Genre of The Month: Romance Fiction - From Tragic Tales to a Happily Ever After
' A genre written by women, for women, about women.
This statement on the origins of romance novels taken from Amanda Pagen's blog post, A Brief History of the Romantic Novel, summarizes the essence of the genre perfectly. Studies show around 84% of romance readers are female, and the genre's history reflects a significant shift in attitudes towards women's roles in society.
Though I don't personally read the genre, I can't help but notice its popularity. It's often the genre I see holidayers reading at the beach or by the pool. Romantic fiction offers escapism for its readers, and with a lot of subcategories there is something for everyone.
Once Upon a Time: The Origins of Romantic Fiction
Love stories can be traced back to ancient Greece, with stories of men and women who meet. fall in love and overcome obstacles to be together. It could be argued these stories were a starting point in forming the love stories we know and love today. Later, tales of King Arthur and Guinevere captured people's attention – the ups and downs of their relationship providing entertainment for generations and blending romance, tragedy and myth in a way that still resonates today.
The word 'romance' has origins from the French word romanz, meaning speech of the people. This further shows the genre to be a voice of real people.
Romance fiction truly blossomed in the 18th century, with authors such as Jane Austen and Samuel Richardson taking society by storm with novels following female protagonists and focusing on their lives and struggles. Richardson's Pamela was the first popular novel to be based on courtship as told from the perspective of the heroine and could be seen as a template from which other romance stories were born.
A shift towards the Modern Romance Novel - The Rise of Passion and Independence
If we jump further into the 1950s/60s, we see a significant change in the romance fiction readers gravitate towards. Novels published in this time often take place in exotic locations and feature heroines with careers outside of the gendered norm of housewife. Topics such as sex and lust became less taboo during this time, with novels like The Flame and The Flower by Kathleen E Woodiwiss being breakout stars in the market.
The Modern Romance Novel : Anything Goes
Modern romance novels explore a variety of sexualities and gender identities and, though popular in traditional publishing, thrive in self-publishing. This digital age of booktok, bookstagram and social media in general has allowed the genre to continue to flourish and reach a wider audience. Authors like Emily Henry and Lucy Score continue to dominate the romance fiction world.
Final Thoughts
Though I'm not a reader of the genre, it makes me happy to see romance give so many people so much joy. What are your favourite romance books? I'd love you to give me some recommendations 😊
Love,
Em xx