Comments on: Times UK on Why Love Lit Is in the Publishing Ghetto http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/ Book reviews, industry news, and commentary from a reader's point of view Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:44:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: emily http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-166050 emily Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:00:28 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-166050 Perhaps because romance is a much bigger target, and experiencing some resurgence and expansion? Perhaps because romance is a much bigger target, and experiencing some resurgence and expansion?

]]> By: Jenns http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165801 Jenns Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:10:08 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165801 It's true that those genres don't get much in the way of respect, but I think that romance faces a lot more bashing. And what's with the comeback of romance bashing, anyway? I thought (hoped) we left the worst of it behind in the 90's! It’s true that those genres don’t get much in the way of respect, but I think that romance faces a lot more bashing.
And what’s with the comeback of romance bashing, anyway? I thought (hoped) we left the worst of it behind in the 90’s!

]]> By: emily http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165779 emily Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:27:43 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165779 I'm not at all sure about the starting assumption. I haven't noticed fantasy (especially high fantasy), sci fi, erotica, westerns or any other traditional 'pulp' mass produced entertainment genre getting a huge amount of respect. I’m not at all sure about the starting assumption. I haven’t noticed fantasy (especially high fantasy), sci fi, erotica, westerns or any other traditional ‘pulp’ mass produced entertainment genre getting a huge amount of respect.

]]> By: kirsten saell http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165758 kirsten saell Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:12:02 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165758 <blockquote>Of course the best analogy for romance is porn. Romance is about people and love and relationships and difficulties and happy endings, and so is porn…oh, wait.</blockquote> Well, one could argue that the pr0n is all about the "happy ending". For the guy anyway. I just love this woman's assertion that "dark, harsh, depressing, violent, power-hungry, despairing, masculine" = good fiction, whereas "love, happiness, contentment, giving, relationships, feminine" = trite garbage.

Of course the best analogy for romance is porn. Romance is about people and love and relationships and difficulties and happy endings, and so is porn…oh, wait.

Well, one could argue that the pr0n is all about the “happy ending”. For the guy anyway.

I just love this woman’s assertion that “dark, harsh, depressing, violent, power-hungry, despairing, masculine” = good fiction, whereas “love, happiness, contentment, giving, relationships, feminine” = trite garbage.

]]> By: Ann Somerville http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165736 Ann Somerville Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:47:15 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165736 <blockquote>romances are in some ways more like pornography than crime novels or thrillers. </blockquote> Of <em>course</em> the best analogy for romance is porn. Romance is about people and love and relationships and difficulties and happy endings, and so is porn...oh, wait. <blockquote>In their purest form, they are wholly instrumental, manipulating the reader’s emotions and providing reliable effects, without encouraging different interpretations.</blockquote> Because no horror story, thriller or mystery <em>ever</em> does that. <blockquote>It is not entirely clear why efforts to take romance out of its ghetto haven’t worked</blockquote> Two words - women's work. She's falling for the same segregationist nonsense by equating the one genre dominated by female writers with porn, and explicitly excluding two genres dominated by men - crime and thrillers - from that odious comparison. She's dancing around the gender divide but never coming down firmly on it. "One thing holding popular romance back may be that it is aimed so explicitly at women." No - the real difference is that the other genres made the crossover is that they're mainly <em>written</em> by men. What women do, is never taken as seriously as what men do. Women read crime, horror and every other genre under the sun, but romance is their writing stronghold. Ergo, romance must be less wonderful.

romances are in some ways more like pornography than crime novels or thrillers.

Of course the best analogy for romance is porn. Romance is about people and love and relationships and difficulties and happy endings, and so is porn…oh, wait.

In their purest form, they are wholly instrumental, manipulating the reader’s emotions and providing reliable effects, without encouraging different interpretations.

Because no horror story, thriller or mystery ever does that.

It is not entirely clear why efforts to take romance out of its ghetto haven’t worked

Two words – women’s work. She’s falling for the same segregationist nonsense by equating the one genre dominated by female writers with porn, and explicitly excluding two genres dominated by men – crime and thrillers – from that odious comparison.

She’s dancing around the gender divide but never coming down firmly on it. “One thing holding popular romance back may be that it is aimed so explicitly at women.” No – the real difference is that the other genres made the crossover is that they’re mainly written by men. What women do, is never taken as seriously as what men do. Women read crime, horror and every other genre under the sun, but romance is their writing stronghold. Ergo, romance must be less wonderful.

]]> By: Kristen http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165720 Kristen Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:55:23 +0000 http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/06/26/times-uk-on-why-love-lit-is-in-the-publishing-ghetto/#comment-165720 But by saying that <blockquote>romance doesn’t seem dark enough</blockquote> she essentially displays how narrowly she's read the genre - not that I think the books she talks about in the article are really romances anyway, not in the way most RWA members would define - because both paranormal and urban fantasy are rife with dark. In fact, it would be harder to find something considered "light" these days. But by saying that
romance doesn’t seem dark enough

she essentially displays how narrowly she’s read the genre – not that I think the books she talks about in the article are really romances anyway, not in the way most RWA members would define – because both paranormal and urban fantasy are rife with dark. In fact, it would be harder to find something considered “light” these days.

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