Romance Novels

Romance novels remain one of the best-selling genres of mass-market fiction. Articles in both Bloomberg Businessweek and the New York Times have noted that the romance novel industry continues to thrive—even in times of economic hardship—because readers enjoy the escapism the genre (and its many subgenres) provide. As their luscious cover illustrations indicate, many romance novels focus on stories about beautiful women being saved and loved by strong, handsome, bare-chested men. The vast majority of romance novel writers are female, and the majority of romance novel readers are female. Therefore, notions these female authors hold about gender influence their female reading public as well, and these ideas most often uphold traditional notions about love, sex, women, and men.

Scores of subgenres of romance novels exist, and all of them make significant, though general, statements about gender. Some of the most popular subcategories of the romance novel include historical romance, science fiction and fantasy romance, and erotic romance. By definition, historical romance concerns events occurring prior to World War II. Many of these novels, set in the 19th century, involve relationships with a member of the aristocracy or royalty. For instance, in Julia Quinn's The Duke and I (2000), a woman tries not to fall in love with the man to whom she is engaged, a duke, since their engagement is meant to be a sham. Instead, the two do fall in love. Another well-known historical romance, Lisa Kleypas's The Devil in Winter (2006), chronicles the story of a woman, Evangeline, who proposes to a society scoundrel, needing to marry in order to obtain her inheritance. The man to whom she proposes has a horrible reputation and is known for his dalliances with many women, so Evangeline states that she will marry the scoundrel only for her convenience but will not consummate the marriage. Eventually, love grows between the characters. In Sarah MacLean's Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (2010), Calpurnia Hartwell feels unsatisfied with life, as she has not yet been able to find a husband. She decides to blatantly break the rules set for women by society, with the help of a roguish man. As he helps her break the rules, however, she begins to fall in love with him. Similarly, Johanna Lindsey's Gentle Rogue (1991) follows the story of a woman (Georgina Anderson) who, after sneaking onto a ship dressed as a man, is forced to serve the captain, a man who thought he would never marry. Georgina entices the captain, though, and their love blossoms. These examples of historical romance novels uphold traditional stereotypes about gender. The women in these novels (even if rebellious like MacLean's Calpurnia) seek status as a wife or higher social standing tied to marriage. Likewise, these novels reinforce ideas about the male gender, suggesting that men are roguish, unfaithful, and commitment-phobic.

Science fiction and fantasy romance novels incorporate various galaxies, species, spaceships, and plots concerning galactic war in their stories, but one of the most popular contemporary trends involves vampires. Perhaps because of the success of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (often referred to as romance novels for teens), romance novels with women who are vampires or women who fall in love with vampires are common. Some examples of this trend include Karen Chance's Touch the Dark (2008), in which lead character Cassandra Palmer deals with vampires; Patricia Briggs's Moon Called (2008), which tells the story of Mercy Thompson and her encounters with werewolves, vampires, and [Page 317]even gremlins; and Kim Harrison's popular Dead Witch Walking (2004), about a vampire bounty hunter. These examples experiment with gender roles by placing women in positions of power and authority but also stress the fantasy of being bitten by a vampire, an act that (as in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, 1897) places women in subordinate positions and awards men great power.

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