A lot of people look down on romantic novels and the people who write them. However, the facts show that millions of readers enjoy this type of fiction and that the demand shows no signs of slowing down. Contemporary romance authors pretty much have job security.
These variations on the 'boy meets girl' theme have been around seemingly forever, or at least since the novel became a popular format. They have been disparagingly called 'bodice rippers', and the movies made from them dismissed as 'chick flicks'. It is a fact, however, that the best of this type of book and film gross millions, which makes the criticism sound a lot like sour grapes.
Of course, this is the theme that animates Romeo and Juliet. Adam's rhapsody on first encountering Eve is the first utterance of a man is helpless before the wonder that is woman. On a more recent note, the blockbuster vampire books and movies are the same-old same-old with a new, clever twist.
History validates the reality of attraction between a man and a woman. Think of Henry VIII. He had no problem changing his whole life and his whole world if necessary to get the girl he wanted. He just had trouble liking most of his wives once he got them.
Speaking of kings, remember the fall of Troy when Helen was the prize. King David went blindly ahead in his desire to possess Bathsheba, and he of all people should have known better. His son Solomon was the wisest man on earth and look what the ladies did for him - or did him for. Sampson and Delilah give us another example from the Bible, and the builder of the Taj Mahal one from history.
There may be hack writers in the industry, but many renowned authors have dabbled in this genre - if they haven't actually made it their own. (Remember Jane Austin.) Today many romance novels top the best seller lists, and eager readers wait with money in hand to get the next release from their favorite writers. You might be surprised at how many of these books have been written by classically-trained scholars.
No one can say that this sort of literature won't endure, either. Just look at 'Jane Eyre' and 'Pride and Prejudice', which probably will never go out of fashion. Who knows which of the books coming out this year will achieve the same recognition and status.
It is amazing what originality contemporary romance authors can bring to the age-old story that has been told over and over. Perhaps the perennial fascination with new twists on the theme stems from the fact that most readers have had their own love story, although it might not have been published for the entertainment of others.
These variations on the 'boy meets girl' theme have been around seemingly forever, or at least since the novel became a popular format. They have been disparagingly called 'bodice rippers', and the movies made from them dismissed as 'chick flicks'. It is a fact, however, that the best of this type of book and film gross millions, which makes the criticism sound a lot like sour grapes.
Of course, this is the theme that animates Romeo and Juliet. Adam's rhapsody on first encountering Eve is the first utterance of a man is helpless before the wonder that is woman. On a more recent note, the blockbuster vampire books and movies are the same-old same-old with a new, clever twist.
History validates the reality of attraction between a man and a woman. Think of Henry VIII. He had no problem changing his whole life and his whole world if necessary to get the girl he wanted. He just had trouble liking most of his wives once he got them.
Speaking of kings, remember the fall of Troy when Helen was the prize. King David went blindly ahead in his desire to possess Bathsheba, and he of all people should have known better. His son Solomon was the wisest man on earth and look what the ladies did for him - or did him for. Sampson and Delilah give us another example from the Bible, and the builder of the Taj Mahal one from history.
There may be hack writers in the industry, but many renowned authors have dabbled in this genre - if they haven't actually made it their own. (Remember Jane Austin.) Today many romance novels top the best seller lists, and eager readers wait with money in hand to get the next release from their favorite writers. You might be surprised at how many of these books have been written by classically-trained scholars.
No one can say that this sort of literature won't endure, either. Just look at 'Jane Eyre' and 'Pride and Prejudice', which probably will never go out of fashion. Who knows which of the books coming out this year will achieve the same recognition and status.
It is amazing what originality contemporary romance authors can bring to the age-old story that has been told over and over. Perhaps the perennial fascination with new twists on the theme stems from the fact that most readers have had their own love story, although it might not have been published for the entertainment of others.
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