As Valentine’s Day approaches, we all become bombarded with calls for romance in every facet of our lives, and, if you’re anything like me, that includes the literature you read. However, the way the romance genre is interpreted, from escapist beach reads to dramatic epics, varies hugely: is this always a positive thing, or has it become too unrealistic?
In the past, the novels in the Romance genre were viewed as frivolous works for frivolous women: this interpretation was incorrect. Novels such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, whilst prioritising a romantic plot, also enforce the message of female empowerment and autonomy. So here, the genre becomes something of a positive thing. Potentially, continuing to write novels such as this – and giving them more of a platform around Valentine’s Day – is empowering to readers today.
Recently, the romance genre has become Tik Tok-inspired, with relatively poor quality and smut-filled works filling bookshelves, a stereotype which is only furthered by the role of the “fairy porn” sub-genre. This has given the genre something of a bad rep: people think it an “uneducated” form of literature. As someone who has spent far too much time on AO3 and Wattpad for my own good, I would be the first to suggest that this type of literature has its place; however, is this really a healthy focus of the genre around Valentine’s Day?
Furthermore, romances are a great form of escapism. Some of my favourites, such as Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale or Casey McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue (albeit a cringe-filled TikTok classic) exist in a world so unlike my own that reading them takes me out of my day-to-day life, and that is often very, very helpful. These escapist romances can take the form of sweeping epic romances (Gone with the Wind or Anna Karenina spring to mind) or simply a deeply unserious beach read. A novel like this is often very necessary in our busy lives.
So, is the romance genre doomed to fail (like one too many Valentine’s dates) or will it stand the test of time? I am inclined to think the latter: most people love an escapist novel, and bonus points if the author makes it empowering and thought- provoking at the same time!
Photo by Rinck Content Studio on Unsplash
