Oops there goes my bodice

       From Loretta:
      
      Random musings on breasts today, because I’m going to have my annual mammogram in a few days.  As I write this sentence, I see a great many of the ladies in the audience wincing.  For some women, it’s excruciating.  Some cry.  Some even faint.  A few lucky ones experience little or no discomfort.
      So the musings begin with How Come No One Tells You It Doesn’t Have to Hurt So Much?
      There’s this device called a MammoPad.  It does not eliminate the pain but does reduce it significantly for most women.  In a perfect world, the technician would offer you a MammoPad sometime between the time when you appear in your johnny and the time when the tech finishes sticking those metal things showing where your nipples are.  (Q:  How hard are nipples to find?  Guys have no trouble with this.  Do we need more guy techs?  Q:  What’s the point of changing into an upper garment when we’re going to lay our naked breasts on the glass anyway--that being the whole point [ouch!] of the proceedings?)
      Please note:  Even though MammoPads were approved by the FDA in 2001, even though they allow the technician to get a better image, they are not offered automatically--are not even available everywhere.  You have to ask for them.  Which is kind of a Catch-22, since most women haven’t heard of them.  My recent survey, which included a licensed x-ray technician, turned up not one single woman who’d heard of MammoPads.
      Comments, anybody?  (Ranting and raving is OK, too.)
       You would think, considering how much most guys love them, breasts would have an easier time in life.  But no.  Not in the U.S., anyway.  Judging by our attitudes, you’d think they were the Evil Orbs of Destruction.  They get fuzzed out on TV shows lest they...Well, I don’t know what terrible calamity will ensue.  They don’t seem all that dangerous to me, even the gigantic ones, even when they explode suddenly into view in public, as did one of Janet Jackson’s at the 2004 Superbowl.  The way some people reacted, you’d think Satan had landed at halftime.
      Am I the only one who finds this puzzling?  What’s the difference between showing almost all of a breast (in a bikini or low-cut dress) and showing all of it?  Are nipples EVIL?
      I mean, look at Diana Kirke, in all her radiant beauty.

"One of Peter Lely's most provocative and openly sensual portraits, this image depicts its sitter as a Restoration goddess, one who is a conflation of both Flora and Venus whose symbols were, among others, the bare breast and blooming rose. Lely captures and conveys the 'beauty' of his sitter by associating her with these goddesses of spring and love.
       "Since antiquity the bared breast had come to symbolise a woman's physical allure, her fecundity and ultimately her availability; consequently, by the Renaissance it had become particularly associated with portraits of mistresses.  Similarly, the rose had been considered a sacred emblem of Venus and Renaissance artists frequently chose to represent the goddess--as well as the women in that guise--posing with the flower.”   (From Painted Ladies via Wench Susan/Miranda.)
      Some years ago, a porn star was elected to the Italian parliament, and appeared bare-breasted in a parade.  In Great Britain, where the Puritans actually ruled the whole country for a generation, you can see a naked lady on Page Three of THE SUN.  Breasts and other naughty bits appear on BBC costume dramas, but disappear when the show comes to the U.S.--unless it shows on PBS.  I could give many examples from other cultures.  So can you.  Please feel free to do so.  Cultural as well as historical attitudes towards sex and the human body are always fascinating.
      Which brings me to the Mystery of the Bodice Ripper.  I know romance doesn’t get respect in lots of places, not simply the U.S.  But we’ve got that term.  And it’s about breasts, because that’s where the bodice is, right up there, trying to contain those Great Globes of Destiny.
      My question is, Where did this “bodice ripper” thing come from?  Did such books actually exist?  Or are they an urban myth?  I honestly don’t know.  I started reading romances some years after college, and don’t remember reading a scene in which the hero rips the heroine’s bodice.  Have any of you ever come upon a bodice-ripper scene? 
      If so, did the hero do it or the villain?  And what about the logistics?  Since the Wenches have talked about corsets, repeatedly and at length, all of you Enlightened Persons are aware that merely ripping a bodice only gets a guy, depending on the time period, to several more layers of clothing, which includes armament known as a corset.  So the question arises, Why bother with the bodice, anyway?  Until after the first couple of decades of the 1800s, women did not wear underpants, and even then, they were crotchless.  If rape--or the euphemism, “ravishment”--is the goal, isn’t it easier to go directly to her Precious Treasure, below the waist, even if the woman is wearing panniers?  And as to THAT scenario: I picture the panniers--or in the Victorian era, hoops--bouncing up and hitting the guy in the face, which turns the scene into a Marx Brothers comedy and not My Torrid Passion.  Which probably explains some of my smoochy scenes.
      And now I think about it, maybe I wrote a bodice ripper scene:  Did one of my heroines rip her own bodice?  I can't remember, but it does seem like a surefire way to get the hero’s attention.
       Well, what do you think? Are breasts dangerous?  Must they be crushed?  Must they be concealed?  Are they now or have they ever, in a romance, been exposed via a ripping bodice?  Feel free to answer these or any other questions that occur to you.
      
Photo credit.  Breasts not bombs:  (Scene from an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. September 24, 2005. Photograph by Bert Schlauch, Minneapolis, MN.)

Here's a challenge for you: A free copy of one my books to one of the readers who can give us the title of the romance and an actual quote from a bodice-ripping scene.

Comments

[RevMelinda]

Loretta,

Some late night thoughts on your fabulous post!

I so much prefer the term "bodice buster"--it seems to my ear to convey the heaving and swelling of a a womanly bosom, surely more a staple of the romance genre than the assaultive and piratical "ripping."

The most amazing thing about breasts is that they make milk for babies--and that many people somehow find nursing mothers "offensive" and "exhibitionist."

On the topic of Historical Breasts, here's a new book scheduled for January 2008 by my favorite professor: "A Complex Delight: The Secularization of the Breast, 1350-1750."

http://www.amazon.com/Complex-Delight-Secularization-Breast-1350-1750/dp/0520253485/ref=sr_1_12/104-1453707-3121506?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184132189&sr=1-12

The description says, "Margaret R. Miles finds that while in 1350 the Virgin's bare breast represented nourishment and loving care . . . by 1750, artistic representations of the breast were either erotic or medical. The breast had lost its meaning as a religious symbol."

And Loretta, what are the "metal things" associated with mammograms? I have never come across them. Does this mean my HMO is operating a Sub-Standard Mammography operation? I Need to Know.

Your humble,
Melinda

[Sherrie Holmes]

"I so much prefer the term "bodice buster"

Oh, Melinda, a double entendre if ever I saw one! Hee!

Loretta, I'm one of the lucky ones. I don't experience too much discomfort during mammograms. When the plate comes down to squash the boob, it always seems to stop just before ouch.

"My question is, Where did this “bodice ripper” thing come from?"

I've always thought it referred to the "idea" of a romance novel back in the sixties when they were full of raping and pillaging. As to where it came from, I'll just bet some tightly sphinctered literary reviewer coined the phrase. *g*

[Ranurgis]

When my family came to Canada from Germany, they were astounded at how puritanical things were here, though I must admit I still remember the time in Germany when my mother made me go naked into a lake. I can remember begging her to at least let me wear my panties.

But I guess there is so much art of naked people in Europe. Most of the early ones, especially the statues of both male and female, gods and goddesses were naked. Think of Venus de Milo and others like her. Some did wear loose robes or just cloth to cover themselves but a lot of ancient art is simply of the body itself.

Perhaps the Puritans began the notion of not showing breasts since they were a potential source of "adoration" or whatever. Most early settlers in the U.S. were there for religious freedom.

Canada's early settlers were here mainly for commercial reasons and the government had to ferry in females so that the trappers and voyageurs could marry someone other than the native women. Louis XIV especially undertook to provide for the lonely French citizens here with the King's Girls.

When I returned to Germany the first time in 1962, I was appalled by all the magazines showing naked women--and I mean totally naked. I had grown where men were forbidden to wear shorts: My uncle had a pair of Lederhosen and one summer day he decided to wear them to the City Park. It wasn't long before some park warden came and told him that he could *not* wear shorts in the Park. Though he argued, they finally called the police to show him out or they would collect a fine from him. Since this uncle was stubborn, it got to the point where he was forbidden to come into the park wearing his Lederhosen. Out of spite--he decided he'd never go back there. That was his and his family's loss.

But we are all more prudish about seeing unclad men--even in Europe. However, many of the Roman gods were in the altogether sometimes right in the middle of a street. Or think of Michelangelo's David. No fig leaf there. And Europeans have been a little more open about nursing their babies in public places though there's usually a little cover-up going on.

As you can see from my embarrassment at having to go naked into a lake, I'm not daring in the least although I've been known to walk around my apartment on a very hot day wearing nothing but panties, like now, as a matter of fact.

I suppose if we lived in an area or especially in a country that was always sweltering, things would be a little different too. But we cover up in piles of clothing in the winter and then to suddenly show everything during a heat wave just seems strange.

Maybe some women don't want to show their breasts if they're on the small side although some men seem to love those. For men, it's perhaps the same case, especially with the present emphasis on size and rock-hardness. Like everybody else I get spam for equipment I don't have.

In my view there are much more important questions than deciding which is the sexiest car, color or the sexiest you-name-it. Are sex and sexiness really the be-all and end-all of life?

How about donating the money for these sex-improving operations and medicines to those who are starving to death even in our countries. Should we not be more concerned with the billions who go hungry every day while tons of food are thrown out during that same time.

Not only have we lost the tender beauty of a nurturing and caring mother (how many actually still nurse their children). We've all lost our humanity toward a starving world where it is estimated that half of the world's children barely know where their next meal is coming from, including if I remember correctly, 12 million in the U.S. With the growing gulf between rich and poor in North America, shouldn't we start somewhere to eradicate it so that mothers can hope to see their children succeed in life. Sometimes it seems to me as though it is a quiet plan of euthanasia the way that the governments are cutting down the education grants to the poor and raising them for the rich. A man would have to work 168 hours a week at minimum wage to be able to afford half-decent accommodations for his family in most cities. How can we be so heartless?

Sorry, I know I'm of topic but since I saw these figures in reputable sources they have really been eating at me. Can we afford to do nothing? Let us give mothers, children and fathers some hope again.

[Laura Vivanco]

France has got the iconic Delacroix painting of Liberty Leading the People, and she's appeared on banknotes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People

In Scotland in 2004 'The Breastfeeding (Scotland) Bill received wide support and was passed [...].

Anyone breaking the law and preventing a mother from breastfeeding will be liable to a fine of up to £2,000.' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4021137.stm

Not that one usually displays an entire breast while breastfeeding (for one thing, you'd catch a chill at most times of the year) and I'm not sure how many people had negative experiences while breastfeeding, but obviously some had, and this legislation was an attempt to make sure that breastfeeding in public couldn't be questioned by anyone.

[Maggie Robinson]

I just came back from vacation in Las Vegas, where numerous breasts were on display, from surgically enhanced to sitting next to a mom nursing her adorable 9 month old on a plane. Lounging at the pool for a week made me very alert to the human condition in all its glorious and ghastly forms (and BTW, everyone in America is tattooed...except for me and my husband).

I'm not averse to a little cleavage but will always remember the little black cocktail dress I had in college, which my grandmother thought was a slip. I do enjoy reading about the hero's speculation as he catches a glimpse of shocking decollete...but at the same time I would not be comfortable in corset-induced exposure. A bathing suit is bad enough.

I suppose breasts are useful to attract the male of the species so they can finally do the job they were intended for---the feeding of infants, little lust killers that they are.

[kay]

I also need to ask...what metal things? Is this really a mammogram or is it something kinky?

[Maggie Robinson]

I believe Loretta's talking about a kind of band-aid with metal beads that gets placed on the nipples so the radiologist can figure out which end is up (or down).

[Elizabeth K. Mahon]

Loretta, I remember many scenes in historical romances in the seventies where the hero would rip the bodice of the heroine's night rail, or just rip it off her. That's the closest that I've seen to an actual bodice ripper. And what if the bodice is made of velvet? How do you rip that?

[LorettaChase]

RevMelinda & Kay: Maggie's answered the metal nipple thing question. There must be an official name for them. I'll ask my x-ray tech contact and get back to you. I'm going to check out that book you mentioned, RevMelinda, but in the meantime, Maggie has made an interesting point about the use of breasts as a sexual lure...and the ironic results.

[LorettaChase]

Ranurgis, I know that Conspicuous Consumption's been around a long time, but I, too,find myself thinking that money could be better spent helping the underprivileged than on the bigger, sexier house--that people build for show and don't live in--humungous yachts (again, used infrequently)--and a great many other acquisitions that just look ridiculous to me. Not that I'm against owning nice things, but it seems there's a point where it's sheer wasteful extravagance, and I wish some people would draw the line. So many love to trash Bill Gates & his Evil Empire, but at least he and his wife are not spending all that wealth on themselves.
As to sexual enhancements, esp. breast enhancements, I know that some people are very, very insecure about their bodies. I know, too, that Hollywood rewards the pneumatic bosoms and size 00 figures. But I do think it's rather sad, and that we're losing our appreciation for and joy in the natural human form in all its infinite variety.

[LorettaChase]

The metal thingies are called "nipple markers." I find them highly amusing. It's good to find something amusing about this process.

Elizabeth, maybe you're onto something. A night dress would be much easier to rip. If I understand correctly, the ones in my time period (1820s) were basically shifts, or chemises, made of muslin typically, but probably longer than the shift worn in the day. Later, it gets to be more like the standard flannel nightgown of today, with a buttoned opening down the front.

Here's a challenge for you: A free copy of one my books to one of the readers who can give us an actual quote from a bodice-ripping scene. Actually, this sounds like so much fun that I'm going to edit the post accordingly.

[Patricia Rice]

LOL, thank you, Loretta! I was having a boring day until I stopped in here. "G" Like Sherrie, I don't have a problem with mammograms, and the great hidden breast enigma is surely a Puritan descendant (along with fear of witchcraft!), although HBO, et al seems to be bringing an end to that. Not sure I fully approve since sexy lingerie and daring decolletage works a lot better for the unendowed like me.

But you threw out a challenge and I simply cannot resist. I don't need a free copy of your book since I already own them all, but here ya go:

Rosemary Rogers, WICKED LOVING LIES (don't you just love those old titles?) Avon 10/76 (667 packed pages for $1.95):

Page 649 (this is a paragraph long sentence so let me judiciously edit) "The torchlight flickered...it sent shadows leaping grotesquely against the walls: hers, as Marisa tried to escape him, fighting as if it were for her life; and Pedro's as he sent her staggering backward with a blow against the side of her face, and then followed with a leap, catching the front of her gown with his fingers and ripping it all the way down the front."

and this after they were just married. to be fair, Pedro is the villain. And this is nearly the end of the book! (RR is really too easy for this challenge) I'd have to read way too much to discover the fabric of her dress but he rips all the rest of her clothing off a page later. Must be one of those ladies who don't wear corsets. I'm assuming the setting is either Mexico or Spanish Louisiana, so the gown is bound to be rich silk or satin with ginormous petticoats. (don't you just love that new word? ginormous. my favorite addition to Websters)

Have fun with this one!

[Beth]

I have read some bodice rippers, and don't find them nearly as "hot" as the ones where both parties consent! As to the bodice actually ripping, I can't remember...Do euphemisms count? In a Georgette Heyer, (Convenient Marriage) Horry gets kidnapped. Her assailant tears her bodice, causing her to lose an heirloom brooch. As you know, Heyer keeps things mild and masked, but the guy was trying to "ravish" her. I'm ready for a new, more comfortable invention to replace our modern day brassieres.

[MaryK]

I'm sure I've read instances of bodice ripping, but I can't remember any specifics. What a time to be away from my library! Anyway, here's an internet claim to the origin of the phrase. Keep your salt shakers handy.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bodice-ripper.html

[Janga]

Im not at home, so I can't check books, but I feel sure that there are other examples from Rosemary Rogers and Company.

A favorite student of mine from the early 80s, a big fan of the sweeping historicals, called them "heaving bosom books," a term that was probably accurate on a much larger scale than "bodice rippers."

[Susan/DC]

I've always taken great comfort in an article I read years ago by a man who said he much preferred natural breasts of any size to enhanced ones. He talked about his first encounter with a woman who appeared to have a lovely figure when fully clothed, but when undressed her upper half had these unnaturally perfect circles. While he then went into rather more detail about the differences between a God-given endowment and one that springs from Dow Chemical and why the former was so much better, he didn't mention something I wonder about: how they deal with the whole mammogram thing.

[sleeky]

I have one!

"He pulled back to draw off his boots and saw her draw the tattered remains of her bodice close in an oddly innocent gesture."

From _Deceived_ by Nicola Cornick. Not a rape scene, just an over enthusiastic lover. :-)

[Kim]

A few years ago when I went to get my mammogram at the hospital, they had a new machine with the mammopad. When the nurse said "you're all done", I was shocked. I said "that was it". lol It didn't hurt at all. What a huge improvement.

The bodice-ripper books did exist because I have a few in my keepr collection. haha! Here's a bodice-ripping scene in Fires of Winter by Johanna Lindsey. This scene is with the heroine and a villian.

"He pulled fiercely at the top of her shirt and ripped it down to the waist, exposing her white, perfectly shaped breasts. She kicked and she bit, but this only increased his pleasure, and he fumbled at his pants to free his swollen member. As he made to enter her, he heard the sound of pounding hooves nearby and looked up in alarm."

When someone asks me today if I think romances have changed, I'm going to say yes. I had forgotten. haha!

[Kathy Kremer]

I can help about how they handle mammograms with breast enhancements. They have to do extra views to make sure that all the tissue is visible- more squishy ouches. There is a small potential that the squishing will pop the saline bags, so that's a factor to consider. Also, speaking as someone who does breast exams as part of a health check-up, it's darned hard to make sure you have felt all the lymph nodes on the chest wall, especially if the surgery was years ago and the bag is encased in scar tissue. There's a potential that the surgery will interfere with breast feeding a baby. And it's really obvious that the breasts are surgically enhanced when you are lying on your back and they are still pointing perkily upwards. ;-) To me, the point of plastic surgery is to look like yourself, only better- not to look plastic.

[LorettaChase]

Please pardon the delay in responding: TypePad was having technical difficulties.

Laura Vivanco: You probably heard about the big controversy back in November, when a breastfeeding mother was kicked off a plane in Vermont. I guess we need a law like the one in Scotland.

Kathy Kremer: Thank you for doing a much better job with the explanation about implants than I could have done. Susan/DC--hope this clears things up.

Pat: Wow. Excellent example. Rosemary Rogers, of course. Classic.

Beth, I can’t believe it! I just read that book and remembered about the brooch but forgot totally about the ripped bodice. And Georgette, no less!

Mary Kay, that was about what one would expect. But given examples so far, and given my current (limited) reading, I’d say that explanation was dated.

Janga, I think “heaving bosom books” is closer to the mark. My question: What about mysteries, fantasy, and so forth? Are there nicknames for them?

Sleeky, overenthusiastic lovers count. If the bodice gets ripped, it counts.

Kim, excellent Johanna Lindsey example.

So am I right in thinking we’ll find most of the bodice ripping in books from the 70s and 80s than in current romance?

[Saoirse Redgrave]

As to the USA's prudishness...

Only yesterday was it officially announced that mothers MAY breastfeed their babies in public settings in Pennsylvania. I'd have to check, but it seems the report said PA was the 39th state to allow it. So, they may not have their state budget approved yet, but hey, let the breastfeeders do it in public... ;-)

I breastfed (and occasionally in "public" places) but when "out and about" it was considered polite (dare I say "prudent") to cover the child's face with a blankie--talk about passing a sense of shame onto the next generation! ;-)

According to "Barnhart's Concise Dict. of Etymology," bodice is originally found in usage in 1566 and refers simply to a "tight-fitting part of a garment covering the trunk of the body." So it's not necessarily the separate garment thought of in later years.

Having been "involved" in Medieval and Renaissance re-enactment, the bodices of many could be ripped (not easily, but they've been made of duck cloth and other heavy cotton-type fabrics which definitely can be torn if enough effort's made at the start) but "split" would be better considering trends in where laces ran/run. If a hero managed to tear at the laces, the thing would almost "rip" open (especially if we consider "rip" as a word emphasizing speed).

Maybe that helps...
~Saoirse

[Saoirse Redgrave]

As to the USA's prudishness...

Only yesterday was it officially announced that mothers MAY breastfeed their babies in public settings in Pennsylvania. I'd have to check, but it seems the report said PA was the 39th state to allow it. So, they may not have their state budget approved yet, but hey, let the breastfeeders do it in public... ;-)

I breastfed (and occasionally in "public" places) but when "out and about" it was considered polite (dare I say "prudent") to cover the child's face with a blankie--talk about passing a sense of shame onto the next generation! ;-)

According to "Barnhart's Concise Dict. of Etymology," bodice is originally found in usage in 1566 and refers simply to a "tight-fitting part of a garment covering the trunk of the body." So it's not necessarily the separate garment thought of in later years.

Having been "involved" in Medieval and Renaissance re-enactment, the bodices of many could be ripped (not easily, but they've been made of duck cloth and other heavy cotton-type fabrics which definitely can be torn if enough effort's made at the start) but "split" would be better considering trends in where laces ran/run. If a hero managed to tear at the laces, the thing would almost "rip" open (especially if we consider "rip" as a word emphasizing speed).

Maybe that helps...
~Saoirse

[Jo Beverley]

Hi, Wench Jo here, popping in from Dallas to find a very intriguing topic.(I had need to pay the $10 for internet access, so decided to use it a bit more.)

I, too, am lucky enough to not to have too much pain with mammograms, but those pads sound great to me. If guys had to have their baubles crushed, they'd have had such things from day one!

Love the bodice ripper examples. There's actually one in Dorothy Dunnett, though I can't quote it from memory. It's the sort that wouldn't work because it sounds like a pretty substantial bodice, but close to the end of Checkmate Lymond tears open Margaret Lennox's bodice to expose her sagging breasts. Clearly, it's a directb attack, not a sexual assault, but I wonder if DD was playing with the bodice ripper notion.

SF&F sometimes regard Sci Fi, pronounced, skiffy, rather as we do bodice ripper, as meaning silly, badly researched, and trite.

Nothing too exciting to report, but the buyers from the major chains and distributors continue to report that historical romance sales are strong, ranking second only to romantic suspense. And everyone agrees they're getting stronger all the time. Yay!

Jo :)

[Nancy]

I couldn't believe it. I happened to reread a book after seeing this blog, and there it was!

1994. Susan E. Phillips(!), "It Had to be You" p. 127 - the mistaken identity scene in the gazebo.

===

He released her mouth and grabbed the bodice of her dress in his fist. With one hard jerk, he ripped.

Two things happened simultaneously. A violent scream erupted from her lips. And the hand cupping her breast froze.

"Val?"

He groped her breast. His entire body stiffened. And then he jumped away from her as if she were radioactive.

[Loretta Chase]

Jo, thanks for the good news from RWA! Yay for historical romance! And Dunnett--yes probably playing with the concept. And skiffy SciFi? Who knew?

Saorise, that's a big help. What a difference it makes when we hear from people who've actually worn the clothes (like Nina and her corset).
Nancy, again, I can't believe my useless memory. I read that book, too, and totally forgot about that scene. So there goes my 70s and 80s theory.

But this is great. A lot more people qualifying for the free book than I would have guessed. And inspiring me to write a real bodice-ripper myself.

[Heather]

I've got one....a bodice ripper, that is. I didn't see it listed above, but if it is, I apologize.

From the great Kathleen E. Woodiwiss -

The Wolf and the Dove p. 121

She tried to pull away but his hand held her wrist in an iron grip and Aislinn felt herself relentlessly drawn to his lap. her long hair twined about them hampering her battle, but her sharp teeth found his hand. Wulfgar grunted in pain and released her arm, then as she snatched away, reached for her again catching his fingers in the neck of her kirtle. There was a rending tear and the garment split from top to bottom as she straightened.

It is one of my absolute favorite books.

[Maria]

Umm...not sure whether to
mention this example:
"While she watched, spellbound, he brought his hand to the neckline of her soaked gown. With one easy yank, he tore it to the waist. 'Happy now, witch?' he whispered."
The hero, to the heroine, who, to be fair, had just urged him to "Rip it." From "The Mad Earl's Bride." In Three Weddings and a Kiss. By Loretta Chase.

[Loretta Chase]

LOL, Maria! I had a feeling I had one of those somewhere. Just goes to show that my memory is Swiss cheese.
Heather, there's another jog to my memory. I was trying to remember if there was a Kathleen Woodiwiss story with a ripping bodice scene. I thought it might be Ashes in the Wind.

[Cathy Leming]

Some Italian Masters have painted topless women, who, according to many oncologists, had breast cancer.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/qv36n1j3w526l9rl/

There are others.

I know, i'm not posting a bodice-ripper expose, but it is in line with breasts and mammograms and men knowing what's where. Having worked in the therapeutic area of oncology for years, I find these paintings fascinating.

[Loretta Chase]

Wow, Cathy, that really is fascinating. I know that medical experts do review historical cases to try to figure out exactly what killed them or what ailment they suffered (King George III and his madness is a classic example) but I didn't know about their studying paintings. This relates nicely, too, to Dr. Josh's blog, about historical medical understanding and treatments.

[Bibiana]

Jo,

I didn't remember that Lymond ripped Margaret's bodice, just remembered the wig... But here it is, you're right: (Dorothy Dunnett, Checkmate, p. 562, Century publishing):
One could, as he had proved, concentrate the willpower. One could lease five minutes' strength, or perhaps less, and hold it until now, when she was standing smiling, her beautiful hair aureoled by the fire.
It took three long, silent strides to reach her; and one hand to seize her dress and another her hair. The gown ripped, as he had meant it to, through the bodice and the embroidered chemise under, until she was bare to the waistline. The hair came away in his hand, leaving behind it an unkempt, strong-smelling nest. The head, prematurely grey, of a forty-three year old woman who stood, her painted neck blotched by his hands, too vain to shriek out in protest.
So he summoned help for her, walking erratically to the door and opening it gently, so that the four men leaning outside stood and stared at him and then at what they saw past his shoulder, as their prisoner stepped aside and encouraged them cordially to enter.

Greetings from Germany, Bibiana

[Sherrie Holmes]

Bibiana, that is one of the most satisfying scenes Dunnett ever wrote. After all the vicious things Margaret had done to Lymond over the years, this was the most perfect revenge, because it struck where she was most vulnerable: her vanity. I loved that scene, even if it *is* a bodice ripper!