Romance Fiction

History

Romance fiction can be traced back to “gothic novels,” including those by such authors as Ann Radcliffe, in the 19th century. The works of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) have come to be recognized as literature in more recent times, and they continue to serve as templates for many modern romance novels. Though there were periodic “racy” or romantic novels in the mid-20th century, they became increasingly popularized in the 1970s, with what are referred to as “category” romances, especially flourishing in the 1980s in lines such as those by Harlequin and Silhouette publishers. There are currently many subgenres, the newest of which is referred to as “chick lit,” but also including contemporary, historical, inspirational, multicultural, paranormal, regency, romantic suspense, and Westerns.

In the mid-1980s, Janice Radway's study of women's reading practices of romantic fiction altered how many viewed the genre, demonstrating how the time women carved out for themselves was an important aspect of understanding the importance of the genre. Particularly during its early popularity, romance fiction commonly involved rape encounters between the “hero” and “heroine,” thus challenging potential feminist affinities for the genre. This has become less and less common (one might say it is currently out of favor), as increasingly, “modern women's issues” are incorporated into the genre, especially in contemporary and “chick lit,” but even at times in historical romance fiction. Still, aggressive male sexuality and resistant, inexperienced heroines are common.

Conventions of Romance Fiction