Romance Novel: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Category:Romance Novel]] |
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{{trope}} |
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[[File:romance_cover_015_7106.jpg|frame|Plenty of [[Costume Porn]], and actual porn.]] |
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A genre of [[Literature]] that has become popular starting in the early 20th century. While romantic subplots have existed in fiction since fairly close to the beginning, romance as a focal point and driving force hadn't really been explored in depth until the last few centuries. Romance novels as an industry started in [[The Thirties]] with the company of Mills and Boon releasing hardcover romance novels. The genre changed significantly with the distribution of ''The Flame and the Flower'', which is noteworthy for showing that buyers of romance novels are more than happy to read about sex. The genre has since evolved over time, gaining a number of subgenres in the process. |
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While [[Subverted Trope|subversions]], [[Averted Trope|aversions]], [[Deconstruction|deconstructions]], and [[The Parody|parodies]] are prevalent, most romance novels are [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism|fairly idealistic]] and end [[Happily Ever After]]. |
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A couple of companies such as Harlequin (Mills and Boon in the U.K.) have started a business model of releasing relatively short (~55,000 words), [[Strictly Formula]] paperbacks. These are known as "category" or "series" romances because they are divided into series, each of which has its own requirements for setting, tone, and level of sensuality and is visually distinguishable by consistent cover design. <ref>The Harlequin Presents line focuses on glitzy settings and wealthy, often foreign heroes, and has the cover art framed in a circle against a white background. The Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical line consists of inspirational (i.e., Christian) historicals and has the series logo on a maroon band across the top. The Silhouette Special Edition line has contemporary settings and, often, career-woman heroines, and has the logo in a curved blue band down the left side of the cover.</ref> It's usually these that most people think of when the genre is brought up. Almost all listed authors of such books are female, although many are written by men using [[Moustache De Plume|female pseudonyms]], since the [[Estrogen Brigade|reader base]] expects the author to be a woman. Also, the main character is usually female - romance stories featuring a male main character are either rare or non-existant. |
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"Single title" romances -- those released as standalones rather than associated with a category -- are usually longer, sometimes come out in hardcover, and have more overlap with mainstream fiction. Particularly successful series romance writers often move up to writing books of this type. |
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The genre has always had a bit of a stigma to it, generally getting critically dismissed as "not literature" for most of its existence. They are often derisively known as "bodice-rippers" (particularly the historic ones) or "trashy romance novels" though it's obviously a stereotype that they all have [[Coitus Ensues|gratuitous sex scenes]]. Some cynical souls have observed that the stereotypical 'romance' book or movie shares a trait with most porn fiction, in that both stories end ''before'' the point where the natural consequences of the foolish or irrational choices and actions of the characters would arise. |
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For tropes popular within Romance Novels, see [[Romance Novel Tropes]]. [[Paranormal Romance]] is a subgenre. |
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{{examples|Examples of the genre (beyond series romance titles) include:}} |
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* [[The Age of Innocence (Literature)|The Age of Innocence]] |
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* [[The Alien Series (Literature)|The Alien Series]] |
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* [[A Match Made in High School (Literature)|A Match Made in High School]] |
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* [[Anita Blake (Literature)|Anita Blake]] |
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* [[Anna Karenina (Literature)|Anna Karenina]] |
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* [[Atonement]] |
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* [[A Walk to Remember]] |
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* [[Barriers of a Broken Soul]] |
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* [[Beastly]] |
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* [[The Bedwyn Saga]] |
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* [[Black Dagger Brotherhood]] |
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* [[Blood and Chocolate]] |
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* [[Bloodsucking Fiends (Literature)|Bloodsucking Fiends]] |
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* [[The Blue Castle]] |
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* [[The Blue Lagoon]] |
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* [[The Bridges of Madison County]] |
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* [[Bridget Jones]] |
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* [[The Chesapeake Bay Saga (Literature)|The Chesapeake Bay Saga]] |
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* [[Cheri]] |
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* ''[[Count and Countess (Literature)|Count and Countess]]'' |
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* [[The Dark Hunters|The Dark Hunter]] series by Sherrilyn Kenyon |
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* [[Dark Visions]] |
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* [[Doctor Zhivago]] |
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* [[Earths Children (Literature)|Earths Children]] |
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* [[Emma]] |
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* [[The English Patient]] |
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* [[Faking It]] by Jennifer Crusie |
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* [[The Frog King]] |
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* [[The Gargoyle]] |
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* [[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]] |
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* [[Gigi]] |
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* [[Girl Vs Boy]] by Yvonne Collins and Sally Rideout |
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* [[Grave Mercy (Literature)|Grave Mercy]] |
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* [[The Guardians]] by Meljean Brook |
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* [[High Fidelity]] |
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* [[The House of Night]] |
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* [[The Host (Literature)|The Host]] |
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* [[Howards End]] |
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* [[I Capture the Castle]] (an example of a work that has romance as an major theme, but also contain other elements) |
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* [[If I Have A Wicked Stepmother Wheres My Prince]] by Melissa Cantor |
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* [[Immortals After Dark]] |
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* [[Jane Eyre (Literature)|Jane Eyre]] |
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* [[The Last Song]] |
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* [[Liseys Story (Literature)|Liseys Story]] |
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* [[Love in A Nutshell (Literature)|Love in A Nutshell]] |
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* [[Mara Daughter of the Nile]] |
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* [[Memoirs of a Geisha]] |
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* [[Mortal Instruments]] |
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* [[Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist]] |
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* [[Night World]] |
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* [[North and South]] |
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* [[Outlander (Literature)|Outlander]] |
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* [[One Day (Literature)|One Day]] |
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* [[Of Human Bondage]] |
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* [[Parasite Eve (Literature)|Parasite Eve]] |
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* [[The Parasol Protectorate (Literature)|The Parasol Protectorate]] |
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* [[Persuasion]] |
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* [[Pride and Prejudice]] |
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* [[The Princess Diaries]] |
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* [[A Promise of Roses (Literature)|A Promise of Roses]] |
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* [[Redeeming Love]] |
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* [[The Scarlet Pimpernel (Literature)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]] |
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* [[Sense and Sensibility (Literature)|Sense and Sensibility]] |
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* [[The Sharing Knife]] |
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* [[The Sheik]] |
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* [[Sholan Alliance]] |
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* [[Shopaholic]] series |
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* [[The Silver Kiss]] |
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* [[The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants]] |
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* [[The Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries]] |
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* Most books by [[Danielle Steel]]. |
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* [[The Sound of Waves]] |
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* [[Tairen Soul]] |
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* [[Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms]] |
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* [[The Thorn Birds]] |
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* [[The Time Travelers Wife]] |
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* [[This Must Be Love]] by Tui T. Sutherland |
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* [[Troubleshooters]] |
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* [[Twilight (Literature)|Twilight]] |
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* [[Vampire Academy]] |
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* [[Waiting to Exhale]] |
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* [[Warm Bodies]] |
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* [[Wicked Lovely]] |
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* [[Wolves of Mercy Falls Series (Literature)|Wolves of Mercy Falls Series]] |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Fiction]] |
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[[Category:Literature]] |
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[[Category:Wish Fulfillment]] |
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[[Category:Literature Genres]] |
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[[Category:index]] |
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[[Category:Romance Novel]] |
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[[Category:Trope]] |
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Latest revision as of 00:28, 9 August 2018
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