Citation

Boa E. Ger. Life Lett. 2009; 62(3): 343-358.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-0483.2009.01468.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This essay explores connections between the literary representation of women's pleasure, the aesthetic evaluation of fiction perceived as pleasurable reading for women, and sex/gender discourse stretching back to the eighteenth century as the age which saw the beginnings of a recognisably modern literary market. These reflections provide a framework to consider the kinds of pleasure offered by two novels, one from the last century and one recent best-seller, which portray pleasure-seeking women in the city and what happens to them.