Popularity of Romance Fiction
What draws readers
to this genre?
by Melissa Alvarez
Romance Fiction novels make up over fifty percent of
all books sold. Over 50 million women in the United States alone read
Romance Fiction. Granted most of the readers of Romance Fiction are
women but lots of men read romance fiction too. Men also write romance
fiction usually under pen names. Why is this genre of fiction so popular
and why does it hold such wide appeal?
Romance Fiction is finally getting the recognition
that it deserves. Within the publishing industry general fiction seems
to be shrinking while other publishers are adding
new lines.
When Romance Fiction first appeared in the publishing
industry in the early 1970's, there were swashbuckling hero's and
princess heroines. These type of romance novels were considered
"Bodice Rippers" and usually featured bare-chested men and
voluptuous women on the cover. But in the last ten to fifteen years the
"Contemporary" romance has taken the place of the "Bodice
Ripper". The covers now feature pictures that depict scenes from
the novel and when heroine is featured her neckline has risen
substantially. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with the
"Bodice Ripper" romance will probably haunt authors for a long
time still.
There have been many sub-genres that have risen out of
the traditional romance. Now you can read modern day romances about
doctors, investigators, and women in these roles. We can now read about
things happening in our world today within the pages of a romance. The
hero's are still dashing but the heroines have developed into strong
independent women who don't necessarily need the hero in their lives.
The heroine choose him because of his effect on her senses and her mind. We can
now read stories of romantic suspense, the paranormal, chick lit, and
the genre has branched out to now include heroes and heroines of ethnic
backgrounds.
But does all of this really account for the huge
popularity of Romance Fiction. No. In my humble opinion those who read
romance fiction want to be drawn into a world where they can escape the
pressures of their daily life and experience the growth of a relationship.
In some ways Romance Fiction is still a sort of fairy tale with a happy
ending. It's just that the fairy tale has jumped into the twenty first
century.
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