Rape and Representation

Rape and Representation is a book of essays, edited by Lynn A. Higgins and Brenda R. Silver and published in (1991). The book "explores how cultural forms in Western society construct and reinforce social attitudes that encourage sexual violence. The contributors argue that literature reflects a patriarchal representation which makes the act of rape seem natural and inevitable" according to the Amazon blurb. Concentrating mainly on literature, the collection suggests that the politics and the aesthetics of rape representation are indistinguishable.
The representation of rape takes place in our culture in many ways and across a number of different media, from mainstream Hollywood movies, independent cinema and television to literature, broadcast and print news and the popular press, as well as pornography. This has been an area for much academic research (see Representations of Rape in Popular Culture bibliography.)
Theorists argue that it is important to differentiate...