I have found that your basic genre-fiction, extruded-book-product romance novels have some common characteristics.
A romance novel is the story of two people, the lovers, and the reader always knows who they are in the first few pages. All other characters are supporting cast.
The end is never in doubt -- some obstacles must be placed in the path of true love to make the story interesting, but the lovers will end up together, either married or in a committed relationship on the way to marriage. To end the story any other way would be as unthinkable as ending a mystery novel without revealing whodunit.
The love-triangle theme is never exploited. For the sake of plot complication either lover might have an ex, or somebody pursuing him/her, but such is never a serious rival. (After all, if both Bob and Charles are pursuing Alice, and each is presented is a serious prospect, then at some point the writer will have to disappoint half her readers.)
Both lovers must be sympathetic characters. The male might be a "bad boy," but only within certain limits. He can't be the kind of bad boy who abuses women, abuses substances, or leeches off of others. If a criminal, he can only be the more romantic, old-fashioned sort of criminal, such as a pirate or highwayman.
The male might be a womanizer, but only of a rare sort, probably not found in real life -- a very chivalrous womanizer; one of whom no woman can honestly say a bad word. In fact, many of these stories seem to be written on the assumption that it is every woman's fantasy (and these books do appear to be written mostly for women) to snag a man of broad sexual experience, and get the benefit of it all to herself -- to the be the first woman he ever met who could command his entire attention and devotion.
Double standard applies. The female need not be a virgin, but she is never what you might call a slut.
The male must be a capable man -- generally, this means capable of making money or winning fights. He must be at least intelligent enough for that. But no intellectuals need apply. The hero might be well-read, capable of reciting poetry -- but a man who spends a lot of time thinking, who cares about the things intellectuals do, or who ever has any kind of serious existential crisis belongs in a completely different kind of book.
Have you seen any others?
A romance novel is the story of two people, the lovers, and the reader always knows who they are in the first few pages. All other characters are supporting cast.
The end is never in doubt -- some obstacles must be placed in the path of true love to make the story interesting, but the lovers will end up together, either married or in a committed relationship on the way to marriage. To end the story any other way would be as unthinkable as ending a mystery novel without revealing whodunit.
The love-triangle theme is never exploited. For the sake of plot complication either lover might have an ex, or somebody pursuing him/her, but such is never a serious rival. (After all, if both Bob and Charles are pursuing Alice, and each is presented is a serious prospect, then at some point the writer will have to disappoint half her readers.)
Both lovers must be sympathetic characters. The male might be a "bad boy," but only within certain limits. He can't be the kind of bad boy who abuses women, abuses substances, or leeches off of others. If a criminal, he can only be the more romantic, old-fashioned sort of criminal, such as a pirate or highwayman.
The male might be a womanizer, but only of a rare sort, probably not found in real life -- a very chivalrous womanizer; one of whom no woman can honestly say a bad word. In fact, many of these stories seem to be written on the assumption that it is every woman's fantasy (and these books do appear to be written mostly for women) to snag a man of broad sexual experience, and get the benefit of it all to herself -- to the be the first woman he ever met who could command his entire attention and devotion.
Double standard applies. The female need not be a virgin, but she is never what you might call a slut.
The male must be a capable man -- generally, this means capable of making money or winning fights. He must be at least intelligent enough for that. But no intellectuals need apply. The hero might be well-read, capable of reciting poetry -- but a man who spends a lot of time thinking, who cares about the things intellectuals do, or who ever has any kind of serious existential crisis belongs in a completely different kind of book.
Have you seen any others?
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