Category Archives: Gender

Discussion Questions Lover Eternal CHs 34 – 51

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

One of the great themes of Lover Eternal is the way in which low self-esteem creates barriers to an intimate relationship. Such barriers are based on false assumptions people have about themselves, and they often prevent us from living our lives to … Continue reading →

Posted in Barrier, Black Dagger Brotherhood, Gender, J. R. Ward, Lover Eternal, relationships, Self-Esteem | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Discussion Questions The Sheik CHs 8 – 10

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

1. “Diana paused for a moment framed in the entrance, then, with head thrown back and swaggering, boyish stride, she moved across the thick rugs leisurely and halted in front of the chief, looking straight at him with haughty, curling … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrothal, Character Analysis, E. M. Hull, Gender, Point of Ritual Death, Rape, Recognition, The Sheik | 3 Comments

Discussion Questions The Sheik CHs 1 – 4

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

1. “By contrast the girl at his side appeared vividly alive. She was only of medium height and very slender, standing erect with the easy, vigorous carriage of an athletic boy, her small head poised proudly” ( 9). How does … Continue reading →

Posted in E. M. Hull, Female Chastity, Gender, Rape, sex, The Meeting, The New Woman, The Sheik, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Discussion Questions Jane Eyre CHs 26 – 32

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

1. “In the deep shade, at the further end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell: it groveled, seemingly on all fours; it snatched … Continue reading →

Posted in Barrier, Character Analysis, Charlotte Bronte, Gender, Jane Eyre, metaphor, Mood, Point of Ritual Death | 4 Comments

Romance Novels: Fantasy versus Reality

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

One of the major themes that emerges from Reader, I Married Him: Happily Ever After documentary is the jarring contradiction between fantasy and reality. The documentary goes back and forth between what a romance novel provides (fantasy and escapism for … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Gender, I Married Him, Mills & Boon, relationships, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Discussion Questions The Sheik CHs 5 – 7

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

Discussion Questions for Group 10: JG, BJ, ET 1. “The divan where Diana had been sitting was strewn with magazines and papers, the imprint of her slender body still showed in the soft, heaped cushions, and a tiny, lace-edged handkerchief … Continue reading →

Posted in E. M. Hull, Gender, relationships, The Sheik | 2 Comments

Discussion Questions for The Sheik CHs 1-4

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Dr. Jessica Matthews

1. In the early chapters of The Sheik, Diana Mayo is repeatedly characterized for her boyish characteristics and her asexuality: “She was only of medium height and very slender, standing erect with the easy, vigorous carriage of an athletic boy” (9). … Continue reading →

Posted in E. M. Hull, Female Chastity, Gender, Pamela Regis, Rape, sex, The New Woman, The Sheik | 5 Comments