Abusive or Positive Masculinity? An Evaluation Through the Historical Romance Novels of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Judith McNaught, and Julia Quinn.
By Elizabeth Farmer (2025)
Introduction
Throughout this industry report, I will analyze research on three historical romance authors from three respective publishing periods: the 1960s-70s, 80s-90s, and 2000s-2010s. My chosen authors are Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Judith McNaught, and Julia Quinn. For each author, I have gathered essential primary sources, including articles, book reviews, interviews, blogs, and newspapers. In evaluating the information from these types of sources, I was able to distinguish the similarities and differences in how Woodiwiss, McNaught, and Quinn all portray masculinity in their novels. In this paper, I will argue that Woodiwiss and McNaught’s representations of masculinity were based on violent or unconsensual exertions of power in which the male character took advantage both physically and emotionally of the young heroine. Despite these transgressions, the hero was forgiven by the end and given the gift of the heroines’ love. Comparatively, I will argue that Quinn’s representations of masculinity subverted outright abuse and mistreatment, creating dynamic male characters whom readers could support from start to finish. I will also detail how despite these differences, McNaught, Woodiwiss, and Quinn do portray masculinity by creating attractive, socially respected, and intimidating male heroes.
Domineering Masculinity
McNaught and Woodiwiss each incorporated plot elements of abuse, rape and marital entrapment as means of portraying domineering masculinity of their male heroes. Reviewers on Goodreads commented on this regarding McNaught’s NYT best-seller, Whitney, My Love. One anonymous poster, peachygirl, wrote in 2020, “Or is it Ms.McNaught who thinks douches like Claymore are every girl’s dream and romanticizes abuse?”[1] Another poster, Alessandra, in 2022, wrote “… if the hero had been a likeable character, I would have been able to get past the beating. But, he wasn’t.”[2] McNaught spoke about her decision to have the hero rape the heroine in Whitney, My Love in a 1999 Q&A with All About Romance. In this interview, a representative of All About Romance comments that, “Also, you are known to many of my readers as an author who ‘gives good grovel.’ In other words, your heroes may do some dastardly things, but they apologize and humble themselves so wonderfully that most readers forgive them.”[3] McNaught responds to this by saying that at the time in which she wrote the novel, she was reading “Flame and the Flower and a couple of novels by Rosemary Rogers,” and decided to based her male hero on these prototypes, because of a lack of other historical romance examples that were available to her.[4] It can then be concluded that Woodiwiss’ heroes influenced McNaught’s heroes, as there are proven similarities in their male heroes’ qualities and actions. One review of Woodiwiss’s NYT best-selling novel Shanna, published by All About Romance, details a scene in which the hero “introduces Shanna to passionate kisses,” but the scene as a whole “doesn’t feel anything like a seduction. It’s rape.”[5] In this case, one of Woodiwiss’s prototype male heroes exhibits physical dominance to conquer the heroine, but still remains favorable in the heroine’s eyes, demonstrating a potential positive view on how power defines masculinity for these heroes. One article published by Salon Magazine, “Virgins and Heroes: It Took a While, but Romance Novels Finally Learned That No Means No,” touches further upon this idea of Woodiwiss’ early portrayals of masculinity. Anderson writes in this article that the heroine in The Flame and the Flower, Heather, “has two bad choices,” with the one she chooses ultimately being “learn to love her rapist,” the hero, Brandon.[6] Anderson also touches upon the timeline of what was acceptable for male heroes, indicating that when Woodiwiss was publishing, in the early 60s and 70s, “public discussion” of issues like sexual harrassment and rape were just beginning to circulate. [7]Anderson hypothesizes that this may be why authors such as Woodiwiss felt more comfortable grappling with these issues through their novels and portraying male characters who are domineering and in control.
Healthy Romantic Heroes
Julia Quinn represented masculinity very differently from McNaught and Woodiwiss. In an interview with Quinn by Esquire Magazine, Quinn speaks about how she is conscious of having a male audience and wants to work on “‘portraying a healthy relationship in literature.’”[8] When asked about the qualities of her romantic heroes, Quinn commented that “We’re not expecting all men to be dukes or billionaires or have eight-packs. But what we should expect is to be treated with respect.”[9] Quinn also comments on her stance regarding how she portrays masculinity by listing some of the qualities the men in her novels have or grow to have. This includes the notion that “the men always come around and get in touch with their feelings,” and “they have to come into touch with their emotions to be in a healthy relationship.”[10] In this way, Quinn differs from McNaught and Woodiwiss by focusing on building male heroes who are more emotionally intelligent and less likely to use physical or emotional violence as a weapon. Quinn provides more insight into the type of men she likes to write about, saying that “every time I try to write a bad boy hero, he turns around and does something nice. I’ve heard people call my guys beta males.”[11] In this way, we can see how Quinn continues to prioritize creating likeable “beta” male heroes. Comparatively, the heroes in McNaught’s novels are often seen as “alpha.” In an article by NPR, about Judith McNaught, author Sarah Wendell comments that the “alpha male hero Clayton” in Whitney, My Love is most critiqued by her fans to this day.[12] In an article “Writing Romance: The Alpha Hero,” author Jax Hunter details Woodwiss’ characters as “alpha males.”[13] Furthermore, Hunter explains the difference between an “alpha” romantic hero and a “beta” romantic hero, stating that “[your alpha hero is] not touchy-feely and holds his cards close to his chest.”[14] This is seemingly different from the more emotional, respectful and willing to learn male characters of Quinn.
Socioeconomic Status & Attractiveness
While Quinn does not choose to have her male characters demonstrate physical and emotional abuse, certain qualities remain the same between the characters of McNaught, Woodiwiss, and Quinn. One quality that demonstrates masculinity is often related to the socioeconomic status of the male character. In many of the novels written by each of these three authors, the male hero does have some type of fortune and high status in society. According to an article on Screenrant, Julia Quinn’s illustrious Bridgerton male heroes are “rich as earls” and are “as a whole, obscenely rich.”[15] This includes Gregory, Colin, Benedict, and Anthony, the male heroes of her eight-book Bridgerton series published in the early 2000s and recently adapted to the film screen as a Netflix television show. In McNaught’s 1994 sweeping historical romance novel, Until You, the male hero is an Earl of Langford, and has a mansion, as well as vast influence in the English society of the novel.[16] Woodiwiss’ The Flame and the Flower features hero Brandon as a wealthy American sea merchant and landowner who runs a fruitful plantation in the Carolinas.[17]
Wealth and social status are not the only indicators of masculinity that these male heroes have in common. In addition, it is their striking physical appearance and muscularity that draw the heroine in. In Flame and the Flower, Woodiwiss writes that Brandon has a “tall, muscular build and piercing green eyes,” as well as “long sideburns that accentuated the lean, handsome features of his face”.[18] It is descriptions like these that are consistent throughout the novel and point to how Woodiwiss emphasized representations of masculinity through attractive bodily male characteristics. Brandon’s descriptors of being “muscular,” “tall,” and “handsome” are a few key examples. Judith McNaught, in a 2006 interview with All About Romance, stated that the male heroes she typically decides on have “fabulous good looks,” and “money, power, [and] social connections.”[19] The synopsis of her novel, A Kingdom of Dreams, posted by Romance.io details her main hero, Royce Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore, as a “handsome rogue” who has a “powerful embrace.”[20] In the same way, McNaught represents masculinity through sex appeal and good looks.
Julia Quinn reinforces this pattern by writing about her heroes’ physical attractiveness and charm. In Julia Quinn’s novel The Duke and I from 2000, Quinn describes within the first chapter how the hero, Duke Hastings is both “tall and athletic” with “penetrating” “icy blue eyes”.[21] Later in the same novel, Quinn writes that the Duke is “exquisitely muscled” and that for the heroine Daphne, there was no “escape [from] his seductive onslaught”.[22] Quinn represents masculinity of Duke Hastings through the way in which his body appears enticing to Daphne and the other members of society throughout the novel.
Conclusion
In evaluating the various ways Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Judith McNaught, and Julia Quinn represent masculinity through their male characters in historical romances, I have found numerous similarities and differences. While Woodiwiss and McNaught choose to represent traits of masculinity through physical dominance and ruthlessness, frequently including graphic depictions of abuse and rape, Quinn focuses on representing masculinity through a man’s emotional intelligence and growth through the novel or series. In interviews, Quinn has acknowledged that depicting respectful fictional relationships can positively influence her male readers, encouraging acceptance of healthier representations of masculinity. The portrayals by these three authors highlight notable differences; nevertheless, they consistently depict the socioeconomic status and attractiveness of the male characters in their novels. Quinn, McNaught, and Woodiwiss all write their heroes as wealthy, well-situated in society, and having extraordinary good looks, from physical muscles to alluring eyes. These captivating physical traits impress and sometimes fluster the heroine. In some cases, as mentioned with Judith McNaught, the good looks of the male help the heroine to forgive the gravity of the errors he committed at the beginning of the novel. In any case, the physical attractiveness of the male hero is a hallmark staple in the historical romance novels of Woodiwiss, McNaught, and Quinn. In conclusion, while there are some differences in the portrayals of masculinity, these three authors share similar goals of having their heroes embody masculine ideals such as wealth, attractiveness, and status.
Footnotes
[1] Peachygirl, “Whitney, My Love,” Goodreads, December 6, 2020, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/350684.Whitney_My_Love#CommunityReviews.
[2] Alessandra, “Whitney, My Love,” Goodreads, February 22, 2022, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/350684.Whitney_My_Love#CommunityReviews.
[3] “A Q&A with Judith McNaught.” All About Romance, September 7, 1999. https://allaboutromance.com/author-interviews/interview-with-judith-mcnaught/.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Uncovering the Flaws in Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss: A Review,” All About Romance, May 2016, https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/shanna-by-kathleen-e-woodiwiss/#:~:text=Other%20than%20that%20reprehensible%20rape,him%20over%20and%20over%20again.
[6] Julie Anderson, “Virgins and Heroes: It Took a While, but Romance Novels Finally Learned That No Means No,” Salon, February 14, 2016, https://www.salon.com/2016/02/14/virgins_and_heroes_how_romance_novels_shifted_in_their_exploration_of_womens_sexuality_and_the_nature_of_consent/.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Julia Quinn, “Writer Julia Quinn Heads to Netflix,” interview by Seattle Channel, YouTube, May 3, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAXCo0x8qhk.
[9]Julia Quinn, “Writer Julia Quinn Heads to Netflix,” interview by Seattle Channel, YouTube, May 3, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAXCo0x8qhk.
[10]Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Sarah Wendell, “Presenting: The Holy Romance Trinity of J,” NPR, August 30, 2015, https://www.npr.org/2015/08/30/432582568/presenting-the-holy-romance-trinity-of-j#:~:text=But%20like%20Deveraux%2C%20McNaught%20also,book%20that%20person%20has%20read.
[13] Jax Hunter, “Writing Romance: The Alpha Hero,” Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, April 12, 2017, https://rmfw.org/writing-romance-the-alpha-hero/.
[14] Jax Hunter, “Writing Romance: The Alpha Hero,” Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, April 12, 2017, https://rmfw.org/writing-romance-the-alpha-hero/.
[15] Alicia Grauso, “Bridgerton: How Much £5,000 Is Worth Today & How Wealthy Colin & Penelope Are,” Screen Rant, June 16, 2024, https://screenrant.com/how-much-5000-pounds-is-in-bridgerton-worth-today/.
[16] Judith McNaught, Until You (New York: Pocket Books, 1955).
[17] Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and the Flower (New York: Avon Books, 1972).
[18] Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and the Flower (New York: Avon Books, 1972).
[19] “Writer’s Corner for January, 2006,” All About Romance, January 2006, https://allaboutromance.com/writers-side/writers-corner/judith-mcnaught-2006-interview/.
[20] “Judith McNaught,” Romance.io, accessed April 17, 2025, https://www.romance.io/authors/545524058c7d2383163d8e50/judith-mcnaught.
[21] Julia Quinn, The Duke and I (New York: Avon Books, 2001).
[22] Ibid.
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