Romance novels rant

[alexandral]

Work is crazily busy and “the fig tree does not blossom” EVERYWHERE. I am getting crazy too. In this post I am mostly ranting MUCH about romance novels. I apologise for ranting!!!! It is just me!

Note: By "romance" I don't speak of "epics written and recited in languages derived from Latin" as lesbiassparrow explained. (Which is such cool thing to know - I still happy about that!!!!!)

About romance novels:

+ I love romance in books, I like it so much that my taste is not a little spoiled and I find it hard to like a book or a film without OTP. I am all about OTP and some character I can identify with – usually female. For example, BSG - I love Lee/Kara interaction and the show would not have captured me the same way without it.

+ Every time I am running low on OTP in films, I turn to romance novels. Which for me is like eating very cheap chocolate on empty stomach – It makes me sick at the end.

+ I have read a book by Georgette Heyer last night – “Regency Buck” I think. The book’s language was very strange for me. And some things were crazily dated, but I read somewhere that Georgette Heyer is very historically accurate. Is it true? Also it displayed many, many other common places of the romance novels which I don’t like.

Common places of the romance novels which I don’t like. Listed below:

??? Why or why this is so often exploited in romance literature: She hates him and then she finds his value an falls in loves with him. Why does heroine have to hate someone she met for the first time for usually unclear reason?

??? Most upsettingly, she often founds his value observing his beautiful palace, or walking on his beautiful grounds? Even my favourite “Pride and Prejudice” (which does not fit into the category of the romance novel for me) is not free from this as my husband keeps reminding me.

??? He usually undergoes a character 180 change over the course of the book. He is, for example, very rude and sort of cruel at the start, but later we find that he is very kind inside! In my short experience, guys who are rude to the women are cruel inside too. And humans don’t change THAT quickly.

??? She is usually good at something “male” – driving the carriage, for example

??? She is also usually bold and stroppy. This is a really flee-in-the-bonnet for me: Does woman have to be stroppy to capture the best guy? Why can’t she be delicate and understanding?

??? He is usually very good at EVERYTHING and intelligent to the bargain whilst managing to dress impeccably.


Ok, in the other news, rant aside everything is great and the sun is shining now after the today's long rain!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

Because we LOVE SO MUCH to believe in these kind of "metamorphosis", the stories are more romantic this way and they want us to HOPE that in the end everybody can change this way...
p.s. "Pride and Prejudice" is my fav book!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Definitely! But sometimes I just crave for something different! I crave high passions without common places! I love P&P - why can't I have thousands of Jane Austen's books to read! I have read them all already! ** pouts ** - Sorry for rant! I am still at work and I am getting even crazier :)

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

Sorry to repost, but I've got a list of the Georgette Heyer books I think are pretty good over here (http://koalathebear.livejournal.com/499659.html). Hopefully there's something there that's better than Regency Buck .. :P

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

O, don't worry, dear - I am still at work and just getting silly with brain overload. But on a serious note - I am not sure that I liked Georgette Heyer's use of language, though. It is just me. When I get home I will post hero's proposal of marriage - I am still not sure if that was meant like a joke of if I just don't understand.

[shadowserenity.livejournal.com]

Another common factor in romance novels is wealth. One of the two has more money than God and is able to go anywhere and do anything he or she wants. Usually it's family money or big business money. I always growl when that happens because it's such a shortcut in many ways. You rarely see a romance novel where one character can't chase after the other because they don't have enough money for a plane trip.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

O yes! Money usually mean a great deal in the romantic novels in general and also heroine gets a reward in a form of rich husband.. ** Sigh ** What happened to "all you need is love???"

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I am not terribly enamoured of the man being wonderful at everything cliche in romance novels because it often for some unaccountable reason makes me want to wallop him over the head. And the trope of someone being saved by the power of love only works if it is reasonable: i.e. the person can't be so awful that a reasonable person would run screaming from them (and there are things I won't forgive no matter why you did them).

I don't actually read a lot of modern romances, though most of the 19th century fiction I do read has some element of romance. But I am intrigued by it more in novels from that period because the stakes for women in that society were so high when picking a partner that it lends an edge to even quite silly stories. And the anxiety about money seems more intelligible when you realise that women couldn't earn money for themselves if the guy doesn't have any...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am not terribly enamoured of the man being wonderful at everything cliche in romance novels because it often for some unaccountable reason makes me want to wallop him over the head.

Exactly! My best feminist side awakes in me and I just want him to be suffering!. Which often happens to be fair:)

the person can't be so awful that a reasonable person would run screaming from them (and there are things I won't forgive no matter why you did them).

Exactly - in some of the lower range of the romantic novels I remember one or two times when the heroine was actually raped by the hero (for example, on their wedding night), but then she realizes that she is so very attracted to him and that he is so wonderful deep inside. I can't stand this!!!!!!!!!

But I am intrigued by it more in novels from that period because the stakes for women in that society were so high when picking a partner that it lends an edge to even quite silly stories. And the anxiety about money seems more intelligible when you realise that women couldn't earn money for themselves if the guy doesn't have any

This is a great point, actually - it is "easy" for me to despise the preoccupation with money the ladies in the 19th century books have - I am free to go and do what I want and find my own way in life. It was not so easy back then to stand against the wolrd's. "Jude the Obscure" breaks my heart!!! Thank you for your thoughts!

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Exactly - in some of the lower range of the romantic novels I remember one or two times when the heroine was actually raped by the hero

Aiee! I've hit something like this and I just can't believe that people think that this is an acceptable plot development. What 'wonderful' man goes around doing this? They're just a complete bastard whom you should run very quickly from!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This thing which is the strangest for me there is that these books are written by women - I can imagine men be so misunderstanding, but ladies - why on earth?

[kiaforrest.livejournal.com]

YET I WILL REJOICE WITH YOU! - Just seeing those words on your post blessed me on this tired evening.
{{{{{{{{{big squidgey}}}}}}}}}}

I am so with you on the, 'Hay, does she have to be Xena to be worthy?' These days it seems so. ::sigh::

I read older romance novels when I want a junk book hit - full of cliches and standard plots, but it was OK to be a gal back in the day & I generally ::giggle:: through familiar favorites. It IS like craving Peanut Butter Cups, isn't it? You know that sugar buzz is going to make you out of sorts, but, darnit, you Want it!

Of course, as I post this, we're listening to Guys & Dolls DVD. ::giggle:: That Sky just makes me ::grin::

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I read older romance novels when I want a junk book hit - full of cliches and standard plots, but it was OK to be a gal back in the day & I generally ::giggle:: through familiar favorites. It IS like craving Peanut Butter Cups, isn't it? You know that sugar buzz is going to make you out of sorts, but, darnit, you Want it!

SO true!!!!! I don't seem to be able to read any serious things when I am tired or overloaded, but I crave something that I will know the ending of after the first page. This gives me such a comfort - I am so like to know the ending and regularly read spoilers.:)

Of course, as I post this, we're listening to Guys & Dolls DVD. ::giggle:: That Sky just makes me ::grin::

** Hugs **