May 9 2013
Dear Ms. Harris: Now that I read so much in digital, I don’t pay as much attention to book covers as I used to. But the cover for Dead Ever After says so much about the book itself, that I’m tempted to tell people who wonder how the series ends to take their cues from(…)
Apr 23 2013
Last week I discussed the device of forced seduction as part of the literary legacy of North American captivity narratives on genre Romance. As I’ve noted several times during this series, I think that the genre as it has developed in America, at least (and I would include a good deal of Harlequin’s offerings in(…)
Apr 16 2013
Avon’s publication of Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan in 2007 sparked quite a conflagration online. Campbell’s unapologetic use of captivity and sexual force generated a great deal of discussion and controversy, some of which is captured nicely in Sarah Wendell’s review and its attendant comments. Many readers characterized the book like Mala Bhattacharjee does, as(…)
Apr 9 2013
I had initially planned to jump right into late 20th century Romance novels and their reliance/reflection on captivity narratives, but since it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted, I realized that I needed to sit down and catch myself up. And that turned into this catching up post. I apologize in advance if this(…)
Mar 19 2013
Last week I discussed Edith Hull’s 1919 Romance novel The Sheik, which I would offer as a potential nominee for first modern genre Romance novel. Bringing together themes and devices from captivity narratives, sentimental and sensational fiction, and other literary genres, The Sheik also created an iconic image of the romantic desert hero in the(…)
Mar 12 2013
This week I want to talk about the use of captivity in the Romance genre, but before I do, I want to clarify a couple of points that cropped up in discussion of my last post and in other discussions of the genre. In my last post, commenter Katie raised the issue of slave narratives,(…)
Mar 5 2013
Note: this is the third part of a series I’m doing on the current popularity of what I’m calling Extreme Romance Novels. Part One can be found here, and Part Two here. I do think the first two installments are best read in order, but you can easily start with this post and then(…)
Feb 26 2013
Last week I addressed the issue of gendered and sexualized power dynamics as central to the project of Romance, particularly heterosexual Romance. I almost wish I’d written that post after last night’s Oscar show, because I think Seth MacFarlane’s hosting reflected the kind of white male privilege we so often take for granted, to(…)
Feb 19 2013
When I first started reading Romance, I tended to avoid contemporaries, because the sexual politics were so blindingly overt. Even in books that did not purport to be about power, it was just so there. Over time, however, I realized that all Romance was essentially about power, because, well, the way human beings relate in(…)
Jan 29 2013
Dear Molly O’Keefe: I first read Crazy Thing Called Love a couple of months ago, and my immediate response upon finishing was that I found it riveting but a little bit of a mess – much like Billy and Maddy’s relationship. When I re-read the novel in preparation for my review, I had the same(…)
Jan 15 2013
Romance is often criticized for being formulaic, but in a way that suggests that the genre is synonymous with formula, and that formula is bad. Romance, as a form, has come to be known by three main elements: a) a romantic love story, b) that is central to the narrative, c) and resolves in a(…)
Dec 25 2012
Dear Ms. Hunter: Within a relatively short time, your books have become auto-buys for me. They provide the emotional angst and alpha hero Harlequin Presents are famous for, but it seems you are always trying to do something interesting with your heroines, pushing them well beyond the “doormat” designation some associate with the line. Your(…)
Dec 18 2012
Will Romance ever come to terms with its marginalization by the mainstream literary establishment? Yeah, I know many readers claim they just don’t care, or think literary fiction is overrated pretentious crap, or scoff at popular fiction authors who talk about the need to promote female authors, while still seeming to ignore the largest(…)
Nov 20 2012
I don’t remember the last time I read a stand alone Romance – one not populated with friends, brothers, sisters, cousins, colleagues, and random townspeople just waiting for their own story. In fact, I hadn’t even realized this until I read a recent interview with Julie Anne Long, in which she commented on the ETA(…)
Oct 23 2012
A few weeks ago, Jon Stock made a definite name for himself as an author, but not for his books. Stock, erstwhile journalist for The Telegraph, emailed a reviewer who gave his spy thriller a one-star Amazon review, turning the experience into an article titled, “Spy Writer Jon Stock: How I Survived A Literary(…)
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