bonnet ripper

English edit

Alternative forms edit

bonnet-ripper

Etymology edit

Blend of bonnet +‎ bodice ripper. From being a genre of romance having women wearing bonnets, and frequently shown on the covers wearing such; whose characters harken back to the historical settings of bodice rippers.

Pronunciation edit

Audio (US) (file)

Noun edit

bonnet ripper (plural bonnet rippers)

A work in a genre of romantic fiction and Christian fiction that presents chaste representations of romantic love, where the most intimate action may be the removal of a bonnet or other similarly chaste actions. The genre is aimed at conservative devout Christian women, and frequently feature protagonists who are Amish, Mennonite, Quaker, Shaker, Puritan, or similar.
- 2018, “How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living”, in The Babylon Bee, Crown Publishing Group:
  […] or you're reading a bonnet ripper about Jebediah the Amish farmer casting his steely gaze at Abigail the spinster, […]
- 2017, Bernice M. Murphy, Key Concepts in Contemporary Popular Fiction, Edinburgh University Press:
  The bonnet-ripper usually features a female protagonist who comes from an Amish or Mennonite background.
- 2015, Jack Holmes Jr., New in Anabaptist Studies, Johns Hopkins University Press:
  In her article in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Valerie Weaver-Zercher, author of Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels, educates readers on the phenomenon of the bonnet ripper.
- 2009, Michelle Legro, “Semi-sweet Wallace Shawn, Dining with John Irving”, in The New Yorker Magazine:
  The dubious appeal of the bonnet-ripper: "His warm, gentle lips moved over hers, and she returned the favor, until Hannah thought they might both take flight right then and there. Finally desperate for air, they parted."
- 2013, Husna Haq, “'Bonnet rippers'? Amish romances are only gaining in popularity”, in Christian Science Monitor:
  What do you get when you cross bodice rippers with Amish fiction? That’s right, bonnet rippers.
- 2013, Rebecca Armstrong, “Bonnet rippers: a new kind of romantic fiction”, in The Independent:
  Bonnet Rippers. I LOVE it. An update on the bodice ripper, but so much more chaste.

Hypernyms edit

Hyponyms edit

Amish romance