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I recently finished reading Gloriana. My copy is an early edition with the rape scene intact, I also checked out the newer edition from a library with the new ending.
Was there a lot of controversy concerning the original ending? Did you recieve complaints about justifying rape or making rape seem like the only way woman achieve true pleasure.
Films recently released on DVD in England from the Video Nasties period such as Straw Dogs garnered a lot of infamous press when the film seemed to imply the 'No as Yes' aspect with a rather ambiguous rape scene.
In terms of Gloriana's ending. I do feel that the rape is a rather cheap and nasty coda since it never felt like Gloriana's inability to orgasm was a huge part of the plot and seems to serve only as an end to the Gloriana/Quire relationship. Whereas in my reading of the new ending, Gloriana achieves orgasm when she starts to assert her own strength of will after years of being pretty much commanded around by Montfallacon. This may be totally wrong, but that was how I read it. She has lost all who have support her and basically thought for her and when she has to stand on her own, she embraces womanhood and thus achieves orgasm.
And for the record, I think that if Straw Dogs wasn't banned, it would just be 'another film' instead of the infamously banned title it has become. Didn't think too much of it, the basic metaphor seemed to be, 'if you're a smart and educated guy, other people will push you about until you jam their head in a bear trap.' :D I hate watching films and reading books which the majority proclaim a classic because if I don't like it...am I a bad person? I mean, I like 'A Catcher in the Rye,' but I wouldn't put it down as the most groundbreaking work of fiction people declare it to be.
Was there a lot of controversy concerning the original ending? Did you recieve complaints about justifying rape or making rape seem like the only way woman achieve true pleasure.
Films recently released on DVD in England from the Video Nasties period such as Straw Dogs garnered a lot of infamous press when the film seemed to imply the 'No as Yes' aspect with a rather ambiguous rape scene.
In terms of Gloriana's ending. I do feel that the rape is a rather cheap and nasty coda since it never felt like Gloriana's inability to orgasm was a huge part of the plot and seems to serve only as an end to the Gloriana/Quire relationship. Whereas in my reading of the new ending, Gloriana achieves orgasm when she starts to assert her own strength of will after years of being pretty much commanded around by Montfallacon. This may be totally wrong, but that was how I read it. She has lost all who have support her and basically thought for her and when she has to stand on her own, she embraces womanhood and thus achieves orgasm.
And for the record, I think that if Straw Dogs wasn't banned, it would just be 'another film' instead of the infamously banned title it has become. Didn't think too much of it, the basic metaphor seemed to be, 'if you're a smart and educated guy, other people will push you about until you jam their head in a bear trap.' :D I hate watching films and reading books which the majority proclaim a classic because if I don't like it...am I a bad person? I mean, I like 'A Catcher in the Rye,' but I wouldn't put it down as the most groundbreaking work of fiction people declare it to be.
Gloriana is one of the few of Michael's books I have not had the pleasure of reading yet. I should have known better than to venture into this thread since I try to avoid any discussion of Gloriana.
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