Can a Romance Novel Be Feminist?S  If you've never read a
historical romance novel — sometimes called "bodice rippers" —
you might think they are full of retro and regressive tropes:
The woman is almost always a young, delicate, virginal flower;
the man is almost always older, experienced, a scoundrel and
dominant brute. If you have delved into the genre lately, then
you know that the petticoats and bustles may not have changed,
but the characters have: The women are stronger, less passive,
more pro-active and, sometimes, straight-up bluestockings.
Writing for The Atlantic, Jessica Luther explains:   How can you
create a feminist character when your story is set in a
patriarchal past? What's especially feminist about a love story?
It's a a challenge, that's for sure. Author Cecilia Grant puts
it this way:  "A romance novel, by definition, privileges the
romantic relationship above other aspects of the characters'
lives," Grant says. "And in a culture that already bombards
women with the message that finding