Hey, it's February, that month of love and what says love more than Paranormal Romance?
Wait a minute, David you say, this is the Man Cave Authors Blog-has some feminist group hijacked the blog?
No, I assure you such is not the case. I think Paranormal Romance is great...not the new stuff so much - but the classics.
Dracula? Frankenstein? Medea? Gilgamesh?
No, dear readers.
I am talking about what makes Paranormal Romance click-what it has that makes it appeal to people-that one member of the couple has powers. Lately that has been the boy-vampire, werewolf, fallen angel, and other such nonsense-NO!We need to get back to when men were men and women were witches or genies and whatever Mortica Adams was.
I'm talking 'Bewitched', 'I Dream of Jeannie', 'Adams Family', 'The Munsters', and those three cute witches on 'Petticoat Junction'.
Back in the 60's (before I was born) those TV shows had it right, with the women having the powers-it helped them gain their independence and get the house clean.
We need more stories like that these days. So rather than another insipid tale about a wallflower with no personality or powers---I invite---Nay I CALL for everyone to write empowered female characters who can wiggle their noses, or blink or wave and magically do the dishes or laundry-you make that choice-mix it up a little.Because that's love.
Oh, man. Some feminist is going to have a field day with the perceived subtext of this post!
ReplyDeleteBut I get what you're saying. :)
Ah, I'm with the empowered ladies!
ReplyDeletehehe... I mean thanks - both of you.
ReplyDeleteThey might call you anti-feminist for this one.
ReplyDeleteBut I know, in your heart, you're really a masochist. ;)
Oh yeah, Samantha Stevens in a black witch outfit. I well remember it. (is it getting hot in here or is that just global warming?)
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I wanted to say something more profound, but David, you said enough today dude.
ReplyDelete". . . with the women having the powers-it helped them gain their independence and get the house clean." Ummm . . . excuse me? Them there's fighting words. You better run and hide, one of those women with special powers is gonna kick your butt for that one. LOL
ReplyDeleteI want some housekeeping super powers. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it before, but when the male has super powers, we rarely see him use them for household chores. I mean, what good is vampire speed and strength if you don't use them to mow the lawn or plow the driveway?
ReplyDeleteDavid, thanks for reminding me that paranormal romances existed long before the latest craze. Samantha and Jeannie have Twilight beat by decades. Jeannie is my personal favorite because she was always so well-intentioned, even though her impulsive nature got Tony into trouble.
One of my favorite Jeannie scenes is when Tony complained about his boss showing up at their house, and Jeannie suggested, "I can drop him in a volcano for you."
Great idea! Too bad Tony didn't go with it. LOL!
I forgot to mention that the Twilight craze is mainly focused on teen romance whereas Bewitched often dealt with marriage problems, i.e. having an opinionated mother-in-law, relatives who drop in unannounced,a greedy boss, teaching children how to behave.
ReplyDeleteAll of these topics were dealt with in humorous "magical" ways, but they had very real counterparts in real life.
Samantha was often stuck in the middle, but she was smart and could handle her own problems while also reveling in the traditional aspects of being a homemaker. You rarely see females on TV embrace that role anymore.
lol...great post. well said. :)
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it, but I remember those shows. And I loved them. Of course, I was just a baby in the cradle at the time, but those women rocked. I'd love to twitch my nose and have a clean house. We need a warlock to twitch his nose and fix the car, mow the lawn, and take out the garbage. Hmmm...I see a new situation comedy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul-you're right.
ReplyDeleteCharles-Global Warming heh-yeah thats being experienced all over the country right now.
Much appreciated TJ.
I was waiting to hear that Christine.
I know you can write about them Angie.
Right on Dan.
Thanks Okie-I'm glad.
I look forward to your interpretation Kathi.
ReplyDeleteI so wanted to be Samantha when I grew up. And I was going to name my daughter Tabitha. That didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI can still wiggle my nose though. A girl can dream.
Actually, I'm not so sure my wife doesn't have magical properties. (If you get my meaning in a double negative sort of way).
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what she can get me to do with a smile or a kiss on the cheek followed by whispering sweet nothings in my ear.
Granted, she can't wiggle her nose, though when she scrunches her nose with her eyes twinkling, I'm putty in her hands.
Nice Krista!
ReplyDeleteMakes life worth living Jason.
Bewitched has always been one of my favorite shows.I love watching the re-runs. I just wish that I had her super powers to get everything done that should be done.
ReplyDeleteMY big beef is that I prefer to see pretty girls with brains and gusto. I dislike the teen girls in books that have no brains or act wimpy.
Heh-that's what I'm talking about Sheila.
ReplyDelete