Our engagement with stories shapes our understanding of the world and when it comes to the exposure of sensitive topics like rape and sexual assault, the narratives we consume can have a profound effect. There are concerning ways in which literature, often unintentionally, contributes to the normalization of these violent acts. This normalization can have harmful consequences regarding how we understand consent, accountability and the realities of sexual violence.
One of the most direct forms of normalization occurs when sexual assault is disguised or romanticized within popular genres; Dr. Brittnee Fisher’s review of Haunting Adeline, a popular “dark romance” book by H.D. Carlton, is a prime example. “Zade stalking Adeline and then forcing her into a sexual relationship using coercion and violence,” was the core relationship that Fisher found to be distressing, especially when considering the book’s considerable publicity.
It might make it difficult for readers to distinguish the difference between healthy relationships and toxic ones, making this romanticization extremely problematic. It runs the risk of desensitizing people to the reality of non-consensual activities and possibly altering their own expectations in relationships by portraying such a dynamic as thrilling or desired. Fisher makes it clear that “the relationship between Adeline and Zade is not healthy or romantic,” but its widespread appeal raises concerns about the acceptance and fascination of such a relationship within society.
The examination by Zoe Marzo in The Dark Page: Updating Patterns of Rape in Fiction offers a more comprehensive viewpoint on this matter. She contends that rape is frequently used as a story mechanism in novels, frequently shown in “exaggerated” ways that ironically cause desensitization. Literature such as the forementioned Haunting Adeline may unintentionally downplay the more complex realities of sexual assault by emphasizing extreme situations, like the serial rapists in the book Peach for Father Francis.
A skewed understanding of what sexual assault is might result from this emphasis on the extreme, normalizing abuse of many levels. Authors should not expose such a sensitive topic and allow their audience to diminish their emotional responsiveness to something that many have suffered and been exposed to.
Marzo also draws attention to the improper portrayal of offenders. They are frequently portrayed as having “extreme good looks, physical strength, charm, influence and wealth,” which makes them seem nearly legendary and untouchable. This trope, seen in popular “dark romances” can quietly normalize the concept that such desirable people are somehow exempt from accountability or that their behaviors are a result of their high status.
The damaging cultural perception of privilege and prestige can justify and strengthen abusive behavior. These characters are often portrayed in a way that shields them from lasting consequences, even when their actions are exposed. Frequently, their narratives are wrapped up with sudden deaths which dismiss them of such atrocities committed. According to Marzo, these aggressors’ clean and frequently violent deaths provide a “flimsy, momentary sense of empowerment” but ultimately enable them to “escape scrutiny” and avoid accepting accountability for their actions.
Although crucial, the propensity to sidestep the intricacies of rape in favor of outside variables or the victim’s experience can also normalize the crime by hiding the perpetrator’s “failed humanity,” as Marzo puts it.
Marzo, on the other hand, commends Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun for its “objective rape scene” that features a character whom the reader has grown to believe in. This depiction provides a more complex and sympathetic viewpoint towards the oppressor, not to justify the conduct, but to make it easier to comprehend. These books also reveal that someone a reader has come to trust or positioned as protectors can be capable of deeply harmful actions. This unsettling realization reinforces the idea that outward appearances often mask abusive behavior. This kind of representation can challenge the oversimplified idea that criminals are only bad and promote a more thorough investigation of people’s potential for both good and bad.
The practical repercussions of the desensitization regarding sexual misconduct should not be ignored. It is significant to keep people accountable and uphold disgust at such atrocities. The importance of society to aggressively fight against the normalization of sexual assault in all of its manifestations, especially in literature, is of great significance. While fiction has the ability to explore unpleasant truths and promote empathy, the sensationalized portrayal of rape and sexual assault contribute to their normalization.
According to Teagan Bailey Fortune, there was research done on the commentary on TikTok videos of the association between the audience and the “dark romance,” portrayed as entertainment. Hashtags for the video include #hauntingadeline and #zademeadows, which is in reference to Haunting Adeline. The novel discusses elements of rape culture, such as stalking, sexual assault and kidnapping. One user commented “I don’t want, it’s a need,” and another stated “THE WAY I SMILED.”
Not only is fiction pushing boundaries, but there is a general disregard for the fact that normalizing abuse by making it seem attractive also helps to normalize rape culture. Media portrayals of sexual violence that use language of passion, power and desire teach viewers– especially children–that fear is alluring, obsession is attractive and force is a necessary component of love. This is dangerous as it transforms these themes into entertainment and not only misrepresents what consent is, butalso downplays the suffering that sexual assault survivors experience in real life.
Sexual assault and rape should never be seen as exciting or edgy plot features. They are violent crimes that take lives, not idealized or glorified fantasies. Normalizing these stories blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction in the worst way possible, making it more difficult for society to identify abuse when it occurs. Media and literature have the ability to shape our thoughts and emotions, but that ability carries responsibilities. We need to demand better and call out the stories that continue to do harm. It is impossible to treat rape seriously in real life when we start treating it like entertainment.
It is critical to identify these trends and recognize how they can weaken our comprehension of consent, downplay the severity of sexual assault and make it more difficult to be put into perspective the reality of problematic normalization. Rape and sexual assault are not plot devices, but real, devastating experiences that deserve to be treated as such.
