Even though this wasn’t what I was expecting for one of the first subjects to blog about, it seems like as good of a topic as any to start with.
The thing about being in school is that there is inevitably going to be assigned reading. During the summer, the classes are far shorter but the workload is pretty much the same. So, for a class that is normally 10-11 weeks long suddenly taking place in 3 1/2 weeks, it’s a good idea to get started on that assigned reading a little early.
One of the classes I have coming up is a Women’s and Gender Studies course: Art, Literature and Society. The assigned reading? Five romance novels. I’ve been assigned smut.
So far, I’ve read three of the five books, two of which resembled soft-core pornography. Despite the graphic details, I’ve noticed that the story lines are pretty much the same and they all have a happy ending. I’m slightly confused by this.
Then it occurred to me that a lot of people read these novels. That’s what they like to read. So whereas I’m reading these books thinking, “Really? This is really a published piece of work?” I should be thinking, “Wow, these women are brilliant!”
The reason for this is because some of these authors write two-three books per year. And a romance novel writer that is well known can get away with writing the same story with different characters and hot, steamy scenes and keep a steady paycheck coming in and for all we know they could be sitting around in some condo on the beach sipping margaritas and chuckling at the faithful romance novel readers.
Of course, I exaggerate. There’s nothing easy about writing and though most romance novels are more or less the same, I’m sure it still presents its challenges and I’m sure few romance writers actually live comfortably on a beach (though if it were me and I was making enough money from it, that’s where I’d be).
The point of all of this being that I can scoff, make fun of, and criticize romance novels and the writers all I want, but the reality is that the readers for romance novels are usually like the people who have their favorite soap operas: dedicated and loyal. And when I really stopped and thought about it, I realized something important. No, there’s nothing terribly realistic about romance novels–women don’t experience earth shattering orgasms during intercourse nearly as often in real life as they do in romance novels for one thing–but as unrealistic as these novels may be, they’re a type of fantasy novel all of their own. They may not take the form of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but they’re still fantasy nonetheless. And just as we don’t expect to run into a hobbit at the grocery store, we also don’t expect to find ourselves in the plots of a romance novel. However, I won’t be so bold as to say that romances like that don’t happen, but I will say that I’m not going to hold my breath for some drop-dead gorgeous man to fall in love with me at first sight and suddenly feel like I’m “the one” and he just can’t live without me.
So though I still have my criticisms, I’ll accept romance novels as they are–a piece of fantasy fiction–and I’ll try not to rain on any avid romance novel reader’s parade. Hell, maybe I’ll jump on board with these writers and see if I can make enough money to buy a little condo on the beach and sip margaritas all day before settling in to write another chapter. Because as I’m sure everyone can agree, sex sells.
