#but idk. it's very clear to me that a book like paradise (circa early 90s) was responding to a very different environment

[mermaidsirennikita]

I find it really fascinating that older romance novels are often cast as these problematic (and they can be! Basically zero books age perfectly, I'll always say) misogyny fests with heroines who have no agency, are submissive little always-virgins...

When tbh, I find a lot more variety in terms of personality and morality in heroines from heroines written 10+ years ago compared to today. And honestly? A lot of them are also more active in their stories.

Now—how much does this have to do with the stories generally being higher stakes as well? Not sure. But reading Paradise, a book that came out in the early 90s, the heroine is wholeheartedly a sweet person, but she's not perfect, and she has way more agency and forward momentum than I read in a lot of contemporary romance novels right now.