so this may be out of date--that also made me realize anew that only certain types of exoticism are "okay."
It's so true still! You're allowed to have sheikhs and Persians and Spaniards, but no Vietnamese or Ethiopians. Though there have been more Asian ones lately, which is nice in that "equal opportunity exoticization" sort of way ;).
I think you're right about romances and the exotic coming to the heroine, as opposed to her immersing herself in it. At least, for the few I've read (I generally tend to avoid them, for the obvious reasons). I haven't read many of the Native American ones as well, but for the ones I've seen on China, either the foreign goes to England, or there is an adventure in a foreign country in which much fun and excitement is had, but not much actual socializing with the culture itself is.
I see it a lot in the backs of contemporaries as well, though more often with an all-white couple -- "Jewel thieves in Burma!" or "War photography in the Middle East!" or etc.
no subject
It's so true still! You're allowed to have sheikhs and Persians and Spaniards, but no Vietnamese or Ethiopians. Though there have been more Asian ones lately, which is nice in that "equal opportunity exoticization" sort of way ;).
I think you're right about romances and the exotic coming to the heroine, as opposed to her immersing herself in it. At least, for the few I've read (I generally tend to avoid them, for the obvious reasons). I haven't read many of the Native American ones as well, but for the ones I've seen on China, either the foreign goes to England, or there is an adventure in a foreign country in which much fun and excitement is had, but not much actual socializing with the culture itself is.
I see it a lot in the backs of contemporaries as well, though more often with an all-white couple -- "Jewel thieves in Burma!" or "War photography in the Middle East!" or etc.