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Seduction Novel

The Novel and Its Forms

The seduction novel is a literary genre which was popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A seduction novel presents the story of a virtuous, but helpless woman who is seduced by a man that will eventually betray her. "Inevitably, she yields herself to him; inevitably, she dies." Her failure to adhere to the commonly accepted standard of sexual behavior leads to her "self-destruction and death".

Facts
Notable Example
Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson (1791) 1
Defining Trait
A virtuous but helpless woman is seduced and eventually betrayed by a man 1
Sources
1. Seduction novel (Wikipedia)
  • Notable works
    Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson (1791)
  • Opening paragraph
    A seduction novel presents the story of a virtuous, but helpless woman who is seduced by a man that will eventually betray her.
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