  Romance/Love
This week: Edited by: Fyn-elf  
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| Last newsletter included a look at the results of a nonscientific survey on who reads romance novels. I also included a survey for WDC-ers to complete. That with the results of a larger survey completed in the weeks following my last newsletter produced some interesting thoughts presented here. |
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Who reads Romance? And why? Or not?
One repeated theme was in reference to the Harlequin-esque type of romance being used as a stereotype for all romance novels. There is a place in this world for the 'Harlequin' type of romance. 'Relatively short, predictable books with happy endings' they may be, but I think it is a shame that the stereotypical 'Harelquin' romance has tainted the genre when the romance genre includes so many authors who write well plotted and fully involved novels with well defined characters and intricate plotting.
But, be that as it may, numerous responses referred to the 'Harlequin' romance concept as to why romance was not read.
Then there was the opposite end of the spectrum. These were the readers who vastly preferred the Jane Austin or Bronte sisters' works. These readers felt that books like 'Pride and Prejudice' (for example) were the epitome of the romance genre and spent many happy hours lost in their pages. These were the folks who didn't relegate the classics to forced (as in for a class) reading with the inevitable papers at the end, but read for the pure enjoyment of the novels and their presentation.
I personally was a big fan of 'Middlemarch,' but that's another newsletter entirely.
In the middle fell the vast majority who loved everything from Rosemary Rogers to Nora Roberts to Jayne Ann Krentz to Amanda Quick. The varied reasons were escapism, the happy endings, the 'shot to the heart' that made them smile and just feel good about themselves and the world.
Another theme that seemed to repeat itself was that romance tended to be predictable and have weak female characters. The modern romance novel appears (to me at least) to be anything but. Today's female lead characters take care of the kids, take on the world and still find time to find that perfect pair of shoes. They are funny, steadfast, vulnerable, hard as a cast iron fry pan and soft as meringue.
The males who responded had either found authors they liked who wrote the more erotic romance or wished there were more 'grittier and more erotic' novels out there. Apparently there are quite a few western romances out there that seem to satisfy many a male reader as the western-romance was mentioned quite a few times!
The overwhelming reason for reading romance was pure, unadulterated 'escapism.' Light, 'happy ending' type reading after frazzled days, too many medical books or soccer-mom-itus. 'Me-time' spent indulging oneself in a world far removed from the missed electric bill or car payment, sixty hour work weeks and late homework assignments. The 'candle lit, soaking in a bubble bath with the door locked, read until the water cools' idea was repeated many times. The word 're-energize' was probably the most used concept when referring to reading romance from the female contingent.
Amazingly enough, the longer questionnaire that I handed out to some 750+ people yielded basically the same overall responses as did my initial one to the customers at my store.
Roughly a quarter of the 400 male respondents read romance. Their reasons ranged from pure enjoyment to wanting to know how women think to escapism to mere curiosity as to what their wives were so happily reading.
Well over half the male responses and a third of the female responses reported they hadn't had the time to read a book in a long time. Many responded that the last time they'd read a book was on vacation the previous year. Many of these same respondents did report that they listen to books while commuting from work. Usually the trip in to work was spent thinking about the day ahead where the trip home was time spent listening, regrouping and getting ready to face the dinner, kids, home chores stress. One woman responded that listening to her favorite author on the way home in commuter traffic made the trip almost enjoyable and that it made her not mind the rush hour delays when the traffic barely crawled. Another woman responded that she has often pulled to the side of the road just shy of getting home to finish listening to a chapter.
What would convince more males to read romance? Ideas ranged from 'stronger male lead characters' (!) to more realistic content. One idea mentioned many times was a romance written from the male point of view. One respondent mentioned that 'just because I'm a man doesn't mean I don't like romance in my life...even if I wouldn't normally admit it.' He might have a point there as I don't think I've ever come across a romance written from the male perspective. Which makes me wonder why I haven't.
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I did find some pieces here at WDC that were somewhat of a romance, if more of a romantic nature written by males....
and some others I found in my rambles....
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1397199 by Not Available. |
| |  | In The Drizzle (E)
About a girl and a boy with different personalities but truly love each other.
#1398636 by orcalion  |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1382561 by Not Available. |
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Lauriemariepea wrote:hi, fyn--
fun newsletter--and intriguing. if i had to guess, i'd say the majority of romances cater to women's aesthetic: loads of descriptive scenes, focusing on the heroine's wardrobe and hair, and the hero's physique, and the heroine's goals aren't always what men would identify with.
i wonder if the male equivalent of romances would be westerns? romantic setting, action-packed, but the focus is on the gritty, laconic hero...?
dismaying, though, how many people you surveyed don't even read at all. *sigh*
thanks for a provocative newsletter.
So glad you enjoyed. As I mentioned above, it seems thet there are romace/westerns and these seem to appeal...
SantaBee  writes: Fyn, great topic. Very interesting. I know a lot of people who like audio books. I don't mind them myself, but it has to be a book that will interest me.
I enjoy audio books and sometimes wish I had more car time to enjoy them! Sometimes, I've found that i can happily listen to a book that for some reason I didn't want to read or couldn't get into.
spazmom responded: I liked the survey from the gas station...grin. Doesn't have to be scientific, it's life. I would never have thought of posing questions like that. Hmmmm....
Necessity (or should I say desperation) is the mother of invention! *grin*
Raine tells us: Men reading romance... It brings an incident vividly to mind of when my brother-in-law was frantically searching for a "vampire novel" that had just come out. He was reading the series and was upset that he couldn't find it. When I asked him who the author was, I nearly died laughing when he told me "Christine Feehan". He was convinced that it was a vampire novel and not a romance at all. To this day, he still reads the Dark series and tells his truck driving friends that they are the best vampire novels ever written.
Too funny! Thanks for sharing!
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Romance/Love: April 30, 2008 Issue [#2366]
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