Overview
Browse the inspirational fiction section of your local bookstore, and you will likely find cover after cover depicting virtuous young women cloaked in modest dresses and wearing a pensive or playful expression. They hover innocently above sun-drenched pastures or rustic country lanes, often with a horse-drawn buggy in the background-or the occasional brawny stranger. Romance novels with Amish protagonists, such as the best-selling trailblazer ""The Shunning"" by Beverly Lewis, are becoming increasingly popular with a largely evangelical female audience. ""Thrill of the Chaste"" is the first book to analyze this growing trend in romance fiction and to place it into the context of contemporary literature, religion, and popular culture. Valerie Weaver-Zercher combines research and interviews with devoted readers, publishers, and authors to produce a lively and provocative examination of the Amish romance novel. She discusses strategies that literary agents and booksellers use to drive the genre's popularity. By asking questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commodification, ""Thrill of the Chaste"" also considers Amish fiction's effects on Amish and non-Amish audiences alike.
Full Product Details
Author: Valerie Weaver-Zercher
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.476kg
ISBN: 9781421408910
ISBN 10: 1421408910
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 10 June 2013
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
<p>The promise of the cover is borne out by the content: an engaging analysis of 'bonnet rippers' and their audience.--Marilyn Dahl Shelf Awareness (01/01/2013)
The promise of the cover is borne out by the content: an engaging analysis of 'bonnet rippers' and their audience. -- Marilyn Dahl Shelf Awareness 2013 Weaver-Zercher's book is a fascinating read, that raises some questions about this increasingly popular genre, but also tries to add complexity to our understandings of how Amish fiction functions. Femonite Thrill of the Chaste is an entertaining read... [Weaver-Zercher's] light, engaging voice makes her ideas accessible. I found myself caught up in her rich, often humorous descriptions... Weaver-Zercher redeems the genre and its readers. -- Melanie Springer Mock Mennonite World Review 2013 The unusual subject of Amish romance is treated engagingly in this crossover book... Highly recommended. Choice 2013
Author Information
Author Website: www.vweaver-zercher.com
Valerie Weaver-Zercher is a writer and editor whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Mennonite Weekly Review, and elsewhere.
