I decided to assign a romance novel this fall in my ethics and literature course. My choice was Gaffney’s To Have and to Hold, which is out of print.I just got a call from the bookstore telling me they can’t find enough used copies.
I have two options:
1. I can make students go online and buy them (Amazon.com has several used copies through their independent booksellers). Thanks to the course being cross listed with English, I have 25 students enrolled.
Problem: I like having the book available at the bookstore for students. I worry they won’t buy it if they have to fend for themselves. On the other hand, they’re seniors and master’s level students, so they should know what to do, right?
2. I can find another book. (weeping)
Problem: I need a really well written book, on a par with a Gaffney or Kinsale, and I want it to contain elements that a feminist reading will find potentially ethically problematic, such as forced seduction or rape. Any ideas???
What do you think? Any suggestions?
Thank you!!
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#1 by Chris on August 5, 2009 - 11:38 am
Is it available electronically?
#2 by Rebecca on August 5, 2009 - 11:49 am
Regarding option 1-I’ve had a professor assign out of print books in college. He directed the class to “used addall.” It wasn’t a problem at all. I’ve noticed that many students will buy all their books online once they get the syllabus anyway. (Save money). I don’t think the extra step of searching online will make much of a difference as to whether students will have the book.
If you do go this route, if I were a student in your class, I would humbly request that the Gaffney book be put more towards the middle of the semester, to give time for the book to be shipped and get lost in the mail. (It’s happened to me. I barely got the book in time to read the assignment, despite ordering it quite early. If 25 students order a used book, imagine that at least one will have a bookseller that doesn’t see sending it as a priority). I might also give a reminder a week or two before you’ve assigned it, for the perennially forgetful.
As for other book options-sort of drawing a blank. The only thing that comes to mind is your review of “Don’t Tempt Me,” but from your review, there’s nothing as obvious as a forced seduction.
Hope this was somewhat helpful and not as rambling…
#3 by Laura Vivanco on August 5, 2009 - 12:08 pm
I think it’s reasonable to expect students to be competent enough to order books secondhand from an online source. If any of them do have a problem with that (e.g. if someone doesn’t have a credit card) then they can either rush to the local bookshop or ask for help.
The main problem I can see is that if the pagination is different in the 2003 NAL edition from in the 1995 Topaz edition, you might need/want to specify which edition they have to get.
If you do, though, there might not be enough copies of either of the editions. I’m not sure how many copies your local used bookseller managed to locate but it doesn’t look as though Amazon has very many, and I suspect that all the sellers at Abebooks are also selling at Amazon.
#4 by LitaC on August 5, 2009 - 1:33 pm
I agree that your students should be able to locate used copies, but if they can’t and you decide to change the book, you may want to consider Loretta Chase’s “Captives of the Night”. Not the forced seduction you were looking for, but the ethics of a marital union when one partner is a despicable criminal. The benefit of a Loretta Chase book is that it’s a quality read.
If you’re bound and determined to go the forced seduction/rape route – then there’s the old standby, “Whitney, My Love” – which is not a very well written book, by any stretch.
#5 by Robin on August 5, 2009 - 1:44 pm
Here’s what I’d do: Put several copies of the novel on reserve at the library (or wherever you can do that – some depts. have the means to do this in house) and do like a 72 hour reserve. Then ask students to purchase the book used if they can. Assign it for the end of the semester/quarter so students have a chance to acquire and read it, either through the reserve or purchase.
#6 by Sunita on August 5, 2009 - 1:50 pm
I agree with Laura and Robin. They *should* be able to buy books online, but there aren’t that many copies at abebooks.com, so having 3 or 4 copies on reserve is a good idea. You can also put the first chunk of the book on electronic reserve (however much the library will allow) so that they can all have access at the same time. The forced seduction/rape part is in the first half anyway, IIRC. If not, you can still excerpt that part and relevant other parts for electronic reserve so that you can be sure they have it.
#7 by Angela on August 5, 2009 - 1:54 pm
I mentally and physically went through my books and I could not think of one other book that meets your criteria that is not also out of print. This is one of the very frustrating things about romance; the shelf life is so short for so many of them that hunting them down is like some kind of bizzarro knight’s quest.
I agree with everyone else. I don’t think as a senior/master’s level student that I would have a problem ordering it myself. Just as long as there was enough time for it get to me.
#8 by Janine on August 5, 2009 - 1:57 pm
Arg! You must be so frustrated! I’m ready to weep myself.
You know that I don’t believe there is another book in the genre on par with To Have and to Hold, but my second choice for you would probably be Mary Jo Putney’s Uncommon Vows.
Uncommon Vows is a very rich, complex book, especially in the characterization of the hero. The prose isn’t as fine as Gaffney’s, but there is some wonderful use of symbolism. And there are ethical dilemmas aplenty. The hero doesn’t rape the heroine, but he very nearly does. He also holds her captive until SPOILER… she reaches the point where she attempts suicide. Some of the themes — freedom and martyrdom — are similar to those in THATH.
Not sure if it’s in print but I see at addall.com that there are enough affordable used copies for your class.
More recent books that you might consider:
Anne Stuart’s Black Ice would probably be my third choice, after To Have and to Hold and Uncommon Vows. There is a borderline forced seduction that takes place early on. The hero also allows the heroine to be tortured, and even hits her once or twice (this in an attempt to save her life). The prose, though not as lyrical as Gaffney’s, is lean and spare in a way I find poetic. I think this book is still in print.
Judith Ivory’s Untie My Heart contains a sex scene in which the heroine is tied to a chair. Most readers feel the scene is totally consensual, but I know a few who feel otherwise. Of course, her writing is sublime. I’m not sure whether this book is still in print.
Laura Kinsale’s Shadowheart contains a forced seduction, but it’s not nearly as central to the story as the hero’s actions are in To Have and to Hold or Uncommon Vows. Beauitful prose in this one. I’m not certain about the availability of this one.
And if I may mention one of my own critique partners, there is the “No means yes, yes means no” scene in Meredith Duran’s The Duke of Shadows, and the scene in which Phin interrogates Mina, as well as another in which he insists that she experience sexual pleasure, both in Written on Your Skin. He also holds Mina prisoner for a time. I may be biased, but I adore Meredith’s writing, especially in WOYS. That might make a good third choice too, and since it just came out, you shouldn’t have any difficulty obtaining copies.
#9 by Sunita on August 5, 2009 - 2:01 pm
I’ve come up with two books that might work for what you want: Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell, and Uncommon Vows by MJ Putney. Campbell’s novel is still in print. The Putney is not, but there are more used copies available at abebook.com than there are for THATH.
ETA: I overlapped with Janine, sorry about that! And she has way more ideas!
#10 by Maili on August 5, 2009 - 3:02 pm
Although I’m not a fan of Putney, I think her contemporary romance The Burning Point may be worth considering because it was a subject of intense debates among romance readers. Judging by their reactions, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were plenty of used copies of The Burning Point around.
Otherwise stick with To Have and To Hold.
#11 by Carolyn Crane on August 5, 2009 - 3:05 pm
Now I really want to read To Have and to Hold, too!
#12 by Tumperkin on August 5, 2009 - 3:20 pm
Outlander springs to mind but I’m not sure that’s really romance – but it does have the beating scene which is tricky. Also readily available. But long.
The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh might be quite a good one and was recently reprinted. In that one, the genteel heroine has been brought low, is poverty stricken and desperate and, one night, turns to prostitution to avoid starvation. Her one and only punter is the hero – who is married. There is a horrible sex scene between them. He then tries ot help her and she becomes his daughter’s governess. The hero’s wife – needless to say – is awful. But he tries to behave ‘honourably’ to her and there is no sex between H/H again (possibly till near the end – I can’t quite recall). It’s a tricky book – there is the prostitution, the unwitting brutality, difficult notions around fidelity and honour and purity. I’m just not sure it’s got that one outstanding, politically-charged scene you’re looking for that is so obviously there in THATH. Although saying that, the opener is quite powerful – the heroine has been forced to prostitution and the reader knows her ‘consent’ is unwilling. The hero sees her as a commodity/service. Might be a runner.
#13 by Laura Vivanco on August 5, 2009 - 3:28 pm
If you’re interested in Tumperkin’s suggestion of The Secret Pearl, I’ve written a couple of posts about it which might give you a bit more background before you make your choice: 1 and 2.
#14 by Jessica on August 5, 2009 - 4:18 pm
This is incredibly helpful, thank you. It occurs to me that a course on “controversial romance novels and what they reveal about the genre” would be a good one. If only I wasn’t in the wrong department!
I’ve decided to stick with THATH, following Robin’s suggestion of putting three copies on reserve at the library on short term loan. (my wallet is not thanking me right now, but we suffer for our students so!) I’ll also follow Rebecca’s suggestion to assign it later in the term, giving students time for used book orders to come through media mail.
Thinking about your alternate suggestions, some of which, like the Stuart and Balogh, I have read, it occurred to me that I really did want the claustrophobic focus on the h/h that THATH supplies.
I’m mindful, by the way, that while the Gaffney will surely explode anyone’s idea that romance = crap, in assigning THATH, rather than a romance with say, a kick ass heroine and a beta hero, I may be helping to shore up other stereotypes about the genre my students may have (the bodice ripper rap, etc.), especially since this is the only example of the genre they will read. I plan to introduce THATH with a lot of context setting — maybe even an excerpt for the section on rape in romance from Beyond Heaving Bosoms (available to students ONLY through library reserve and thus not violating copyright, of course. Nervously waiting for righteous Smart Bitch lightening to strike).
By the way. the suggestion of Captives of the Night from Lita is a really intriguing one. I am going to read it right away! And Maili, I did not know Balogh wrote contemps, I will add Burning Point ot my list.
I’ll post the syllabus when it’s finalized, in case anyone is curious what else I do in the class.
#15 by Laura Vivanco on August 5, 2009 - 4:37 pm
I suspect you wouldn’t want to do this, but it might be interesting to make a contrast with Jennifer Crusie’s Crazy for You, because that deals with attempted rape and domestic violence, but does so very differently, because the would-be rapist and perpetrator of the domestic violence is not the hero, and the heroine rescues herself. Still, there’s a scene in which the hero and heroine seem to get close to acting out a rape fantasy, even though it’s consensual, so there are interesting contrasts raised deliberately within the book itself.
The criticisms raised by Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay, might be interesting to look at too. I’ve got a link to her essay in my post about CFY.
I feel like I’ve posted rather a lot of links to TMT in this thread, but as I use TMT as a place where I can think through issues raised by the books I’ve read, and keep track of interesting links (some of which inevitably end up going dead after a while), it seems quicker to post the link that to try to rephrase things I wrote in them.
#16 by Janine on August 5, 2009 - 5:13 pm
I’m so glad you’ve found a good solution, Jessica. I have long felt that THATH deserves to be taught in college clases, so it’s exciting to see it actualy happening.
Will you be able to report back on your students’ reactions to the book? I would so love to be a fly on your classroom wall.
#17 by Nicola O. on August 5, 2009 - 7:05 pm
I see you have your answer, Jessica, but I did want to second Sunita’s suggestion of Claiming the Courtesan.
#18 by heidenkind on August 5, 2009 - 8:41 pm
It depends on the size of the class. If there’s a lot of students, I would switch to an in-print book. If it’s relatively small, go ahead and assign the book, but let your students know in an e-mail ahead of time that it’s out of print and they’ll need to order it used online. That way they can plan for it. Most students order used books online these days anyway.
#19 by Kaetrin on August 5, 2009 - 10:14 pm
I’d love to read more about the class you will be teaching re THATH – I read that book after reading your various posts on it here (I got a copy from the library) – maybe we can be pseudo students for that one …. please?
Oh, BTW, The Burning Point was written by Mary Jo Putney. I actually really enjoyed it but I understand there was a bit of controversy about it because it is about domestic violence – I think the controversy was either about whether any abusive man can change his ways and stop being violent or whether this character did enough to demonstrate/make the reader believe he would not hit his wife anymore (at least, I think so). I think you’d find it interesting at least, given the topics you discuss here and your profession. For my money, I thought it was a great book and I totally believed the HEA (but then again, I (thankfully!) have no experience with domestic violence…)
#20 by AQ on August 5, 2009 - 11:02 pm
Alibis has 7 copies. Sorry, I had the link with a longer post but it got eaten.
Also use worldcat.org to check multiple libraries in your area. You could also try calling the local used bookstores. Many of the independent used bookstores in my area don’t put their inventory online. Sometimes because they aren’t really tracking their inventory.
Final option may be to contact the author directly. It’s possible that either she has copies that she might sell you or that she might know where you could get your hands on some. At the very least, I think she’d be interested to know that you’d like to use her book for a college class.
Good luck.
#21 by Robin on August 5, 2009 - 11:59 pm
I agree that THATH is the best choice from the perspectives of an ethics investigation. Ivory’s Untie My Heart is one of my favorites, too, but the issue of consent in that book is very overt – Ivory is *talking about it* through the narrative and so I think the novel has a different tenor.
Also, to add to the used book bounty, when I checked earlier today, Amazon had no less than 16 used copies for less than seven bucks. There’s also Half.com, eBay proper, and various other online resources.
I definitely think that between several reserve copies and the persistent cycling of used books online, you can easily serve 25 students a dose of Gaffney.
#22 by Robin on August 6, 2009 - 12:02 am
One more thing: To Love and To Cherish also offers some wonderful ethical and moral issues, but many of them are more spiritual (ontological) in nature. Still, it might be worth at least talking about and perhaps even suggesting to students who find THATH interesting (or even for general discussion of Gaffney’s use of moral ambiguity within different contexts).
#23 by Kate on August 6, 2009 - 2:05 am
Ok, so I won’t order THATH anytime soon
Seriously, I had a professor in college require a class of 20-odd 300 level Latin students to have a text that was well out of print, then tell us to check abebooks.com and powells.com. We all found it. I don’t see a problem with asking students to buy used online and – gasp – share if need be.
Hopefully you’ll let us know how this pans out.
#24 by Jessica on August 6, 2009 - 6:32 am
Nicola O. wrote:
Yes, I’ve got to add this one to my list. I remember the controversy. With all due respect to Campbell, though, I want to offer not just a controversial or a good book, but some of the best the genre has to offer.
@ Robin:
It’s great for ethical issues within the text, but it also raises ethical issues in writing and reading. For example, are rape fantasies morally bad for women in the context of a rape culture? Or do they count as what we call “counter stories” that serve to resist oppression?
Also, it’s the only genre fiction (I think) we’ll read all semester. Everything we’ll read about ethics in literature uses literary fiction as examples (interestingly, folks will use films like Goodfellas, but no genre fiction). So we’ll use THATH to ask the question: If literature is morally good for us (a position we’ll study early in the term, along with its contrary), does that translate to genre fiction?
Kaetrin wrote:
Janine wrote:
Yes! I will share my notes and the impressions students have of the book. Like most of my philosophy courses, it’s mostly men. Thanks for being interested.
#25 by Jessica on August 6, 2009 - 6:39 am
Kate wrote:
Don’t you dare!!
#26 by azteclady on August 6, 2009 - 10:13 am
@ Jessica:
But I’ve been wanting to find THATH for ages…
#27 by KristieJ on August 7, 2009 - 1:38 am
I’d love to hear the class reaction too. And although you’ve solved the problem, if you ever decide to do another one, my first though was also Uncommon Vows by Mary Jo Putney.
#28 by Nicola O. on August 7, 2009 - 2:09 pm
Yes, I’ve got to add this one to my list. I remember the controversy. With all due respect to Campbell, though, I want to offer not just a controversial or a good book, but some of the best the genre has to offer.
There are lots of books with rape and forced seduction scenes. I really love Campbell’s writing as well, although she doesn’t get perhaps as universal a thumbs-up from the romance community, part of that (IMO) is her newbie status. 10 years from now I think we’ll still be talking about her work.
#29 by Janet W on August 22, 2009 - 5:31 pm
Late to this party and glad you solved your problem! This is one of my 10 top faves of all time — lucky students! Another book with a forced seduction, but not, imo, on par with THATH, is Christina Dodd’s “A Well-Pleasured Lady”.
#30 by Jessica on August 22, 2009 - 7:32 pm
Thank you Janet W. I am grateful to have such a good list for future reference!
#31 by lk on September 1, 2009 - 10:49 pm
Dang, too late to suggest SHADOWHEART.
LK