Romantic Fiction: A Neglected Area of Research

~ Romantic fiction: a neglected area of research Lynne Carmichael Australian Submarine Corporation, Information Resource Centre Received February 1988 Abstract Fiction in general, and romantic fiction in particular, are neglected areas of research in the literature of public librarianship . Despite the importance of fiction to the public library collection, little und e rst~in ~ of por:ular ge~rs_i . e~id': . This article deals with some recent literature on the subject of romantic fictwn written by 'feminist writers whose work was of particular interest to the author in the writ~ng of~ ma ~ ter's thesi~ . The. art!cle is.a parhs~ of some of the points raised in the section of that th es i ~ d~alin? with.romantic jictwn in particular. The literature reported is only one of the ways in which public librarians m1ghl choose to undertake more sophisticated analysis of this neglected material IT WAS very pleasing to see an article on popular fiction in a recent issue of the Australian library journal. 1 Perhaps, at last, librarians are beginning to perceive that the basic material of the public library collection is worthy of scholarly treatment. In a 1984 paper I said If libraries are to meet the needs of society in the later twentieth century, I doubt whether this is simply going to mean more and more computers and ever heavier demands upon our information resources - important as these will be. At the same time, fiction will remain an important resource for our readers, as it has been in the past. It may, indeed, be particularly important if increasing free time is brought about through either shorter working hours or through continuing high levels of unemployment. Economic conditions, however, are likely to continue to mean that budgets are going to have to be carefully justified. While justifying updating of the community information register, or improving the adult literacy program, we may ask how our fiction budgets are to fare if we continue to base our justifications of them upon outdated or unfounded notions about the nature and purposes of all fiction - literacy and nonliteracy.2 In the paper cited, I discussed the value of light fiction in the preservation of adult literacy skills and also provided an overview of ways in which nonliterary fiction has been evaluated from the elitist dismissal of Leavis and Kister to the thematic treatments of Cawelti and Frye Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 as well as sociological and psychological modes of analysis. These were much more fully treated in the thesis which I submitted shortly after that paper was presented.3 When I worked in public libraries, I found it difficult to find any librarian who took the subject seriously at an intellectual level. While most could identify writers of similar styles and genres, there was almost an air of embarrassment about this knowledge and a certainty that knowing what users wanted was all that should be required. I felt, however, that providing what was wanted while implicitly rejecting the intrinsic value of the material was a shopkeepers' mentality rather than a librarians'. If we have any claims to professional standing within our community, this is not sufficient justification for including romantic fiction in the collection. I have not worked in public libraries for seven years but it seems from the work of Butterworth 4 and Isaacs 5 that little has changed in this area. South Australian public librarians still publicise libraries with a Barbara Cartland book throwing competition and do not consider that this will be seen as an implicit insult to the numerous women who read her books. The activity may also be regarded as implicitly sexist when no male writer has been subjected to such treatment (why not, for example, vary the theme with a James Bond hurling competition?). In about 1977/78 I began research for what eventually became a master's thesis but which 123 began simply enough as curiosity about why people read light fiction in general and romantic fiction in particular and whether such fiction had any intrinsic value. At that time it was difficult to find any material that was particularly pertinent to the analysis of romantic fiction except for the work by Mann, 6 Frye 7 and Cawelti. 8 By 1980 I had written a fairly conventional and uninspired section of my thesis which dealt with historical fiction its development and a comparison with other forms of fiction and drama. Useful as this was for my own background, it was very much a review of earlier work which ultimately contributed very little to the final thrust of the more pertinent sections of my thesis. At the same time, I had read the classic work in the field by Leavis 9 and found her views particularly offensive and began to seek ways to refute her elitist views of 'the herd' who did not share her own taste. A few other sourcesl0,11,12 had occasional points that set me thinking along lines that I hardly dared to follow. By 1981 I had formulated a rough concept that I presented in a very sketchy form to a group of public librarians during a series of guest lectures on various genres of fiction .13 At this stage I had seen very few of my ideas on the compatibility of feminism and romantic fiction reflected in the writing available to me and I lacked sufficient confidence to 'go it alone' and write my thesis entirely from my own instincts. In the midst of this dilemma, a particular example of serendipity gave me a breakthrough without which I do not think I would have been able to proceed. The journal Psychology today arrived with an article dealing with romantic fiction. 14 When I read it, I was absolutely elated for it showed that someone else was thinking along the lines that I had not dared fully to explore! I wrote to the journal and asked them to forward my letter to the author and within a remarkably short time Dr Thurston not only replied but sent me a very useful package of materials that led me to other, like minded, writers. 124 Reviewing the citations in that section of my thesis dealing with romantic fiction in particular, it is interesting to note that approximately half of them (and most of the really useful ones) were published after 1980 (and the thesis was initially submitted in January 1985). It seemed as if there were a rising tide of feminist analysis of romantic fiction which was sympathetic to the genre in ways which might surprise those who subscribe to: The general, hazy impression of popular romantic fiction, by those who do not read it ... of something poorly written and cheaply produced, whose contents, presumed to be endless repetitions of the same love story, hover impossibly between searing passion and relentless prudery ... harmless wish fulfillment for ageing spinsters, or relatively harmless escapism for the ill educated masses. 15 The views of three of the writers that I shall, for convenience, label 'feminist' were of particular interest to me and their somewhat different perspectives on romantic fiction are discussed below. As I have mentioned the pivotal importance of my contact with Dr Thurston, I will begin with her work and especially her recently published work in the area.16 In her book Thurston deals specifically with the 'erotic' or 'sensual' romance but her analysis of recent trends in the development of the genres of all types of romantic fiction would be of particular interest to public librarians. She confronts the question of the apparent inconsistency between romantic fiction and feminism when she writes: Today, the most evolved erotic romances portray a feminine consciousness that has to do not only with sexual liberation but also with economic self sufficiency, the cornerstone of all other meaningful kinds of autonomy. Contrary to the voices of doom warning that romance novels are the opiate of the female masses, operating both to subvert Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 the women's movement and to condemn addictees to a derivative, vicariously experienced life, these tales of female becoming appear to have played the role of unsung and often unjustly maligned heroine to the feminist movement's macho and often sadistic hero, reaching millions of women most feminist writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, has not.17 Dr Thurston claims that paperback romances have followed the 'liberation' of women more than other media.18 This is shown most clearly by examining the roles of heroines in the genre. Thurston used a semantic differential scale in conjunction with a content analysis of a series of novels similar to the Angelique series, a very specific form of the romance genre. Although this limits the general usefulness of the analysis, Angelique has been described as 'the most famous historical romance heroine of all time (who) has become a role model for historical heroines'. 19 This particular style of novel is categorised by Thurston as 'formula free/sensuous/historical' in her system of subdividing the genre of romantic fiction but they are also known as 'bodice busters'. The analysis of the books indicated that · There was a very high percentage of beautiful heroines and handsome heroes with unusually coloured eyes and sexually stimulating hair who get married. ... Most heroines have more education than other females of the time ... one out of three ... posed as a man or boy at some time during the story.20 Both heroes and heroines in these books ... are either beautiful or handsome, they are equally interesting, and are neither wise nor foolish. Neither character is very cold, fearful, easygoing, docile, weak, timid, dependent, cruel, immoral, pessimistic, submissive or unjust. Heroes are much more experienced, sturdy and tall than heroines. They are also more mysterious, cruel, rough, reserved, deliberate, rigid, unfaithful, suspicious, immoral and dominating than Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 heroines. Heroines are more trustful, submissive, flexible, impulsive, open, forgiving, gentle, faithful, generous, outspoken, moral, just and kind than heroes. 21 At first sight, this might seem to support the stereotypes found in more superficial surveys of Mills and Boons.22 ·23 Using factor analysis of these results Thurston came to the conclusion that although there are differences in the patterns of character traits for heroes and heroines, there are masculine and feminine traits in each of the characters. 24 The heroines in this type of historical romance are strong and individualistic women fighting for their independence in a man's world and these characteristics are attractive to the heroes of the books. The men, however, while not weaklings, are capable of showing emotion and are ultimately portrayed as sensitive and guileless: Thus, masculine characteristics in women are admired by males and feminine characteristics in men are admired by females, and these androgynous characters are central elements in the story lines of the 'bodice busters'. 25 The importance of the word 'ultimately' in describing the portrayal of heroes in romantic fiction should not be overlooked. Heroes in romantic fiction often undergo a radical transformation in the course of the novel; indeed, I see that transformation as the whole point of the novel and of its appeal. This idea will be discussed in a little more detai l below. The appeal of 'these androgynous characters' is of particular importance to the Australian writer Beatrice Faust in her book Women, sex and pornography. The 'bodice buster' is of particular interest in this context and Faust analyses in some depth the claims that romantic fiction is a form of soft core pornography for women; a question which is also developed in considerable detail in relation to feminism in chapter 7 (Updating the Kama Sutra. The Romance as erotica for women) of Thurston's book. 26 125 It is not necessary to outline here all of the arguments about the nature of masculine and feminine sexuality and the nature of pornography. Faust notes, however, that whereas in masculine pornography women take on the sexual characteristics that Faust describes as masculine - they are easily aroused, insatiable, promiscuous and amoral, in the feminine equivalent, the 'bodice buster', men are portrayed as closer to the feminine sexual model in their sexual encounters - emotional, tender, nurturant, considerate. At the same time they are swashbuckling and certainly not effeminate in their public lives.27 Faust is certainly not unaware of the problems of such novels from a feminist point of view. She considers 'bodice busters' ... a soft option for women who prefer not to be aware of the problems that feminists are confronting head on. The often raped but never ruined heroines provide surrogate experiences for women who have no intention of putting permissiveness to the test in real life.28 She recalls the comment of a woman publisher that this type of fiction shares the appeal of public executions 'everyone enjoyed the spectacle but no one really wanted to swap places with the protagonists'. 29 noted in more superficial analyses such as Butterworth's comment that 'The stereotype of the dominant, aggressive male and the passive, submissive female are emphasised'. 32 As mentioned above, however, this changes at the end of the story when the cause of the apparent persecution is shown to be the hero's love for the heroine. To quote Modleski Because the male appears to be the outrageous persecutor, the reader can allow herself a measure of anger against him, yet at the same time she can identify with a heroine who is entirely without malice and innocent of any wrongdoing. 33 Modleski provides a psychoanalytical study of the genre which explains the need for 'innocence' and 'inexperience' which is much commented upon but not analysed by other writers. The reader must know more about the fictional situation than the book's heroine in order to derive ultimate satisfaction from the resolution of the inherent paradox. Modleski notes that In most of the novels the hero finally becomes aware of the heroine's 'infinite preciousness' after she has run away , disappeared, fallen into a raging river, or otherwise shown by the threat of her annihilation how important her life really is. 34 It is interesting, however, that the appeal of this kind of romantic fiction peaked in 19781979 and by 1981 the vogue was fading. 3 0.31 The analysis of the last of the feminist writers that I will discuss may provide an indication of why the lack of desire to identify with the heroine would provide an explanation for the lack of sustained interest in the genre. Modleski analysed the appeal of Harlequin (the American version of Mills and Boon) and Gothic romances. She suggests that both forms can express women's hostility to men while allowing them, at the same time to repudiate that hostility. Men in both genres appear to be the persecutor of the heroine, as is 126 She sees in this what she has called a 'revenge fantasy' .35 The hero who has previously been callous, contemptuous or indifferent is finally 'brought to his knees' by the heroine. The pleasure from such a story is derived from 'advanced retrospection' 36 as the reader who is familiar with the formula can interpret the hero's actions in terms of his unacknowledged love for the heroine. This is not a simple identification with the heroine as it demands that the reader should maintain some emotional distance from the heroine's situation throughout the book until the moment when the heroine discovers what the reader who is familiar with the formula has known all along. The reader Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 I therefore needs a heroine to be young and inexperienced in the fonnula or the satisfaction of the story would be incomplete. Modleski sees such novels in psychological terms as an 'inoculation' against the 'major evils of sexist society' 37 for she does not see the heroes of romantic fiction acting towards women in a way which is fundamentally different from the way in which men treat women in real life. Harlequin novels do not really acknowledge these problems but transfonn them into a more acceptable pattem. 38 In presenting a heroine for whom the psychic conflict has been resolved, however, these novels increase the reader's own psychic conflict and lead to reading more fiction of the same type. This is in some ways the classic physical reaction to narcotics where some relief of symptoms is felt, only to leave the drug taker with worse symptoms and thus increasing reliance upon it. 39 Disapproval of light fiction is often expressed by comparing such fiction with a drug but Modleski points out that rather than condemning romances, we should condemn the conditions which make them so desirable a form of escape. Modleski sums up my view on the apparent conflict between feminism and romantic fiction when she writes If the popular-culture heroine and the feminist choose utterly different ways of overcoming their dissatisfaction, they at least have in common their dissatisfaction. 40 which librarians could add another dimension to the questions that are raised by the writers whose views I have outlined. Just as special librarians must remain informed about and involved in the development of the other 'information professions' if th ey are not ultimately to be excluded from decision making processes at the highest levels, public librarians have a similar role to play in the literature of popular culture. Our perspectives of the subject may take a different view of the issues from that assumed by psychologists, journalists and sociologists. All those involved may benefit from a healthy interchange of ideas and experience. References 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The three feminist writers that I have discussed do not always agree in their analyses of romantic fiction and, indeed, they are often discussing different forms of the genre. They do, however, manage to treat the subject as an area worthy of sympathetic analysis. This is a far from exhaustive analysis of the ways in which the appeal of romantic fiction can support the general aims of feminist philosophies. Librarians have a rich resource of recent literature on romantic fiction which can assist them in understanding the role of recreational fiction in the Jives of their users. It is an area of considerable intrinsic interest in Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 8 9 10 11 12 Isaacs, M Fiction: A neglected aspect of library service Australian library journal 36 (3) August 1987 167-173 Carmichael, L Light fiction, libraries and literacy. Paper presented at Library Association of Australia Conference (23rd 1984 Brisbane, Qld) Libraries after 1984 p90 Carmichael, L A Romanlic past. A study of historical romance as a form of recreational fiction in public libraries MA(LS) Thesis. South Australian Institute of Technology 1985 Butterworth, J Mills and Boon publications Public Libraries Division newsletter 40 October 198414-18 Isaacs op cil Mann, P From author to reader. A social study of books London, Routledge and Kegan Paul 1982 (and other works). Frye, N Anatomy of criticism. Four essays Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press 1957 Cawelti, J Adventure, mystery and romance. Formula stories as art and popular culture Chicago, University of Chicago Press 1976 Lcavis, Q Fiction and the reading public Harmondsworth, Penguin 1979 (originally published 1932) Papashvily, H A// the happy endings. A study of the domestic novel in America Port Washington, NY, Kennikat Press 1956 (1972) Bettelheim, B The uses of enchantmenl. The meaning and importance offairy taies London, Thames and Hudson 1976 Haggart, R The uses of literacy . Aspects of working class life with special reference to 127 13 14 15 16 17 18 publications and entertainments Harmondsworth, Penguin 1958 . Carmichael, L Romantic fiction (unpublished paper delivered at Public Libraries Branch, 1981) Thurston C The liberation of pulp romances Psychology today 17 (4) April 1983 14-15 Anderson, R The purple heart throbs. The subliterature of love London, Hodder and Stoughton 1974 pp12-13 Thurston, C The romance revolution. Erotic novels for women and the quest for a new sexual identity Urbana, Ill, University of Illinois Press 1987 Thurston op cit pl 1 Thurston C Women and paperback romances. The quest for a new sexual identity (Unpublished typescript received from the author July 1983) p4 19 20 21 22 23 24 Guiley, R Love lines London, Zomba Books 1983 p97 Thurston, C Popular historical romances: Agent for social change? An exploration of methodologies (Preprint of an article for publication in Journal of popular culture. Received from the author July 1983) p3 Ibid Anderson, J (et al). Mills and Boons Love and oppression Broadway, NSW, New South Wales Institute of Technology 1981 Butterworth op cit Thurston Popular historical romances op cit p6 25 Ibid p9 In her recently published book Thurston clarifies her use of the word 'androgeny' as meaning that they show what have traditionally regarded as both masculine and feminine characteristics and acknowledges that the term has been questioned in 'recent gender theory and research' Thurston, C The romance revolution op cit p72 26 Thurston, The Romance revolution op cit pp139-165 27 Faust, B Women, sex and pornography Ringwood, Vic, Penguin Books Australia 1980 p145 28 Ibid p146 29 Ibid 30 Thurston Women and paperback romances op cit 31 Small, B What is romance fiction? Publishers weekly November 13 1981 p28 32 Butterworth op cit p16 128 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Modleski, T Loving with a vengeance. Mass produced fantasies for women Hamden, Connecticut, Archon 1982 p66 Ibid p45 lbit1 Ibid p40 lbit1 Ibid p43 Ibid p57 Ibid p26 Bibliography Anderson, I et al Mills and Boons. Love and oppression Broadway, NSW, New South Wales Institute of Technology 1981 Anderson, R The purple heart throbs. The Sub /iterature of love London, Hodder and Stoughton 1974 Bettelheim, B The uses of enchantment. The meaning and importance offairy tales London, Thames and Hudson 1976 Butterworth, I Mills and Boon publications Public Libraries Division newsletter 40 October 1984 1418. Carmichael, L Light fiction, libraries and literacy Paper presented at Library Association of ~ustrlia Conference (23rd 1984 Brisbane Qld) Libraries after 1984 pp 84-91 Carmichael, L Romantic fiction (unpublished paper delivered at Public Libraries Branch, 1981 Carmichael, LA romantic past. A study of historical romance as a form of recreational fiction in public libraries MA(LS) Thesis. South Australian Institute of Technology 1985 Cawelti, J Adventure, mystery and romance. Formula stories as art and popular culture Chicago, University of Chicago Press 1976 Faust, B Women, sex and pornography Ringwood, Vic, Penguin Books Australia 1980 Frye, N Anatomy of criticism. Four essays Princeton, N.J, Princeton University Press 1957 Guiley, R Love lines London, Zomba Books 1983 Haggart, R The uses of literacy. Aspects of working class life with special reference to publications and ehtertainments Harmondsworth, Penguin 1958 Isaacs, M Fiction: A neglected aspect of library service Australian library journal 36 (3) August 1987 167-173 Leavis, Q Fiction and the reading public Harmondsworth, Penguin 1979 (originally published 1932) Aplis 1 (2) August 1988 Mann, P From author to reader. A social study of books London, Routledge and Kegan Paul 1982 (and other works) Modleski, T Loving with a vengeance. Mass produced fantasies for women Hamden, Connecticut, Archon 1982 Papashvily, H All the happy endings. A study of the domestic novel in America Port Washington, NY, Kennikat Press 1956 (1972) Small, B What is romance fiction? : Publishers weekly November 13 1981 pp26-29 Thurston, C The liberation of pulp romances Psychology today 17 (4) April 1983 14-15 Thurston, C Popular historical romances: Agent for social change? An exploration of methodologies (Preprint of an article for publication in Journal of popular culture received from the author July 1983) Thurston, C The romance revolution. Erotic novels for women and the quest for a new sexual identity Urbana, DI, University of Illinois Press 1987 Thurston, C Women and paperback romances. The quest for a new sexual identity (Unpublished typescript received from the author July 1983) Lynne Carmichael MA(LS) AdvDiptT(Sec) ALAA worked as adult reader services librarian for the Elizabeth Public Library (SA) for three years and for the last seven years has been employed by Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd to establish and run a special library service. Despite the change of fields, she has had a longstanding interest in popular culture and popular fiction which was the subject of her master's thesis (1985). Other library experience includes reviewing children's books for the School Libraries Branch and for the South Australian Institute of Technology, Levels Library where she worked in the Acquisitions Section. Her career began with a brief stint teaching English and German at secondary school level. In June 1988 Lynne was appointed to the new Information Resource Centre of the Australian Submarine Corporation. Address: PO Box 2472 Adelaide SA 5001 Australian Libraries: The Essential Directory First edition July 1988 • Essential up-to-date details of all Academic, Public, Special and Joint use Libraries, Library suppliers, Consultants, Databases, Associations, Library schools, Journals etc. • Essential for Library administrators, Interlibrary loans, Branch libraries, Acquisitions and Serials Librarians, Reference collections etc . Only $16 plus $3 p & p Auslib Press PO Box 622 Blackwood SA 5051 129