![[Contents]](a5f4558a.gif){kind=small}
![[Search]](b70c13b4.gif){kind=small}
![[Back]](8016546c.gif){kind=small}
![[History]](b525f7c0.gif){kind=small}
![[<<]](80000211.gif){kind=small}
![[>>]](80000269.gif){kind=small}
![[Glossary]](ead651bb.gif){kind=small}
|
|
This week we consider examples of what might be called the "Feminine Romance", in contrast with the texts discussed last week. In the same way that texts such as The Day of the Jackal are, I argue, dealing with questions of masculinity and masculine mythology, so texts such as Moonstruck and Pretty Woman deal with issues of femininity and versions of what it means to be female. As we saw last week we are not suggesting that "only men like thrillers, whereas women like slushy films about romance..." It's rather an issue of the way the two types of text focus on and deal with questions and versions of gender, issues of point of view and perspective.
| To start us off, in the usual mode, make a list of 20 texts which, in your opinion, would count as "romantic" films of books. |
What do these examples have in common in terms of plot (structure and resolution), characterisation, imagery and themes? Are there common elements?
I would suggest the following as defining or identidying characteristics of the genre:
(i) Characterisation:
| - | an emphasis on the emotional/inner lives of characters and their personal/sexual relationships with each other: this includes relations between the sexes, but may also include family (parental/sibling) relationships. Note also the emphasis on moods and motives - greed, envy, desire, hatred, etc. |
| - | a central (female) figure who is challenged by, or subject to, forces or circumstances outside of their control, and an emphasis on her response to those forces or circumstances. Do you see any common traits as regards the "heroine"? What kinds of figures are "romantic heroines"? |
| - | the importance of typification (and stereotyping) in the portrayal of 'bad'/'good' male and female figures: Madonna/Whore/Mother/Witch or Brother/Rake/Helper/Romantic hero. See Plot below. |
| - | most importantly, an emphasis on the female's point of view, and the need to identify with that point of view (note the importance of the tradition of protestant self-scrutiny and confession, as in Jane Eyre or Rebecca.) |
(ii) Plot:
| - | centred on the attainment of the desired romantic object/hero, after the overcoming or negotiation of obstacles and complications - this may entail the "testing" of the romantic heroine, her rewards and sacrifices in the service of the male - "healing", "supporting", "standing by...". Is this to be contrasted with the process through which the male is tested in the Thriller genre? |
| - | note the importance also of the ending, whether attained in terms of marriage, understanding or consummation. At the ending there is usually the implication of a moral order as well: the bad and selfish end unhappily? |
(iii) Themes: [What kinds of things do Romantic films and books deal with? What are they about?]
| - | Love, Desire and marriage, related to issues such as the relationship between duty and desire; the question of whether love can cross the boundaries of class and/or race; also, exploration of the nature of "Love" (is it a religious or secular force?). Note also the treatment of "Love" as compared with "Reason", "Judgement", "Passion", etc. |
- Morality and normality, a reassertion of heterosexual monogamy? Note how works of romantic fiction deal with issues of what is "normal" and what is "abnormal".
- Central values, which are asserted in the Romantic text: the values of supporting, understanding, relating, caring for, standing by?
(iv) Pleasures and expectations: What do audiences get from them?
| One very relevant, but complex question, is whether or not you see works of romantic fiction as "good" or "bad" in terms of their influence on readers and viewers. Do they exert a negative influence in that they perpetuate "enslaving notions of heterosexual normality, feminine service and female aspirations"? Or are they libertarian in their implications, allowing readers/viewers not to "escape", but to an alternative vision of a better set of values and possibilities for life and living? |
In terms of the "pleasures" of romantic fiction one might list the following:
| - | fantasy, desire and escapism: compensation, consolation or diversion? | |
| - | affective involvement and identification, focussed on sympathy for or empathy with | the central character(s) |
It has also been suggested that, in various powerful ways, works of romantic fiction deal with primary psychological states and issues, for example, that romantic fiction allows readers/viewers to explore and revisit primary experiences of family life and dramas. Another significant issue is the question of "masochism" and the emphasis on "suffering" within the plots of romantic fiction: why must heroines have to endure so much pain, disappointment and unhappiness before they can secure a reward? Is this also part of the pleasure of the romantic text?