Dictionary

bonnet ripper en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Blend of bonnet + bodice ripper, referencing the traditional head coverings of Amish women.

Meanings

1. A work in a subgenre of Christian romance fiction, which presents chaste courtship (typified by the removal of a bonnet) while avoiding explicit sexual content, and typically focuses on a woman from a traditionalist community (e.g., the Amish).
   • The dubious appeal of the bonnet-ripper: "His warm, gentle lips moved over hers, and she returned the favor, until Hannah thought they might both take flight right then and there. Finally desperate for air, they parted." 2009, Michelle Legro, “Semi-sweet Wallace Shawn, Dining with John Irving”, in The New Yorker Magazine:
   • The bonnet-ripper usually features a female protagonist who comes from an Amish or Mennonite background. 2017, Bernice M. Murphy, Key Concepts in Contemporary Popular Fiction, Edinburgh University Press:
   • What do you get when you cross bodice rippers with Amish fiction? That’s right, bonnet rippers. 2013, Husna Haq, “'Bonnet rippers'? Amish romances are only gaining in popularity”, in Christian Science Monitor:
   • Bonnet Rippers. I LOVE it. An update on the bodice ripper, but so much more chaste. 2013, Rebecca Armstrong, “Bonnet rippers: a new kind of romantic fiction”, in The Independent:
   • In her article in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Valerie Weaver-Zercher, author of Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels, educates readers on the phenomenon of the bonnet ripper. 2015, Jack Holmes Jr., New in Anabaptist Studies, Johns Hopkins University Press:
   • […] or you're reading a bonnet ripper about Jebediah the Amish farmer casting his steely gaze at Abigail the spinster, […] 2018, “How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living”, in The Babylon Bee, Crown Publishing Group:

Forms