Posted by DR on July 29, 2005 at 04:51 [67.83.76.91]
In Reply to: Re: Stories by Hal posted by L.E. on July 28, 2005 at 20:24
Okay, I see. I've read that story. So Hal's stories are akin to BDSM abduction fiction, where the protagonist, a woman, is taken against her will by an unrelenting Master, who trains her to serve him, to serve him sexually -- all against her will and she hates her captivity completely -- but at the climax of the book she eventually comes to understand or appreciate her new station in life and resolves herself to her helplessness and that fact that she's his slave. In some stories, she even comes to love him. Is this an analagous theme to that of Hal's stories?
First, let me say -- those stories are red hot. My very favorite. The question is, "How consensual are those stories?"
I'll qualify -- its fiction, so consensuality really isn't an issue. But were they real life, then you're right L.E., they probably wouldn't be consensual. I say "probably" because I know several happy couples who practice non-consensual Master/slave lifestyles and whose situations aren't too different from my above story example.
My point here L.E. is that your use of the phrase "more consensual" is tricky. What is consent exactly? After years of thinking about that question, I'm still not exactly sure. Nevertheless, based on the *common definition* of consent, I agree with you that Hal's stories are not based around a consensual theme.
Thanks for clarifying.