Bonkbuster

Bonkbuster (a play on "blockbuster" and the verb "to bonk") is a term coined in 1989 by British writer Sue Limb to describe a subgenre of commercial romance novels in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their subsequent miniseries adaptations.[1][2][3] They have also been referred to as sex 'n' shopping or shopping and fucking novels (S&F).[4]

Genre history

Although the term has been used generally to describe "bodice-rippers" such as Forever Amber (1944) by Kathleen Winsor,[5] as well as Valley of the Dolls (1966) and the novels of Jacqueline Susann[6][7] and Harold Robbins,[8] it is specifically associated with the novels of Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, Shirley Conran, and Jilly Cooper, known for their glamorous, financially independent female protagonists and salacious storylines.[9] Many of these novels were adapted in the 1980s into glossy, big-budget miniseries, reminiscent of primetime soaps of the time, such as Dallas, Knots Landing and Dynasty.

Examples

References
  1. The Telegraph, 18 February 2002 Accessed 2007-11-11.
  2. Sydney Morning Herald, 19 June 2002 Accessed 2007-11-11.
  3. "Bonk word that bust convention". the Guardian. June 18, 2002.
  4. "sex'n'shopping novel". Oxford Reference.
  5. "Observer review: Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor". the Guardian. July 27, 2002.
  6. "Sex in the suburbs: a history of the bonkbuster in six books". the Guardian. July 28, 2012.
  7. Haines, Chris (October 1, 1997). "Media Circus". Salon.
  8. Cummins, Anthony (May 21, 2016). "Harold Robbins's cocaine-fuelled bonkbusters sold 750 million copies — and they're far better than Fifty Shades" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  9. "How the bonkbuster novel came to define a generation". The Independent. August 17, 2019.
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