Anita Blake Books Background
May. 18th, 2013 06:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lliira CN: Rape, rape the author pretends is not rape, paranormal romance, werewolves, vampires, violence
Laurell K. Hamilton published the first Anita Blake book, Guilty Pleasures, in 1993. Anita Blake started out as a vampire hunter, necromancer, and zombie-raiser living in St. Louis, Missouri. She had an antagonistic/mutually beneficial relationship with a powerful vampire, Jean-Claude. Soon, she obtained a werewolf boyfriend, Richard. Anita solved mysteries (sort of) and killed things in bloody ways. All in all, a somewhat typical paranormal noirish series with some interesting twists, like the fact that the world had always known about vampires, werewolves, and magic. Fans enjoyed LKH's world, and the series sold pretty well.
Then Something happened. It seems to have coincided with LKH's divorce from her husband (upon whom Richard was based) and marriage to the head of her fan club (whom LKH associates with Micah.) For whatever reason, LKH started to insert lots and lots of sex into her books. Narcissus in Chains is the commonly-cited turning point. There was lots of sex in it, but the real red flag that this series was going somewhere strange and uncomfortable is that the wereleopard Micah, with the help of Jean-Claude, raped Anita. The rape itself is not the issue; rather, the way the aftermath was written is the issue. LKH did not treat it as rape. Micah became Anita's lover, with the fact that he raped her never addressed.
Narcissus in Chains is also the book in which Anita is infected with the ardeur. This is a "metaphysical" thing which Jean-Claude is also infected with. It gives those who have it power, but at a price: they have to have sex regularly, or they and/or everyone metaphysically bound to them will die. It can also force people who do not want to have sex with the possessor to want and have it. It is addictive. It is the ultimate rape drug, in other words. But, again, LKH shies away from addressing this fact.
I don't have issues with rape fantasies that are clearly marked as rape fantasies. I have them myself. I do have huge, massive, towering issues with anyone writing rape and pretending it's not rape.
When Laurell K. Hamilton started putting lots and lots of sex into her books, her sales climbed. So it's no surprise that LKH took this as a sign to put even more sex and rape that she pretends is not rape in the books. She often accuses people who don't like this change of being prudes, narrow-minded, and sex-hating. Perhaps some of them are. But most of them were open to having more sex in the books, so long as it was well-written. And most people who criticize LKH's main character are not doing so because she's getting a lot of sex with a lot of men, but because so much of that sex is rape. Anita Blake became a monster LKH thinks is a hero and a victim LKH thinks is in charge.
Further, the books got downright goofy. Nearly all of Anita's lovers (for lack of a better term) are short men with very long hair and huge penii (I know it's not a word, but it amuses me). Descriptions of physical appearance run to multiple paragraphs. The details of Anita's "love" life enthrall everyone around her. LKH has problems spelling "ardeur" correctly, though it's the central plot device of her series. She announced to everyone that she would never kill any character Anita loves. This goofiness, along with ridiculous things she's said on the internet, is what makes LKH stand out from many other authors who write bad porn. It's why I've chosen to analyze/make fun of these books. Maybe it's what makes them so compelling -- they are certainly unique.
Laurell K. Hamilton published the first Anita Blake book, Guilty Pleasures, in 1993. Anita Blake started out as a vampire hunter, necromancer, and zombie-raiser living in St. Louis, Missouri. She had an antagonistic/mutually beneficial relationship with a powerful vampire, Jean-Claude. Soon, she obtained a werewolf boyfriend, Richard. Anita solved mysteries (sort of) and killed things in bloody ways. All in all, a somewhat typical paranormal noirish series with some interesting twists, like the fact that the world had always known about vampires, werewolves, and magic. Fans enjoyed LKH's world, and the series sold pretty well.
Then Something happened. It seems to have coincided with LKH's divorce from her husband (upon whom Richard was based) and marriage to the head of her fan club (whom LKH associates with Micah.) For whatever reason, LKH started to insert lots and lots of sex into her books. Narcissus in Chains is the commonly-cited turning point. There was lots of sex in it, but the real red flag that this series was going somewhere strange and uncomfortable is that the wereleopard Micah, with the help of Jean-Claude, raped Anita. The rape itself is not the issue; rather, the way the aftermath was written is the issue. LKH did not treat it as rape. Micah became Anita's lover, with the fact that he raped her never addressed.
Narcissus in Chains is also the book in which Anita is infected with the ardeur. This is a "metaphysical" thing which Jean-Claude is also infected with. It gives those who have it power, but at a price: they have to have sex regularly, or they and/or everyone metaphysically bound to them will die. It can also force people who do not want to have sex with the possessor to want and have it. It is addictive. It is the ultimate rape drug, in other words. But, again, LKH shies away from addressing this fact.
I don't have issues with rape fantasies that are clearly marked as rape fantasies. I have them myself. I do have huge, massive, towering issues with anyone writing rape and pretending it's not rape.
When Laurell K. Hamilton started putting lots and lots of sex into her books, her sales climbed. So it's no surprise that LKH took this as a sign to put even more sex and rape that she pretends is not rape in the books. She often accuses people who don't like this change of being prudes, narrow-minded, and sex-hating. Perhaps some of them are. But most of them were open to having more sex in the books, so long as it was well-written. And most people who criticize LKH's main character are not doing so because she's getting a lot of sex with a lot of men, but because so much of that sex is rape. Anita Blake became a monster LKH thinks is a hero and a victim LKH thinks is in charge.
Further, the books got downright goofy. Nearly all of Anita's lovers (for lack of a better term) are short men with very long hair and huge penii (I know it's not a word, but it amuses me). Descriptions of physical appearance run to multiple paragraphs. The details of Anita's "love" life enthrall everyone around her. LKH has problems spelling "ardeur" correctly, though it's the central plot device of her series. She announced to everyone that she would never kill any character Anita loves. This goofiness, along with ridiculous things she's said on the internet, is what makes LKH stand out from many other authors who write bad porn. It's why I've chosen to analyze/make fun of these books. Maybe it's what makes them so compelling -- they are certainly unique.
