The world of paranormal romance is wide and strange and generically multifarious. Human beings engage erotically with almost every monster the psyche has conjured up, even those where consummation seems somewhat impractical–ghosts, mermen, and zombies, for example. Some of the more ingenious, odd, and–it has to be said–badly written examples of this genre are to be found among Amazon’s self-published catalogue. But Christina Harding’s raunchy Underneath the Gargoyle surprised me with its choice of rock-hard gargoyle as love object and introduced me to a new subgenre from the many components that assemble in paranormal romance–that of ‘capture fantasy’.
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Is this a reference to the Hunchback of Notre Dame do you think? There is a huge emphasis on the gargoyles in that (and the film plays on this brilliantly). Quasimodo turns to a gargoyle on the ramparts of Notre Dame as Esmeralda rides off with Gringoire and says “Why was I not made of stone like thee?”. There are constant comparisons throughout to the fact he looks like a gargoyle but does not have a heart of stone in fact he is capable of deep unrequited love which is very tragic. I think Hugo’s novel must be the first gargoyle romance – maybe it inspired this PR fantasy!! Interestingly Quasimodo is a very sympathetic monster considering when it was written and is treated brutally and victimised and framed by the church. I think there should be more discussion of him with regard to monster theory. The book is very, very well written too I think. See below a clip from one of the best films from the 1930s and featuring gargoyles!! It also features witch burning and is very, very powerful….
Ooooh, I don’t know! It’s a long, long time since I’ve seen this film; I’ve not read the book either (shamefully). I’d love to watch it again, and read the book, too.
I don’t know about the association with this book, though–I don’t think this lubricious heroine is thinking of the gargoyle’s hard hearts.