ROMANCING THE TOME
THERE ARE CERTAIN STORIES ALMOST GUARANTEED TO GET THE HEART FLUTTERING. AS SALES AND ADAPTATIONS SOAR, WE INVESTIGATE OUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH ROMANTIC FICTION
Romance isn’t dead. We can find it perched on our aunt’s bedside table, or stowed in our bags, so we can be swept away on the top deck of the number 27 bus later. When we’re lost in the pages of a romance novel, happily ever after is guaranteed. This hugely popular genre is adored and attacked in equal measure. For millions of fans across the world, romance stories are pure bliss – but, for countless critics, also the subject of ridicule. This isn’t new. Mary Anne Evans chose her nom de plume, George Eliot, to distance herself from the frivolous female writers she lambasted in her 1856 essay, Silly Novels By Lady Novelists. Germaine Greer took a swipe in The Female Eunuch, denouncing romantic fiction as “escapist literature of love and marriage voraciously consumed by housewives.” More recently, writer William Giraldi described such novels as “a kind of obsession… born of a borderline despair.”
However, the success of television adaptations, such as Bridgerton, has proved that romance has a broad appeal. Sales of the books behind the show have soared, with Julia Quinn’s first book about the frightfully posh, alphabetically-named siblings navigating Regency London’s marriage market whizzing straight to the top of The
New York Times bestseller list more than
20 years after it was first published.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
It’s not the only time a romance has caused a literary sensation, of course. When he wrote Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded in 1740, Samuel Richardson used a bold new technique for English literature – he recounted the story from the heroine’s perspective. It was a publishing phenomenon.
A few decades later, Jane Austen did much to shape the romance genre as we know it. When she wrote with such wit and warmth about Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, her books were contemporary, but by the time Georgette Heyer used them as inspiration in a career spanning the 1920s to the ’70s, the Regency period was long gone. And so, the historical romance was born. Dame Barbara Cartland was hot on her heels, and was even accused of plagiarising her plots and characters. The popularity of the grandes dames of old-fashioned romance hasn’t waned – almost all of Georgette’s 57 novels are still in print today, and Barbara has even managed to publish 160 books after her death.
In the 1930s, Mills & Boon decided to ditch their educational textbooks, travel guides and craft books, jumping on the romance bandwagon instead. The Depression brought with it a yearning for escapism, and they cornered the market with their cheap, although rather formulaic romances. Women were instantly smitten – and they wanted more, more, MORE.»
“There might be heartache, but it’s practically romance-writing law to deliver a Happily Ever After”
A FINE ROMANCE
Though much maligned, that Mills & Boon predictability is a big part of the romance novel’s allure. Women know what they’re getting. There might be heartache, betrayal and a scoundrel or three along the way, but it’s practically romance-writing law for authors to give their readers a Happily Ever After ( known in the business as an HEA).
For bestselling author Laura Jane Williams, whose novels reflect the glorious messiness of modern wooing, the delight of a romance story hinges on the thrill of falling in love. “We get to bear witness to the falling over and over again, with every new book we read,” she explains. “In real life, we might only fall in love a handful of times – but there’s no limit to the number of times we can reach that heady, giddy high within the words on somebody else’s page.”
In a genre with a uniquely feminine point of view – mainly stories for women, told by women, starring women – the helpless heroines of old are stepping aside for characters who make better decisions and – gasp! – don’t actually need a man to survive. Romance is evolving by reflecting the reality of 21st-century relationships.
“In my writing, I’m aware of not making the protagonist half a person until a man fulfils, or ‘fixes’ her,” says Laura. “I love it when people have done the emotional work to be spiritually healthy in order to find true partnership.” She also believes that what really goes on between the sheets should be portrayed, so that female desire isn’t relegated, but celebrated: “It’s important to see in art – romance novels included!”
Ah, yes – those all-important sex scenes. From the well-worn paperbacks we passed around the playground, pages (and mouths)
falling open at the vaguely saucy bits, to erotic novels such as Fifty Shades of Grey, romance has an unashamedly salacious side. Thanks to bodice-ripping trailblazer Kathleen E Woodiwiss and queens of the ‘bonkbuster’, Judith Krantz and Jilly Cooper, women can find a different kind of satisfaction in the stories they so love.
FATAL ATTRACTION
Come-hither eyes and ferocious flirting aside, delve deeper into the genre and there’s a darker plotline to be found. Some psychologists say these books could be having a negative impact on our health by promoting unattainable romantic ideals. They’ve even been accused of spreading sexually transmitted diseases – one study found that only 11.5% of romance fiction ever mentioned condoms.
On the flipside, an absorbing, frothy tale can help women hide from their troubles for a few hours – perhaps eventually giving them the courage to escape their own unhappy marriages or damaging affairs. A great romance novel is a reminder that hope and happiness are out there, even if they don’t always involve a corset and a carriage.
Juggling truth and make-believe is the secret to success for contemporary romance authors. “We’re all signing up for a fantasy, but I don’t want to read something that makes me feel bad, and I’d hate to make my readers feel that way, too,” agrees Laura. “But, let’s face it, life is hard, especially this past year – I haven’t wanted gritty and real on the page. I’ve wanted pure escapism.”
MODERN LOVE
Despite their flaws, readers aren’t breaking up with romance novels. A Mills & Boon book is sold in the UK every ten seconds, and in America, romance fiction is a billiondollar-a-year sector. With boundless subgenres – paranormal, Christian, Viking, pirate, mermaid, you name it – there’s little chance of this relationship turning stale.
It’s not all hearts and flowers, though – racism is rife in the industry, and authors of colour battle for recognition and respect. Last year, Romance Writers of America hit headlines when it axed its annual awards – the RITAs – after several judges and novelists pulled out due to a long-standing lack of diversity: in the event’s 38-year history, there’d been only two Black winners.
The authors calling out these injustices are also crafting richly diverse stories that are changing the landscape of romantic fiction. The books of Chinese American novelist Courtney Milan often feature queer characters, while Alyssa Cole writes awardwinning romances starring Black heroines of all sexual stripes. You can lose yourself in one of Sonali Dev’s vibrant Bollywood tales, or seek out Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson and Sandra Kitt, who opened doors for romance writers – and protagonists – of colour in the 1980s and ’90s. There are different perspectives to be found, from romances featuring people living (and loving) with chronic pain and depression in Talia Hibbert’s novels to courtships on the autism spectrum in the work of Helen Hoang. The fight is far from over, but the industry is slowly becoming more inclusive.
Romance should never feel like a guilty pleasure. Reading something entertaining doesn’t make us silly or weak, just as enjoying a rollicking love story doesn’t strip us of our feminist credentials. Look beyond the kitsch covers and cringy titles, and there’s a whole world of well-written romances waiting to be discovered. They can raise us up, give us refuge, help our hearts sing a little louder – and we can all find comfort in their warm embrace.