I was talking to a friend of mine and she was lamenting over how stubborn the heroine was in her book. "She won't give him a chance and he's being so kind and considerate. I mean, he even lets her read!"
Seriously? Wow, what a liberty. What would we do to a man today that didn't let us read? He wouldn't be up for hero status, that's for sure. Now before you scalp me and tell me things were different back then - I know that. Don't tell me all those books are being historically accurate with their heroines that are feminist and always trying to be just like the men. It just didn't happen - nor was it tolerated. We let that go because we like reading about feisty leading ladies.
To be fair I have read some very forward thinking male characters as well. They just don't happen to appear as often. One friend suggested it's because in "escape literature" it's nice to think of someone strong taking charge and carrying the load for us. Another said they're the bad boys we read about but wouldn't really want to have for real.
What do you think?
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