Sit down and buckle up my darlings because this author has
something to say:

‘What the fuck?’

I can almost say for certain that Jane Austen is rolling in her
grave after having been compared to her ‘contemporary’
counterpart, Julia Quinn.

“Sometimes,” Violet said, barely even moving her lips
and certainly not moving her eyes off a single spot on
the floor, “people just do it because they like to.”

(Quinn, 2000: 240)

Truly, I wonder why you are so embarrassed to explain such a natural
desire then, Violet? Though I suppose we should thank The Duke and
I for gracing us with this one throwaway line, and for Simon’s care
towards Daphne’s sexual pleasure. Otherwise we may think it taboo to
talk about sex and female sexual pleasure, and heaven forbid we do
that…

In fact, The Duke and I is so successful in disbanding sexual taboo and
shame, that Daphne remains completely uneducated and virginal on
her wedding night, where her sexually-experienced husband must
show sweet, ‘innocent’ Daphne just how truly ‘wicked’ she can be.

And boy, does she show him! It seems that rape has unfortunately
become a common element in historical romance fiction, and
Bridgerton is no exception to this (Ficke, 2020: 122). Despite it not
being well-received (ever!), Daphne attempts to reclaim feminist
power through marital rape, by taking advantage of Simon while
he is unconscious and under the influence.

“Simon, stop this. What did I do that was so wrong? You
wanted me. You know you wanted me”

(Quinn, 2000: 327)

Daphne also describes feeling a surge of power and control
during her assault on Simon. wHaT A gIrL bOsS.
You know, I had faith in Daphne and her agency as a strong
female character but after this scene, her character is clearly as
flat as the paper in which she is written on. Because when we say
‘fuck the patriarchy’, we don’t mean it literally, and especially not
without consent.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the patriarchy has so
successfully blinded us into not only accepting this one-side social
contract of marriage, but it has also blinded us into desiring it!

‘I want a husband. I want children…all I know are large
families. I shouldn’t know how to exist outside of one’

(Quinn, 2000: 94)

And this is why Daphne Bridgerton shall never be my feminist
queen, Elizabeth Bennet. Because I do not want a role model
who cannot challenge the world around her, and embrace her
own identity outside of marriage and child-rearing.