Talk:Bodice ripper

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I think this is entirely wrong. It is perjorative to the romance book industry to ascribe or limit the term "bodice ripper" to such a narrow definition. In my opinion, bodice ripper refers to any romantic novel that induces heart pounding tension in the reader and not necessarily inclusive of the elements the writer here ascribes to it as having by way of definiton. Although I would agree that most people have come to associate the term bodice ripper to refer usually to a novel set in a historical setting rather than a contemporary one, as for the plot and story line elements as per its relevance to a definition, I would have to disagree entirely. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.67.253.203 (talk • contribs) .

Well, the "heart-pounding tension" is a bit too broad. I imagine there are people who have felt heart-pounding tension when reading Wuthering Heights, which hardly qualifies. --Saforrest 03:16, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Honestly, bodice ripper isn't a sub-genre of anything. Historical romance is a proper genre, used by the publishing industry and by readers alike; bodice ripper is a nickname given to historical romances that have a swashbuckler cover (bare-chested man embraces woman with heaving, corseted bosom). It's also not uncommon for bodice rippers to still feature a pouty heroine who has an antagonistic love/hate relationship with the hero. But calling bodice rippers a sub-genre is like calling trash novels a sub-genre of literature. Doesn't make any sense!