FEMINISM AND THE ALLURE OF THE MONSTER-WOMAN ROMANCE

Abstract

In this paper, I examine four novels that revolve around the romance between a human woman and a male monster. Taking a wider view on the romance genre in general, I identify the main issues which concern women in their heterosexual romantic relationships: capitalism, gendered expectations, and the maternal function. Using these issues to guide my thesis, I examine the way monster-woman romances navigate these problems, and reveal the implicit criticisms levelled against the patriarchy in such narratives. In my exploration of why monster-woman romances have experienced a surge of popularity in recent years, I delve into the psychological aspects of female attraction to male monsters, and how the relationship between monster and human has opened up the possibility of discovering a different symbolic order within which women can redefine the symbolically unequal relations between male and female into one that is predicated on equality.