Damsel in distress
Trope and stock character in storytelling / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The damsel/gallant/person in distress (depending on the gender) is a narrative device in which one or more person/s of one gender must rescue a person of another gender who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular and of high social status; they are usually depicted as princesses in works with fantasy or fairy tale settings. Kinship, love, lust or a combination of those motivate the male protagonist to initiate the narrative.[1]
Critics have linked the helplessness of these women to societal views that women as a group need to be taken care of by men and treated nicely.[1] Throughout the history of the trope, the role of the woman as the victim in need of a male savior has remained constant, but her attackers have changed to suit the tastes and collective fears of the period: "monsters, mad scientists, Nazis, hippies, bikers, aliens..."[2]