In this reading of The Awakening, what caught my eye most was the mentions of chastity. Some characters are mentioned to have an utter lack of chastity, while others are described as having it innately born into them. I think that thought process still shows up a lot today as people still place such a strong emphasis on chastity and body count as a way to put women down.
The mentions of books that were almost too scandalous to read in public and shameful to be seen with also reminded me a lot of the current climate around “booktok” and the takeover of “spicy” books being the only ones sought after in the romance genre as of late. I must admit, on this topic I find myself siding more with Edna Pontillier, as I will partake in reading some of these more criticized modern romance books but in the privacy of my own home. I still critique these books as much as necessary, I detest the “dark romance” genre as much as the others critiquing it online since I find that genre mostly glorifies abuse and violence, and shouldn’t be treated as romance but more horror.
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