Literary Subgenres: Bodice Rippers

A bodice ripper is a sexually explicit romantic novel; usually in a historical setting and always with a plot involving the seduction of the heroine. This popular modern variety of romantic are peopled by pirates, highwaymen, wenches etc. A classic example is Kathleen Winsor's best selling romance, Forever Amber (1944).
Origin
These books owe much in style to the work of English romantic novelists like Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Nevertheless, the term itself is American. Its first reference in print is from The New York Times, in December 1980.
It soon caught on and appears numerous times in the US press from that date onward. The genre is commercially highly successful, but isn't taken seriously by most literary critics. Most examples are judged by more base criteria than the classic works of Austen or the Brontes. Bodice Rippers are strictly formulaic and the plot usually involves a vulnerable heroine faced with a richer and more powerful male character, whom she initially dislikes. Later, she succumbs to lust and falls into his arms. The plot device usually includes seduction scenes happening at frequent intervals. Depending on the author or publishing house style, the principal characters must marry. It is virtually obligatory for the cover picture to show the swooning, ample-bosomed heroine.