THE FASCINATION WITH ROMANCE
THE FASCINATION WITH ROMANCE – WHY IT REMAINS THE BEST-SELLING GENRE?
‘LOVE’
A simple four lettered word that has managed to drive
people around the globe crazy with its possibilities and consequences. A word
that serves as the source of origin of countless scientific theories,
psychological books, and of course, stories that give fodder to our
romantically famished brain.
No matter how well yarned a mystery thriller is, if
put with a good romance, more than half of us would jump at the sight of a love
story. Beguilingly, the allure of a romance novel continues, in spite of us
knowing full well that most of these books follow the same formula – two people
meeting and developing feelings on the way, fighting to stay together in
tumultuous conditions, realizing that the kind of love they have is a once in a
lifetime chance, and finally achieving their happily ever after – because, if,
for once, we could live vicariously through some fictional characters, then why
miss the opportunity?
WHAT THE READERSHIP WORLDWIDE THINKS
A study conducted by RWA (Romance Writers of America)
in 2005 showed that about 64.6 million Americans had read at least one romance
novel in the previous year. A recent report examined the overall profitability of each book genre.
The report states the romance/erotica genre to have been the most profitable
genre, making $1.44 billion.
When asked about the reason for their undue
inclination towards this particular genre, most readers were of the opinion
that these novels provided them with a blissful reprieve during their most
stressful days. For them, these novels seem to provide the strength to hold on
to the hope of someday finding the happily ever after as promised at the end of
every story. Romance vows that no matter how adverse your life becomes; in the
end you’ll reap the benefits of your hard work and find the forever kind of
love in this uncertain world. For them, all that romance promises, is very
comforting and a much-needed break from the harsh reality.
So, in a way, romances help in lifting grey moods of
people and setting their minds towards positive expectations. Thus, having a
positive outlook of the world tends to keep us in a jolly state.
WOMEN AND ROMANCES
Throughout the world, the readership of romance genre
is highly dominated by women, with them being avid readers and enthusiastic
writers of romance novels. Romance is the lone genre written by women for
women, a genre where women seem to have some monopoly.
If you have ever read a romance meticulously, you
would easily pick on the fact that the plot is bound to satisfy a woman’s
heart. For instance, many of these plots are narrated from the perspective of
the female protagonist, who unfailingly makes her dilemmas and inner struggles
known in great detail throughout the story. Sure, there are parts where our
hero takes over the narration, but that too is centered mostly around our
heroine, and him trying to figure out how to win her heart over. This clues us
in to the fact that romances are indeed women’s creation for other women out
there.
Nana Malone, a popular writer of the romance genre,
when asked about the secret behind people’s obsession with romance and why it
never gets old, said that regardless of the spectrum of characters and plots the
various subgenres of romance offers, one truth reigns, that romance is all
about the hope of finding love and that thought alone is intoxicating enough to
create a readership that never actually dies. She further adds that readers around
the world want to believe that despite all the misfortune the writer grants the
characters, love will triumph in the end.
Since many romances are written by women for women, the
female protagonists are often depicted as opinionated smart creatures with
ambitions to fulfill and values to abide by in life, and not just damsels in
distress, two dimensional bland characters there for the sake of a hero’s
awakening. This detail alone attracts a lot of women readership for romance genre.
Women want to believe that there can be men out there who are respectful of an
ambitious woman who gives just as good as she gets.
These books are the ultimate elixir for a woman’s
brain. The reader can step into the story and walk along the heroine’s journey
of falling in love with the man of her dreams, without having to worry about cheating
on their better halves – most woman readers are married – or risking a
pregnancy. She gets to feel the rush relationships entail, without actually getting
involved in one.
MEN’S ALLURE TOWARDS ROMANCE
YES! Men read romances too.
According to RWA (Romance Writers of America), a fair
share of men (22 percent) read romances, but very few willingly talk about it. Those
who are willing to talk, say that romance is the most soothing genre out there.
It gives you all kinds of hope and creates the illusion of the most exciting
kind of love. Be it men or women, both have the same heart that often gets
trapped in the snare writers weave with such precision.
When I went on Quora to research the allure of romance
for men, I got answers quite similar to why a woman would read a romance novel.
Some of these were:
“I find that the way I can empathize for the characters and
fulfill my own desire for a partner makes it an enjoyable experience.” – says Joshua
Smith on Quora https://qr.ae/pNHCz4
“Why do I
enjoy reading them?
Well, because reality sucks. It's an escape for me!” – says Karthikeyan
SD on Quora https://qr.ae/pNHCQ2
Very well written. All perspective viewpoint are presented very nicely.
ReplyDeleteglad to hear that! thank you!
DeleteVery well written and explained.
ReplyDeletethank you miss!
DeleteRomance sure is my favorite genre... And now I know why!! You write really well❤
ReplyDeletethanks a lot!
Delete