The Heroic Rapist in Context: Rape Culture Examined Through Western Classics

Rape in contemporary western culture does not exist in a vacuum. In myth, many rapes that occur are presented heroically; that is, the rapist is empowered through Western societal mores to violate the victim. Using Susan Brownmiller’s theory of the heroic rapist, this paper will explore how the myth of the heroic rapist functions alongside other rape myths in the present-day climate of rape myth acceptance and the systematic silencing of victims. The purpose of this research is to study a narrow selection of historical origins of rape and break down resulting stereotypes – rape myths such as most women secretly want to be raped, men cannot be raped, and no woman can be raped against her will – that obfuscate the true patriarchal nature of rape.