Kate Cuthbert writes for
The Courier Mail a history of romantic novels and the present of the genre. Of course the Brontës are there:
The next generation of romance novels, the Gothics, Jane Austen, the Brontes and their contemporaries, undermined social mores by using their heroines' femininity to gain power. Women were not much more than reproductive machines, while men held all the money and control.
In these novels, the heroines have neither money nor power. The heroes have both. By gaining the love of their heroes, the heroines also gain control over their husbands and their own destinies.
Erm... that's a somewhat limited view, isn't it? Both the Brontës and Jane Austen used their 'romantic' novels as a means of exposing many flaws found in the society of the time. And if you take Jane Eyre, for instance, you will see that the heroine - by the end - has money and power (and choice and independence) and she just needs her husband for love, nothing else.
In 1908, Gerald Mills and Charles Boon joined to form Mills & Boon Ltd. These two-penny novels drew on the long history of romance. The heroes remain strong, dark, experienced, mysterious, and rich – progeny of both Heathcliff and Mr Rochester.Yes, but they are shadows of the shadows.
The heroines are generally 18-year-old brides, poor and grateful, who grow into strong young women and claim equality with their besotted husbands.We don't know if she is talking about the Mills & Boon heroines but it does sound like another - bad - version of Jane Eyre.
But then - what do the Brontë mentions amount to? Nothing, apparently:
TOP FIVE ROMANCE NOVELS
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Gone With The Wind Margaret Mitchell
Goddess of Spring P.C. Cast
Romancing Mr Bridgerton Julia Quinn
Black Jewel Trilogy Anne BishopOkay, then. Your loss.
FIVE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
Happy ending
Strong, sharp, and frequent dialogue
Significant character development
Descriptive writing
Some emphasis on a romantic relationship between the main charactersShouldn't the last point be the first? What would a romantic novel be without a romantic relationship? It's the very core of the whole thing. And, anyway, by those five ingredients Jane Eyre definitely qualifies for a place among the top five. But again: your loss.
Categories: In_the_News, Jane_Eyre
Oh yes, I was writing a romance and nearly forgot to have romance in it. lol Good grief!
ReplyDeleteI know! It's really silly that they have to remind you that that's an "essential ingredient". Next thing you know they'll be telling you to put words in it :P
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