Reading Rape Annotated

Annotated Bibliography

Sielke, Sabine. Reading Rape: The Rhetoric of Sexual Violence in American Literature and Culture 1790-1990. Princeton University Press, 2002.

Reading Rape examines how American culture talks about sexual violence and explains why, in the latter twentieth century, rape achieved such significance as a trope of power relations. Sabine Sielke traces the evolution of a specifically American rhetoric of rape, considering the kinds of cultural work that this rhetoric has performed and finds that rape has been an insistent figure for a range of social, political, and economic issues. Sielke argues that the representation of rape has been a major force in the cultural construction of sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity, class, and indeed national identity. This book teaches us what we talk about when we talk about rape. And what we're talking about is often something else entirely: power, money, social change, difference, and identity.

Strain, Megan. “Rape Is The New Black”: Humor’s Potential for

We consider the potential for such humor that references rape to reinforce or subvert rape culture. Reinforcing rape humor serves to normalize rape, thereby reinforcing rape culture, while subversive humor serves to challenge rape culture. We present evidence referencing the humor literature, as well as historic and current events, to support our argument that rape humor may serve either or both of these functions. Examining these two types of humor provides insight into an issue that has become increasingly important in the United States, and may also inform about the potential role of humor in contributing to the national discussion on the prevalence of rape. We conclude by discussing the challenges associated with using rape humor as well as demonstrating applications of subversive humor as a weapon against rape