What I want to know is, why's he always called "Gerald"?
Seriously, though (sort of), answer #1 is that of all genres, erotica is probably the most rigid.... uh, the most strict... um, inflexible ... man, these adjectives are treacherous...
Well, anyway, the genre with the most clearly defined rules. Expectations are absolutely clear and must be fulfilled or the terms of the contract haven't been met. This is apparently far more important than originality, good prose, or story.
So repetition of an established formula is not only acceptable, it's almost required. "Gerald, she's maginificent" is indeed a shorthand way of saying, "Gerald, she is on display and is dehumanized, but not so dehumanized that she can't hear and be witness to her own humiliation." Good prose might intimidate some readers; sticking to tested phrases and cliches is reassuring. And many readers of erotica are nervous, even in the privacy of their own heads. Especially about BDSM, I should think.
Answer #2: Everyone is still trying to imitate the Marquis de Sade, originator of all Gerald-she's-magnificent tropes. Because as a lot of theoriest have pointed out, half of what's going on in BDSM erotica isn't so much about sex as about class. (Lynn Hunt has written a lot about that.)
Anne Rice can't write her way out of a paper bag and never could.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-10-03 11:40 am (UTC)Seriously, though (sort of), answer #1 is that of all genres, erotica is probably the most rigid.... uh, the most strict... um, inflexible ... man, these adjectives are treacherous...
Well, anyway, the genre with the most clearly defined rules. Expectations are absolutely clear and must be fulfilled or the terms of the contract haven't been met. This is apparently far more important than originality, good prose, or story.
So repetition of an established formula is not only acceptable, it's almost required. "Gerald, she's maginificent" is indeed a shorthand way of saying, "Gerald, she is on display and is dehumanized, but not so dehumanized that she can't hear and be witness to her own humiliation." Good prose might intimidate some readers; sticking to tested phrases and cliches is reassuring. And many readers of erotica are nervous, even in the privacy of their own heads. Especially about BDSM, I should think.
Answer #2: Everyone is still trying to imitate the Marquis de Sade, originator of all Gerald-she's-magnificent tropes. Because as a lot of theoriest have pointed out, half of what's going on in BDSM erotica isn't so much about sex as about class. (Lynn Hunt has written a lot about that.)
Anne Rice can't write her way out of a paper bag and never could.