![Raja Ravi Varma, Vasanthasena (Oleographic print)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Raja_Ravi_Varma%2C_Vasanthasena_%28Oleographic_print%29.jpg)
The hooker with a heart of gold is a
stock character involving a
courtesan
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other ...
or
prostitute who possesses virtues such as
integrity
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. In ...
, generosity and kindness.
Characteristics
The character type is defined by morally positive traits, which are contrasted with the character's employment as a prostitute. The narrative will often provide extenuating circumstances for the character's prostitution, and emphasize her personal decency. Sometimes, the character will be a
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ...
for another female character who reflects negative stereotypes of uptight or frigid women.
Per Nell Damon Galles, the character is "the good girl who made one too many bad decisions—losing her virginity, becoming promiscuous, and eventually entering the dark world of prostitution." The "hooker with a heart of gold" has also been described as a "modem “secular” counterpart" of the medieval sinner-saint.
Historical development
Prostitutes appear in ancient Greek literature as far back as the
Archaic period, such as in the work of
Archilochus, though initially with little focus on their moral qualities. The good prostitute (or more specifically good
hetaira
Hetaira (plural hetairai (), also hetaera (plural hetaerae ), ( grc, ἑταίρα, "companion", pl. , la, hetaera, pl. ) was a type of prostitute in ancient Greece, who served as an artist, entertainer and conversationalist in addition to pro ...
, a type of high-end prostitute) emerged as a stereotype in
middle ancient Greek comedy for example in
Antiphanes's ''Hydria''. The good prostitute appeared even more frequently in
new ancient Greek comedy. The work of
Menander has long been known for its treatment of the trope. Such as in a "much discussed" passage of Plutarch's ''
Table talks'' where Plutarch commends Menander as suitable for use at
Symposia
''Symposia'' is a genus of South American araneomorph spiders in the family Cybaeidae, and was first described by Eugène Simon in 1898.
Species
it contains six species in Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic o ...
. as the dramatist had his heroes break off relations with bad prostitutes, but sometimes marry them if they were good.
In classical Roman literature, the prostitute was commonly portrayed as especially selfish; the stereotypically bad woman against whom the ''femina bona'' (good woman, typically a loyal wife) was contrasted. This stigma against prostitutes largely persisted in Western society from Roman times until at least the start of the 21st century. Nevertheless, the prostitute with a heart of gold still appeared quite frequently in Roman writings from around the time of
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...
; for example in Terence's ''Hecyra'' and in
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
's semi fictionalised account of
Hispala Faecenia Hispala Faecenia was a freedwoman and highly ranked courtesan from ancient Rome involved in giving a testimony that helped put a stop to the Bacchanalian scandal of 186 BCE. Hispala's role in the Bacchanalian scandal was to provide information on e ...
. The Roman prostitute with a heart of gold was however invariably portrayed as an exception to the norm for prostitutes to be selfish and greedy. Unlike the Greek "good hetaera", who could sometimes end up marrying elite men, the Roman prostitute with a heart of gold was expected to know her place at the margins of Roman society, though there were exceptions.
Subsequent development of the stereotype may also have drawn inspiration from traditions surrounding the
Biblical figures of
Mary Magdalene and
Rahab
Rahab (; Arabic: راحاب, a vast space of a land) was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city ...
, or to the ancient
Indian theatrical tradition of
Sanskrit drama
The term Indian classical drama refers to the tradition of dramatic literature and performance in ancient India. The roots of drama in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Rigveda (1200-1500 BCE), which contains a number of hymns in ...
where
Śudraka
Shudraka ( IAST: ) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: '' Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''Vinavasavadatta'', and a ''bhana'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''.Bhattacharji, Sukumari ...
's play ''
Mṛcchakatika
''Mṛcchakatika'' ( sa, Mṛcchakaṭikam मृच्छकटिकम्), also spelled ''Mṛcchakaṭikā'', ''Mrchchhakatika'', ''Mricchakatika'', or ''Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart'') is a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed ...
'' (''The Little Clay Cart'') featured a
nagarvadhu
Nagarvadhu or Nagar Vadhu (Devanagari: नगरवधू) ("bride of the city") was a tradition followed in some parts of ancient India.
Women competed to win the title of a Nagarvadhu, and there was no taboo against the practice. The most bea ...
(courtesan) with a heart of gold named
Vasantasena
Vasantasena (Fifth century BC) was a courtesan of Ujjayini according to ancient Indian literature, who earned fame and prosperity due to her finesse in various art forms such as singing, dancing, poetry, and courting as well as for her beauty. She ...
.
![Fleur de Marie, PK-P-126](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Fleur_de_Marie%2C_PK-P-126.278.jpg)
In French literature, early appearances of the hooker with the heart of gold occurred towards the end of the 18th century, including
Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
's ''The Loves of Milord Edouard Bromston'' (1780). These 18th-century works generally had sad endings, showing that despite her heart of gold, the prostitute was typically unable to gain acceptance into mainstream society. Following the conclusion of the
French revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
in 1799, there were a few years where various minor novelists published happier tales for prostitutes with a heart of gold, in the then prevailing spirit of egalitarianism. This soon ended after
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
introduced various rules regulating prostitution from 1802 to 1804; few hooker with a heart of gold characters appeared over the next few decades. This began to change towards the middle of the 19th century, with various leading French authors including prostitutes with a heart of gold in their writings, such as
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's play ''
Marion de Lorme'' (1828) and novels like
Eugène Sue
Marie-Joseph "Eugène" Sue (; 26 January 18043 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of the serial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitated ''The Mysteries of Paris'', whic ...
's ''
The Mysteries of Paris
''The Mysteries of Paris'' (french: Les Mystères de Paris) is a novel by the French writer Eugène Sue. It was published serially in 90 parts in ''Journal des débats'' from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843, making it one of the first seria ...
'' (1843),
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...
's ''
Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes
''Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes'', translated variously as ''The Splendors and Miseries of Courtesans'', ''A Harlot High and Low'', or as ''Lost Souls'', is an 1838-1847 novel by French novelist Honoré de Balzac, published in four initia ...
'' (1838-1847), and
Émile Zola
Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...
's ''
Nana
Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name
* Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname
* Nana ( ...
'' (1880). The 1848 French novel by
Alexandre Dumas fils
Alexandre Dumas (; 27 July 1824 – 27 November 1895) was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel '' La Dame aux Camélias'' (''The Lady of the Camellias''), published in 1848, which was adapted into Giuseppe Verdi's ...
, ''
La Dame aux Camélias
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
'', later saw many translations and adaptations into plays and movies, in English under the name ''
Camille'', and
Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''
La Traviata'' (1853). The original work was based on a real life prostitute,
Marie Duplessis, with whom Dumas had a relationship. According to Charles Bernheimer, a French work that most subverted the hooker with the heart of gold stereotype was
Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam's ''Contes cruels'' - there the prostitute was well regarded while she plied her trade in conventional fashion, but was derided once she fell in love.
In American cinema, prostitutes were generally portrayed sympathetically even from the earliest films, though the hooker with a heart of gold was relatively rare until the 1980s. Some early examples of movies featuring a hooker with a heart of gold are the 1917 and 1918 versions of ''Camille'', and the 1939 movie ''
Stagecoach''.
[Herzberg, Bob. ''From Shooting Scripts: From Pulp Western to Film'', 2005, McFarland, p.11,12] The "hooker with a heart of gold" archetype became most prominent in American cinema during the 1980s. The development of the trope reflected a more lighthearted cultural attitude toward prostitution, which nonetheless overall condemned women for the social transgression of prostitution. The character of Mona in
''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (1982) exemplifies the era's hooker with a heart of gold: a wonderful woman whose goodness is surprising and amusing because she is also a prostitute, and whose love interest berates her for prostitution.
These films have been criticized as akin to
sexploitation films for the way they present a glamorized and male-dominated view of prostitution.
The hooker with a heart of gold has also been criticised as a "pathetic
cliché".
See also
*
Counterstereotype
A counterstereotype is an idea or object that goes against a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.
Although counters ...
*
List of famous prostitutes and courtesans
*
Said the actress to the bishop
Further reading
*
References
{{Stock characters
Erotic literature
Fictional prostitutes
Female stock characters
Stereotypes of women