Ned laughs again and gives an exaggerated shrug. How can he possibly begin to explain the function of romance novels? If he's going to manage it at all, it certainly isn't going to be with a straight face.
"Escapism," he declares, after a few moments to marshall his thoughts, "People want to be swept away on a fantasy. Some books are meant to give you examples of how to live your lives, but a lot of them are about imagining something completely different to your own life."
He runs a hand through his hair, knows he's explaining poorly. A logical, even sociological approach will probably be more comprehensible and useful to Daneel So he begins again, "So here's your problem. You're not really the target audience for those books. You said the traditional gender roles don't matter in our case, but you can't just take that out of the stories you read and still understand what they're for." Ned shakes his head. He's really not the one who ought to be explaining this kind of thing. He can only go on anecdotal evidence, "I know marriage is different on Aurora, but where and when those books were written, there are certain ideas about how women and men who are romantically involved ought to treat one another."
He sighs, eyes turning back to the fire as he explains, "This is a broad generalization, but I think a lot of time, the women who read lots of romance novels have got husbands or boyfriends who expect them to do all the care-taking. They're supposed to adore them and feed them and pamper them and put all their own needs and desires and interests on the back burner while they cater to the men in their lives. Which is why it's exciting to imagine the situation reversed. To imagine someone taking care of them for a change. Adoring them, looking out for them, solving all their problems, instead of vice-versa."
no subject
"Escapism," he declares, after a few moments to marshall his thoughts, "People want to be swept away on a fantasy. Some books are meant to give you examples of how to live your lives, but a lot of them are about imagining something completely different to your own life."
He runs a hand through his hair, knows he's explaining poorly. A logical, even sociological approach will probably be more comprehensible and useful to Daneel So he begins again, "So here's your problem. You're not really the target audience for those books. You said the traditional gender roles don't matter in our case, but you can't just take that out of the stories you read and still understand what they're for." Ned shakes his head. He's really not the one who ought to be explaining this kind of thing. He can only go on anecdotal evidence, "I know marriage is different on Aurora, but where and when those books were written, there are certain ideas about how women and men who are romantically involved ought to treat one another."
He sighs, eyes turning back to the fire as he explains, "This is a broad generalization, but I think a lot of time, the women who read lots of romance novels have got husbands or boyfriends who expect them to do all the care-taking. They're supposed to adore them and feed them and pamper them and put all their own needs and desires and interests on the back burner while they cater to the men in their lives. Which is why it's exciting to imagine the situation reversed. To imagine someone taking care of them for a change. Adoring them, looking out for them, solving all their problems, instead of vice-versa."