Romance novels.
You know, those books you
once saw hidden in your mom’s cupboard. With the cover featuring a muscular,
longhaired Fabio-type with a redheaded Southern belle draped across his torso
(or something like that) – And with titles like Forbidden Love or Secret
Desires.
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| Look at that six-pack!! |
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| I think his hair is prettier than hers... |
I recently decided to try and write one. It’s
a sort of fun little project I’ve embarked on (And I hear they don’t pay too
badly if your book gets published!) And luckily for me I have quite a strong
background to rely on while I’m writing. I’ve read a great multitude of romance
novels – in many different varieties. From strictly PG13 to steamy scenes, to
historical Afrikaans romance novels: I’ve seen them all. And they all have the
same formula. Although I have never ever pictured my hero looking anything like
Fabio!
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| No Thanks! |
Should I be ashamed of having read so many? I
don’t know? There are many people who would say yes. Romance novels have been
around for more than 100 years, and in that time a lot more than 100’s of
people have denied reading them – including well-educated people and among
them, even men! So I’d like to investigate the whole genre a bit deeper.
What does it take to be a romance novel? To
be classified as a romance novel, a book’s plot has to revolve entirely around
the development of a relationship between two people – and filled with the
budding romantic love that they experience in the process, however explicit the
writer chooses to make it. Oh – and they absolutely cannot, under any
circumstances, have a sad ending. The end has to be optimistic and emotionally
satisfying. Basically – they are set in a world of love, lust and romance to
tell the reader that couples who fight for their love will be awarded with
unconditional love and a happy ending.
But why the stigma?
Well, critics have claimed that romance
novels are boring because they’re so predictable – everyone knows that the hero
and the damsel will eventually resolve their issues and live happily ever
after. And many people think that the quality of the writing is lower than in
other genres. That’s why apparently only lonely housewives who have nothing
better to do will sit around at home and read romance novels.
So why do people read them?
The answer is simple – escape and fantasy.
Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the real world – where falling in love isn’t
necessarily on the cards and happy endings aren’t guaranteed. So reading a book
where two lovers fight the odds and survive all the struggles because they have
love on their side is a great escape. Especially when you’re stressed out –
escaping into a world of love and romance is a great comfort. Not to mention
that the steamy scenes are fun to read!
Maybe
romance novels are mindless and trashy. But sometimes it’s fun to just sit back
and read a book that doesn’t take a lot of energy – laugh at how silly the
characters are being and enjoying the happy ending.
It’s not
about the hot and steamy sex (Well... maybe a little) – it’s about vicariously enjoying the thrill of
falling in love. And you get to fall in love over and over again with every new
book.
Who doesn't love falling in love? And all that awkward sexual tension between the two lead characters that just makes you want to bash their heads together!
Who doesn't love falling in love? And all that awkward sexual tension between the two lead characters that just makes you want to bash their heads together!
Romance novels serve to legitimise and reinforce structures of patriarchy in society. By dismissing them as 'fun to read' we completely buy into the ideology which stuctures so many tales of romance and even more sexualised images. We allow our thinking and our fantasies to be shaped without even realising it.
ReplyDeleteSure, it is good to kick back an relax with something that doesn't require too much thought to draw pleasure from. But I think it is critical to consider the place of such novels in a patriarchal society and how they serve to keep women in their social position as subservient to men or how they empower women but still within the parameters of patriarchy.
The point is then: as much as we know Fabio will conquer every difficulty to make Athena his 'one and only', we also know that the meaning functions in a particular way. From this perspective we are empowered by the choice to buy into it and reproduce such values in society, or to defy the structure with the agency we all inherently possess.
Wow Megz!
DeleteThanks for a refreshingly intellectual viewpoint on romance novels. I can completely see the validity!
On that note - I guess reading romance novels can be an escape for me from being a feisty, girls-rule-the-world powerful woman in the real world. But I can see the serious implications it can have.
There is some space in modern romances for change, though, I think. And I'll definitely make a serious effort to create a strong, independent heroine in my novel - and make sure she gives my Fabio a real go!