Mills & Boon romances are actually feminist texts, academic says

Val Derbyshire says no one should be embarrassed to read much-derided books, arguing many are literature of protest

They have been called patriarchal, formulaic and lightweight – and that’s the polite description. But an academic is making the case for Mills & Boon romances to be considered as feminist texts that are the literature of protest rather than mere escapism.

Val Derbyshire said the books should be read by women and men with pride rather than guilty embarrassment. “It is such a shame that they have been so vilified, and that people treat them as trash and the black sheep of the literary family,” she added. “There really is literary value in them, which is why I continue to read them.”

Related: Confessions of a secret Mills & Boon junkie

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