What, It's Not Just My Library?

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Dang, and here I was thinking Amish pseudoporn (and dig that cover illustration! Those Amish have natural airbrushing hair-layering powers!) was some sort of weird Utah fetish I just hadn’t heard about till I started working in a library. It seems to fit with the rest of the Mormon list of acceptable books: Mormon historical fiction pseudoporn, Mormon historical fiction Family Sagas, contemporary Mormon inspirational pseudoporn, contemporary Mormon inspirational thriller romances,* The Classics,** Stephenie Meyer, and Orson Scott Card, Colossal Douche.

But if it’s a new trend, then I admit I’m a little stumped. I get the appeal for bored Mormons, who have to keep up the carefully manicured façade of Pleasantville wholesomeness, but what’s the appeal to the rest of the country? Why are the Amish suddenly fetishized?

Although bear in mind that I am one of those people who comes across sex scenes with the same discomfort as most folks have coming across a lovingly detailed pooping scene,*** which suggests that my not getting the appeal of something might make me the weird one. Perhaps the same principle is at work here, with the repressed awkward antisex scenes.

Anyway, back to writing about psychotic sprites and live dragons battling zombie dragons. Hey, I get the appeal of those.


*These are FUCKING HILARIOUS. They range from Elizabeth Smart ripoffs to the religious version of Law’n’Order Hates The Internet to my personal favorites, which are hideous mashups of international thrillers with contemporary inspirational romance, so that Commander Badass of the Spy Brigade finds a romantic interest from Utah with a Captivating Quiet Strength, and perhaps a Troubled Past. It’d be like if a James Bond movie ended with some ill-defined miracle that would cause him to acknowledge that his chaste but angsty beloved’s prayers were the only reason Donald Pleasence keeled over with a heart attack just before firing the Disintegrator Ray, and then there’s a Temple Wedding.

**I’m too lazy to look up the link, but Slacktivist pointed out that this weird pedestal The Classics get put on means that they wind up being the most subversive fiction available to—well, he said evangelical Christians, but it works for Mormons too, because The Classics are by definition Good Reading. At least until somebody discovers that a particular classic has a naughty word, and then it is BANNED FOREVER IN SCHOOLS.

***No, you don’t find either of these in Amish pseudoporn, at least I hope not. And what I mean by this is that I am a huge proponent of Fade To Black, although my sister took it to mean that it was time for her to compose an EPIC POOP SCENE.

Comments

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

LOL! Well, I don't see the appeal of Amish pseudoporn, but then, I don't see the appeal of a great deal of popular fiction.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

I...I got nothin'.

[baby-rissa-chan.livejournal.com]

Well, I used to read something of the sort and enjoy it for the fact that it was generally soothing, free of overly dramatic stuff, and overall comforting. Then again, that was back when they weren't trying to make it look sexy (generally the protagonist was faced away from the cover so all you could see was the back of her bonnet and a dress shape...you know, actually in line with the whole Amish sensibility?) and when I was a Mennonite, so it was nice seeing books that actually had something to do with my own culture. I liked the fact that it reinforced family values and tended to look down on society's materialism. In other words, it aspired to the same ideals I did.

Looking at that cover makes me wonder how much what's inside lines up with the stuff I was reading though. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it's nothing like it. It looks like it's more of a romanticized "isn't it quaint? it's almost like they're real people with all of that old world charm that we like to imagine we'd like but could never subject ourselves to in the real world because who REALLY wants to live in a world without electricity and deal with the physical labor of running a farm?" type appeal.*



* I hope that makes sense. It does in my head, but I've been up all night, so I don't know how well I'm verbalizing things right now.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

No, I know exactly what you mean--that's the problem I have with it. I have no problem with books about Amish folks, or with books with such idealism (those are good ideals, after all), but there's something kind of unsettling about the way it gets turned into a fetish. "It's almost like they're real people" makes perfect sense as the attitude that makes me uncomfortable.

[baby-rissa-chan.livejournal.com]

*nods* And I dislike the fact that (based solely on the cover shot, so take this with a grain of salt) there's a sense that they're not even bothering to understand what the Amish ideals ARE. At least with the ones where the back was turned it was more like "here's a representation of a typical Amish person without focusing overly on the physical aspect." It was still kind of jarring because it goes against the ideal, but you could at least see how there was a balancing act going on. This picture's more of a parody than anything, and it seems like they're going "eh, it's not like anyone really cares about the REALITY behind this culture, they just want that quaint charm."

And another thing!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

... also, I am a little bothered by the whole sense that "It's okay! They're Amish!" like that makes the romance more acceptable and wholesome for, say, my repressed Mormon buddies--more because it reflects some weird judgments of both Amish folk and romance books in general. The same thing happens with historical fiction. Hence the term "pseudoporn."

Re: And another thing!

[baby-rissa-chan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if it's not okay to read love stories, the fact that the book is set in an equally religiously oppressive society shouldn't make a difference.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Mmm? A Mennonite on the internet? Are there many of you? I need to do some research...

[baby-rissa-chan.livejournal.com]

Many Mennonites do use electricity and the internet and such. Mennonites cover the whole range from Amish to indistinguishable from any other normal red-blooded American, so it's best not to make any assumptions (although if they're online, it often but not always implies at least a little more liberal policies than some might lean toward.)

Of course, speaking specifically to my own case, I'm more like the lapsed Catholic - I know the creed, I'm vaguely aligned with some of their beliefs and practices, but when it comes right down to it, I've almost nothing in common with the church anymore and the church as a whole shouldn't be judged on my example.

[kadharonon.livejournal.com]

The Amish romance novels have been around quite a while, judging from my own library experiences, and they mostly went out to little old ladies. It was quite strange. I'm not sure what else to say about it, other than being aware of the genre and not quite understanding it...

I mean, I kind of get romance novels, at least since I read a few by Julia Quinn, who has romance novels that read more like really good fanfiction. But Amish romance novels? Weird.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Okay, I feel sort of better knowing that this isn't some new weird trend--it's an old weird trend. I'm not sure why that is.

I get that romance novels appeal to some people, and even like some really good ones, but this particular subset seems ... unsettling. As I pointed out up the page a bit, it feels exploitive.

[viizou.livejournal.com]

I *guess* the appeal for non-religious folks would be similar to the appeal of nuns or librarians: taking a character trope that is essentially non-sexual and making it sexual. It's a perverse process by definition (and I don't mean "perverse" in a bad sense, just in its technical sense), and like other people who commented before me, I don't buy the "They're religious, so it's okay" argument. Even if the books themselves are tame and sanitized, the process is still what it is.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

That "Amish" stuff has been around for years down here in Texas. I usually see it in the Christian/Romance section. Considering how kooky many other Christian books are, I never thought much of it. And as far as romance goes, it's not any weirder than the thrillers or supernatural stuff that's so popular right now. I figure it's stuff hardcore Christians can read without feeling guilty- it's not too racy because it's Proper. So naturally the lit has mutated to become as extreme as possible without being offensive to that readership. It's not really about Amish values at all.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's sort of my assumption, too. But hey, I'm an anthropologist! I even analyze why stuff appeals to me. I gotta muse on other people's interests!

[origamicage.livejournal.com]

I work in the book section at DI. You can guess which genre of books ALWAYS gets approved to go out on the floor. >:[

I think my favorite so far has been 'Don Lind, Mormon Astronaut'. I love the title.

We get so many books published by Covenant I don't even need to look on the back anymore to confirm it's them. THEY HAVE A UNIQUE LOOK.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

My favorite ever Mormon title is Sunshine for the Humorous Latter-Day Saint's Soul. It pretty much says it all.

Lotta Anita Stansfield and Rachel Ann Nunes titles sitting next to Dean Hughs at DI, then?

[origamicage.livejournal.com]

I PUT THAT OUT A FEW DAYS AGO. Totally serious.

And yeah, a hell of a lot. And shitloads of church manuals. We even had a Braille Book of Mormon. That thing took up a LOT of space.

My favorite title ever of ALL the books I put away has to be 'Belt Buckles and Brocades of the Third Reich'. I wish I had bought it, but alas, someone else did before I could.

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

I think it's a sign that bonnets need to come back into fashion. Obviously, they are tres sexxxxay and everyone has just been hiding their fetishes until now.