Week 8 - Special Topic Paper Summary

Photo Credit: India Holton via Instagram (@india.holton) 

    The title of my special topic paper is Every Reader Can be a Romance Reader. I think a lot of people have preconceived ideas about what the romance genre is and is about and as a result decide that they are not a romance reader before they really know anything about the genre. As readers, I believe that the goal is to feel something. To feel an escape from reality, to feel academic satisfaction from learning something new, to feel vindication at solving a crime before the characters. At the heart of reading is human’s inherent need to feel and express emotion and the genre of romance is uniquely situated to do just that.

    Authors used the appeal elements of tone, pacing, tropes, characters, and relationships to elicit emotions from their readers. Romance novels tend to be hopeful and showcase characters coming together to form deep bonds while also being quick reads that some readers can binge in a single sitting. The utilization of tropes can also act as tags for readers to have an idea of what will take place during the story and can attract or warn off readers according to their tastes. In recent years there has been an increase in character types in romance novels and now readers do not have to look far to find a character that they can relate to regardless of gender, race, culture, or sexual orientation. Relationships between the characters also vary in romance novels which may be surprising to readers new to the genre. Some books do focus on the sexual aspects of relationships, however relationships between friends, family members, and character relationships with themselves are also becoming more mainstream.

    If these appeal factors still don’t convince you of the readability of romance novels, perhaps the range of subgenres will. There is a subgenre for every taste and mood you could imagine. Historical romance (with the Fabio-esque cover) is probably the most classic subgenre and what a lot of people think of when they picture a romance novel, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Paranormal romances (think werewolves, vampires, and ghosts) and romantacies (romance + fantasy) have been increasingly popular (thank you Twilight and BookTok) and LGBTQ+ stories and authors are also rising to the forefront of the genre. If these subgenres seem a bit much for you, there is also a subset of subgenres under the ‘clean romance’ umbrella. These include inspirational romances and Amish romances which both touch on aspects of religion and spirituality and are not explicit. If none of these appeal to you, don’t fret, there are so many others, there’s just not enough space to touch on all of them.

    If you do want to seek out recommendations, they are never far away. Social media and BookTok in particular, have become the go-to resource for many readers who want to find what they should read next and this trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Other trends being forecasted for the genre include a lean toward more cozy and more escapism which is thought to be a result of the burnout and anxiety that world issues are causing for many people. Basically, humans have lived through a modern mass extinction event and are still living through ongoing global crises. As a result, readers are stressed and want the book equivalent of fuzzy socks, a warm cup of tea, and a rainy day window.

    If it has not been obvious up to this point, I am a big proponent of reading romance novels. They can be a light spot in an increasingly darker and stressful world. However I am not naive enough to believe that everyone will suddenly race to their nearest romance section. Even with all the appeal factors and the plethora of subgenres, the romance genre is not going to be for everyone, but I do believe that there is a romance novel out there for anyone who wants to find one that fits them.