging in to this same lifestyle and almost encouraging it. Meanwhile, the fantasy world of Spellbound illustrates the reader's escape into a mythical world and should not reflect reality. So it seems that the anti-novel's close correlation with real life makes it more demeaning in its reflection of reality, as opposed to the utopian sensibility of an escapist which does not necessarily reflect actual desires. Nevertheless, romances can be seen, as Régis asserts, as an “enslaver of women,” implying that romances have hegemonic repercussions in the real world by limiting female aspirations to a heterosexual, monogamous union. This lack of subjective conclusion takes us back to Roland Barthes, whose “Death of the Author” expresses the concept that it is up to the reader to find the meaning, relegating the author's intention and majority reception to the background. To this extent, the reader is free to carry out any reading of the texts; despite the lack of intention, there is still the possibility of finding implicit meaning, thereby negating any possibility of conclusively determining which gender confers the most detrimental representation of women. Overall, given both authorial intent and the mass reception of these novels, the bourgeois idea of ​​a cognitive connection with culture seems unsuitable for a study of popular fiction; rather, the emphasis is on enjoyment and not critical analysis.: 1979).