Pam Rosenthal
Encyclopedia
Pam Rosenthal is a Brooklyn-born author of erotic historical romance novel
s. Under the pseudonym Molly Weatherfield she has also written erotic novels in the BDSM
genre ("bondage, domination and sadomasochism"). She and her husband Michael Rosenthal were part owners of the Modern Times bookstore in San Francisco. Their son Jesse Rosenthal is an assistant professor of English at Johns Hopkins University
.
list of the 25 Sexiest Novels Ever Written. The novel has gone through fifteen printings since its publication in 1995. Carrie's Story and its sequel Safe Word
are influenced by the erotic classic Story of O
.
. Her approximately "Regency-set" historical romances are unusual in the genre for their (relatively) unvarnished depiction of the period and its inequalities, violence and physical hardships. Themes are developed in a symbolic dimension, though not so substantially as to distract from the dominant obligations to storytelling. The generically necessary softening of depiction of the life of servants and the working class generally is moderated and presented with a certain awareness of the elitism of the genre's formulae, her secondary but richly drawn labouring class characters limning the reality of ordinary lives that cannot be presented without fatally overshadowing the core romance.
The Slightest Provocation involves the lovers in the Pentrich uprising
, allowing Rosenthal to layer atop the standard generic use of the era as fantasy scenery a critique of its real social relations from an openly progressive point of view. "A wonderful, challenging, envelope-pushing, smart and astonishing book" according to one of the leading Romance Review weblogs, the novel discovered the potential for serious social critique in what is often seen as the most escapist of popular fiction forms, the wish-fulfilling love story, developing an extended analogy between the political dilemma of liberty vs. security as it was felt in the period (echoed in ours) and the delicate tensions and interdependence of freedom and responsibility, self-will and restraint, in the erotic and emotional experience of the principal couple. A further analogy at work between the government provocateur playing upon working people's real grievances and desires in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars and the role of the erotic novelist herself in manipulating the pre-existing longings of her readers is one instance of a concern treated in all her books: the art of seduction and the ethics of the seductive arts.
Almost a Gentleman, featuring a cross-dressing
heroine, takes inspiration from real women of the period who dressed in men's clothes to enjoy men's freedoms. The Bookseller's Daughter, set on the eve of the French Revolution
and informed by the scholarly work of Robert Darnton
and his study the Forbidden Bestsellers of Pre-Revolutionary France, considers seriously, if always in the utopian spirit of romance and fantasy
, links between political, aesthetic and sexual liberty. Her most recent novel, 2009 Romance Writers of America
RITA Award
winner The Edge of Impropriety, inspired by the Countess of Blessington's portrait and life, touches upon nationalism and imperialism in the course of elaborating the more common romance themes of trust, mutual understanding, and intimacy.
and other newspapers and magazines. Like Jennifer Crusie
, she takes a scholarly as well as an artisan's interest in her own genre of production as well. In 2010 Rosenthal participated in an academic conference held in Brussels by the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance,. Diverging from much of the current academic and scholarly production on romance, her critical work as a theorist and scholar of the form is done less in the service of vindicating the genre and its values (a project furthered in recent years by, among others, Crusie, Jayne Ann Krentz
, Mary Bly
, Pamela Regis, Candy Tan and Sarah Wendell) than as formal inquiry, based in both her own experience with genre convention and the hermeneutic practices of Queer Theory
adapted to the cultural studies tradition usually traced to Raymond Williams
.
As Pam Rosenthal:
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s. Under the pseudonym Molly Weatherfield she has also written erotic novels in the BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
genre ("bondage, domination and sadomasochism"). She and her husband Michael Rosenthal were part owners of the Modern Times bookstore in San Francisco. Their son Jesse Rosenthal is an assistant professor of English at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
Molly Weatherfield
Rosenthal's first Weatherfield novel Carrie's Story made number 12 on Playboy.com'sPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
list of the 25 Sexiest Novels Ever Written. The novel has gone through fifteen printings since its publication in 1995. Carrie's Story and its sequel Safe Word
Safeword
A safeword is a code word or series of code words that are sometimes used in BDSM for a submissive to unambiguously communicate their physical or emotional state to a dominant , typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary...
are influenced by the erotic classic Story of O
Story of O
Story of O is an erotic novel published in 1954 about love, dominance and submission by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage.Desclos did not reveal herself as the author for forty years after the initial publication...
.
Historical Romance Novels
Romance readers find Rosenthal's contributions both fulfill and transcend their genre. While satisfying the requirements of the form in full, Rosenthal's work also exhibits some features typical of literary novels but infrequently found in genre romanceRomance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
. Her approximately "Regency-set" historical romances are unusual in the genre for their (relatively) unvarnished depiction of the period and its inequalities, violence and physical hardships. Themes are developed in a symbolic dimension, though not so substantially as to distract from the dominant obligations to storytelling. The generically necessary softening of depiction of the life of servants and the working class generally is moderated and presented with a certain awareness of the elitism of the genre's formulae, her secondary but richly drawn labouring class characters limning the reality of ordinary lives that cannot be presented without fatally overshadowing the core romance.
The Slightest Provocation involves the lovers in the Pentrich uprising
Pentrich, Derbyshire
-Pentrich Revolution:The village gave its name to the Pentrich Revolution, which occurred on the night of 9/10 June 1817. A gathering of some two or three hundred men , led by Jeremiah Brandreth , , set out to march to Nottingham...
, allowing Rosenthal to layer atop the standard generic use of the era as fantasy scenery a critique of its real social relations from an openly progressive point of view. "A wonderful, challenging, envelope-pushing, smart and astonishing book" according to one of the leading Romance Review weblogs, the novel discovered the potential for serious social critique in what is often seen as the most escapist of popular fiction forms, the wish-fulfilling love story, developing an extended analogy between the political dilemma of liberty vs. security as it was felt in the period (echoed in ours) and the delicate tensions and interdependence of freedom and responsibility, self-will and restraint, in the erotic and emotional experience of the principal couple. A further analogy at work between the government provocateur playing upon working people's real grievances and desires in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars and the role of the erotic novelist herself in manipulating the pre-existing longings of her readers is one instance of a concern treated in all her books: the art of seduction and the ethics of the seductive arts.
Almost a Gentleman, featuring a cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
heroine, takes inspiration from real women of the period who dressed in men's clothes to enjoy men's freedoms. The Bookseller's Daughter, set on the eve of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and informed by the scholarly work of Robert Darnton
Robert Darnton
Robert Darnton is an American cultural historian, recognized as a leading expert on 18th-century France.-Life:He graduated from Harvard University in 1960, attended Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship, and earned a Ph.D. in history from Oxford in 1964, where he studied with Richard Cobb,...
and his study the Forbidden Bestsellers of Pre-Revolutionary France, considers seriously, if always in the utopian spirit of romance and fantasy
Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson is an American literary critic and Marxist political theorist. He is best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends—he once described postmodernism as the spatialization of culture under the pressure of organized capitalism...
, links between political, aesthetic and sexual liberty. Her most recent novel, 2009 Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America is a national non-profit genre writers association. It provides networking and support to individuals seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction and supports top authors such as Nora Roberts and Judith McNaught.-History:...
RITA Award
RITA Award
The RITA Award is the most prominent award given throughout the genre of romance novel and some other romantic fiction. It is presented by Romance Writers of America . It is named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. It signifies excellence in one of 13 categories of romantic fiction.-...
winner The Edge of Impropriety, inspired by the Countess of Blessington's portrait and life, touches upon nationalism and imperialism in the course of elaborating the more common romance themes of trust, mutual understanding, and intimacy.
As Critic and Essayist
Rosenthal has reviewed literary biography and fiction for SalonSalon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
and other newspapers and magazines. Like Jennifer Crusie
Jennifer Crusie
Jennifer Crusie is a pseudonym for Jennifer Smith, a bestselling and award winning author of contemporary romance novels. She has written over 15 novels, which have been published in 20 countries.-Biography:...
, she takes a scholarly as well as an artisan's interest in her own genre of production as well. In 2010 Rosenthal participated in an academic conference held in Brussels by the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance,. Diverging from much of the current academic and scholarly production on romance, her critical work as a theorist and scholar of the form is done less in the service of vindicating the genre and its values (a project furthered in recent years by, among others, Crusie, Jayne Ann Krentz
Jayne Ann Krentz
Jayne Ann Krentz, née Jayne Castle is an American writer of romance novels. Krentz is the author of a string of New York Times bestsellers under seven different pseudonyms. Now, she only uses three names. As Jayne Ann Krentz she writes contemporary romantic-suspense. She uses Amanda Quick for her...
, Mary Bly
Mary Bly
Mary Bly is a tenured associate professor of English Literature at Fordham University who also writes best-selling Regency romance novels under the pen name Eloisa James.She is the daughter of poet Robert Bly and short-story author Carol Bly....
, Pamela Regis, Candy Tan and Sarah Wendell) than as formal inquiry, based in both her own experience with genre convention and the hermeneutic practices of Queer Theory
Queer theory
Queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of LGBT studies and feminist studies. Queer theory includes both queer readings of texts and the theorisation of 'queerness' itself...
adapted to the cultural studies tradition usually traced to Raymond Williams
Raymond Williams
Raymond Henry Williams was a Welsh academic, novelist and critic. He was an influential figure within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the mass media and literature are a significant contribution to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts...
.
Books
As Molly Weatherfield:- Carrie's Story 1995
- Safe Word 1998
As Pam Rosenthal:
- Almost a Gentleman 2003
- The Bookseller's Daughter 2004
- The Slightest Provocation 2006
- The Edge of Impropriety 2008