ROMANCE NOVEL EFFECTS 1
The Effects of Romance Novel Readership on
Relationship Beliefs, Romantic Ideals,
and Relational Satisfaction
Jennifer C. Bun
Boston College
An Honors Thesis Directed by
Professor Jonathan M. Bowman
May 1, 2007
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The effects of romance novel readership on relationship beliefs, romantic ideals and relational satisfaction, Study notes of English Literature
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The Effects of Romance Novel Readership on
Relationship Beliefs, Romantic Ideals,
and Relational Satisfaction
Jennifer C. Bun Boston College
An Honors Thesis Directed by Professor Jonathan M. Bowman May 1, 2007
ABSTRACT
Gerbner & Gross’ (1981) Cultivation theory has been used to study the effects of television on people’s perception of reality, showing that heavy viewers of television develop a more unrealistic view of reality than light viewers. This unrealistic perception of reality also transcends to false views of romantic relationships. As a result, individuals who are heavily exposed to television begin to adopt and develop dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals. They begin to have high expectations and standards for their own relationships. The focus of this thesis was to study the effects of romance novel consumption on relationship beliefs and romantic ideals. Results showed that women in their late teens and early twenties had very high ideals and expectations when it came to relationship characteristics, but did not have many dysfunctional beliefs or romantic ideals. They tended to be very satisfied in their romantic relationships, and were more satisfied when their actual relationship resembled their ideal relationship. Results of this study also indicated that women were not just solely drawn to romance novels that supported their currently held beliefs, but postulated that such an attraction could also have originated from their own hopes and desires for their actual relationship. The content of these books influence the thoughts and perceptions of million of readers around the world, making it into a very powerful medium. Similar to television, romance novels portray reality in many unrealistic ways, therefore influencing the perceptions that readers have about social constructs and relationship standards and expectations.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION………………………………….......................................
- LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………….
- What is the presence of the romance novel in today’s culture?
- Why Where do women read romance novels? in the text do dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals arise?
- How are these beliefs and ideals adopted by readers?
- CULTIVATION THEORY…………………………………………………. 4. HYPOTHESES………………………………………………………………
- METHOD AND PROCEDURE……………………………………………..
- The survey
- Subjects
- ANALYSIS AND RESULTS………………………………………………… 7. DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………
- CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………….
- FUTURE DIRECTIONS……………………………………………………...
- REFERENCES………………………………………………………………
- Appendix A: Survey Appendix B: Romance Novel Genres
- Appendix C: Tables
- Table
- Table
- Table 3 Table
The Effects of Romance Novels on Relationship Beliefs, Romantic Ideals, and Relational Satisfaction INTRODUCTION This thesis will examine how dominant themes and ideologies in romance novels help to influence and cultivate dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals in its female readers. The beginning of my thesis provides some background information and history on romance novels and their formulaic natures. This information will help readers better understand the role in which romance novels play in the lives of women all around the world. The questions I will answer are:
- What is the presence of the romance novel in today’s culture?
- Why do women read romance novels?
- Where in the text do dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals arise?
- How are these beliefs and ideals adopted by readers? First, I will provide some brief statistics on the romance novel industry and its readers. Second, I will offer four reasons for why so many women read romance novels. These reasons are as follows: (1) nurture depravation/ recapturing intense feelings of love, (2) entertainment value/ escapism, (3) female empowerment, (4) dealing with patriarchy. Third, I will use scholar Helen Mae Sterk’s (1986) nine basic stages of a romance novel plotline in order to point out when and where certain dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals are introduced. These beliefs and ideals incorporate what is considered to be “repetitive themes and dominant ideologies.” Fourth, I will address the different ways in which female readers are influenced by these repetitive themes and dominant ideologies, and adopt them into their philosophies of good, happy and successful romantic relationships. Some theories that will be addressed in this section are Gerber and Gross’ (1969) Cultivation Theory and M. M. Bakhtin’s
romance novels, followed by the distant third, mysteries. Together, romance novels and historicals make up 47% of book purchases made by women (Wood, 1980). Still, mass- market sales continue to boom, even among women who are, by any standards, successful in life- women with careers, in graduate schools, and involved in satisfying relationships with men. College women, on the other hand, have different rankings in their book-buying activities. For them, romances constitute only 16% of their book purchases, ranking fourth in preference behind historicals, best-sellers; and mysteries (Wood, 1980). Harlequin Enterprises, a publisher based in Canada, controls about 80% of the romance market (Grescoe, 1996; Stoffman, 1999). In 1992, sales had boomed to $ million. After Harlequin bought out Silhouette, the biggest American-based publisher of romances, they were able to monopolize the romance novel industry. According to market research on North American readers done for Harlequin Enterprises, results show that:
- 70% of women readers are under 49 years of age
- 45% of them have attended college
- 79% are involved in heterosexual relationships
- 66% own their own home
- 68% read a newspaper everyday or nearly every day (a figure that is higher than the national average)
- 71% purchase romance novels at least once a month (Linz, 2001, pg. 13). Although romance novels are considered beneath recognition by many of the people who study literature, they are found to be incredibly fascinating by large numbers of women. Research shows that romance novels have universal appeal. Currently, Harlequin publishes in 26 languages and 108 countries (“Her Passion,” 1993). Nearly all
readers of romance novels are female (Jenson, 1984). Women of all ages, careers and ethnicities are attracted to these novels. Based on the results from surveys done on Harlequin readers, romance readers are virtually a “cross-section of the whole female population” (Mann, 1981, pg. 13). According to these studies, the median age of North American readers is 41 years old. In relation to their work life, 58% work outside of the home, and the median household income is $35,600. The women who read these romance novels come from all types of professions: lawyers, professors or even managers. In relation to relationship status, about 60% of these readers are married (Stoffman, 1999). Just as romance novels appeal to women from all demographic segments, so too do the heroines. As R.C. Hubbard (1985) states it nicely: She represents many women, all of whom may be heroines. She may be a young woman or as old as 45. She may be small or nearly six feet in height. She may struggle with hardships like divorce, a child born out of wedlock, a troubled husband, but she is not weak or ordinary. She is most often highly skilled, artistic or well-educated, occasionally holding a graduate degree…her energies are devoted to her career and her independence,and she maintains healthy self-esteem…She may be a virgin, but most often she is fully aware of her own sexual needs, and when she is not promiscuous, she is sexually active…Further, she does not readily accept a marriage proposal until she is sure that she and her hero can negotiate terms (pg. 120). There are four key characteristics that are common to all romance novels:
- a heroine
- a hero
- a conflict-ridden storya happily-ever-after ending (Barlow, 1992, pg. 47).
This seems to be the formula, in its simplest form, by which romance novels are written. Although scholars may postulate that most novels strictly adhere to this one single formula, there are actually many different genres of romance novels that readers can
out what resonates in them from the text. This step is considered to be a “recognition of the Self”, and once the connection is established, the reader is open to the adoption of new meanings and messages. In this way, the text, which already contains dominant ideological meanings, can influence the reader’s thoughts and actions. As Sarah Benjamin (1999) puts it, “the reader and the text combine to be responsible for meaning production, consequently specific qualities of the textual object significantly influence the meaning(s) that are absorbed” (pg. 68). Benjamin believes that the cultural experiences captured in romance novel reading are derived from very real psychological needs and desires. The women who read romance novels are actively seeking to identify and explore, along with the heroes and heroines, relational conflicts and concerns (Benjamin, 1999). There are also other reasons given for why so many women read romance novels. As the statistics show, there is a huge fan base for these types of books, and women all around are devouring them. The reasons given can be broken down into four categories:
- nurture depravation/ recapturing intense feelings of love
- entertainment value/ escapism
- female empowerment
- dealing with patriarchy
Nurture Depravation/ Recapturing Intense Feelings of Love One reason provided for why women read romance novels is to fulfill the needs of a nurture-deprived reader. Suzanne Juhasz (1988) believes that there is a nurturing bond between the mother/writer and the daughter/reader that helps the reader to further develop her own identity. Juhasz claims that human beings have inherent gender-based
psychological needs, and romance novels help to meet the needs of those who are born female. She states: In contemporary romance fiction, women want meaningful work, but they want love more – and this may be understood as a revelation of how central the original deprivation has been, how crucial is the yearning for the preoedipal mother and for the bond, at once mutual and unconditional, we believe should have been our birthright. Indeed, quest for achievement in the world matter; but love comes first – or ought to have (Juhasz, 1988, pg. 250). Although feminists may vehemently disapprove of her theories, Juhasz believes that heroines abandon their careers and independence for male companionship because romantic relationships cater to the deepest feminine needs for love and support. As a result, romance novels are functional in that they help women regain what they deeply crave – the feelings of being nurtured (Juhasz, 1988). Another major researcher who studies romance novels and their effects is Janice Radway. Radway (1991) in her study of romance readers concludes that romance novels provide readers with the opportunity to experience the type of care and attention that they give to others (pg. 100). She states: Reading romance novels provides vicarious emotional nurturance by prompting identification between the reader and a fictional heroine whose identity as a woman is always confirmed by the romantic and sexual attentions of an ideal male. When she successfully imagines herself in the heroine’s position, the typical romance reader can relax momentarily and permit herself to wallow in the rapture of being the center of a powerful and important individual’s attention. This attention….provides her with the sensations evoked by emotional nurturance (Radway, 1991, pg.113).
Radway agrees with scholars of her time that the content found in romance novels help to influence and shape the identities of its readers. She also adds the idea that romance novel reading not only influences thoughts and beliefs, but also acts as a way to escape into
Romance novels help to promote the idea that love is great, and one is not truly living if they have never experienced it. Love is fulfilling and blissful! Merely existing and receiving a man’s love is enough! Love is a central component in these novels. All actions and behaviors are based on love or the lack thereof, which helps to explain the motives and emotional displays of the characters. In these novels, love is true and pure and a very strong force to be reckoned with for it can conquer all. Women who read these romance novels are reminded about the kind of feelings induced by falling in love, of being truly valued and cared for. Therefore, it is no wonder that researchers believe romance novels meet a need for nurturance.
Entertainment value/ Escapism: Radway also believes women read these novels in order to escape from their oppressive social responsibilities- children, family, and less than satisfying love lives. Reading in general is a way to spend a few hours in one’s imagination. As Benjamin states, “The romance novel’s capacity to manufacture personal time/space may draw women to the experience, and, the fact that these environments provide a particularly feminine narrative, might be what keeps women returning to this particular genre” (Benjamin, 1999, pg. 74). This escape may not necessarily refer to a foreign world; in fact, women still find solace in reading about a world similar to their own, just much better. In other words, a familiar utopia (Radway, 1999). Negative commentary has also been derived from this theory. Women who read romance novels are said to be weak and unable to deal with the “real world”. They read because they have the desire to remove themselves from a harsh and unwelcoming world.
Female Empowerment In addition to escapism, women can become empowered through the messages found in romance novels. Women are empowered through the attainment of knowledge. Those who read romances, especially historical romances, can learn about new places and people. Romance novels are also a source for sexual issues. In a world that often denies female sexuality, romance novels provide the opportunity to explore, understand, and inform women of their own sexual natures. Romances allow women to develop their sexual identity, which may in turn, lead to a stronger personal identity. The stories show women how to be comfortable with their sexuality, and helps them understand that their bodies are not dirty and untouchable. The women learn how to be “intelligent owners” who are “in control of what is theirs” (Friday, 1991). The erotic themes and passages allow women the pleasure of role playing with the characters in the books. They are able to explore sexuality in a safe way that is both freeing and acceptable to most. Janice Radway postulates how women readers, by identifying with heroines, might learn ways of dealing with and solving their own personal dilemmas, develop greater personal understanding, and receive validation. Through the context of the romance, readers are given the chance to role-play and see the outcomes of possible solutions to real life problems. Readers are given the possibilities for courses of action and consequences of those actions. This role-playing gives the reader a feeling of control over her environment, and the strength to overcome the hardships that she personally has to face. She interprets the stories as “chronicles of female triumph” since the heroine always conquers the hero in the end. The stories are about intelligent, independent, yet
lives, the women strive to be good housewives and mothers, and the women are usually powerless in comparison to the dominating men they encounter. As Germaine Greer (1970) so vehemently puts it, “the traits invented for the hero have been invented by women cherishing the chains of their bondage” (pg. 202). Critics claim that romance reading is really an act of patriarchal reinforcement. Yet, even with this critique, there are millions of women who read romance novels. As Juhasz (1988) says, “the perspective which condemns romance novels as patriarchal reinforcement is not only limiting but far too quick to condemn without proper evaluation of content and potential.” Juhasz understands that there is a powerful element of romance reading that readers can relate to. Women rely on these romance novels to help them fulfill deeply psychological needs. These romances affect and influence readers in psychological ways that scholars have yet to investigate. This study will focus on how romance reading influences the beliefs that women have about relationships. These romance novels may do more than amuse and entertain, they have the potential to shape human thought and action by reflecting certain aspects of culture. They may influence that shape of that culture by persuading readers to think and act in one way rather than another. Janet Patterson, another scholar who has been known to criticize romance reading, nevertheless admits that romance novels have played a major part in women’s lives. She concedes that: Harlequins address this fundamental tension in women’s lives; the Romances create and solve the problems of social bonding in a patriarchal world, but do so in a female language created by the joint effort of the narrator of the heroine. Because the narrative technique is female…Harlequins can be seen as active attempts by readers to interpret their world through their own language (Patterson, 1986, pg. 80).
In romance novels, there is a world familiar to and populated by women, a world centered on the private lives of women and more specifically, on the private concerns of women (Robinson, 1978). It is a woman’s world, and it is written in “woman” language for better comprehension. Romances, through both content and the way that content is structured, set the parameters of women’s images of themselves as women. They define for women what it means to be feminine. Romances model a feminine life, showing how to derive the most benefit from such a life. In concurrence with Patterson, Lillian Robinson concludes that women find confirmation of their values and affirmation of their importance through these novels. These novels reassure women that they are of value simply because they are women. It lulls female readers in by telling them that nothing has to be done in order to be worthy of love. Therefore, romance novels may create a patriarchal atmosphere much like the world today, but through the text, female readers can explore and question such customs, and examine how they fit as women within the system. In addition, the happy endings provide a positive resolution to patriarchal problems, where women’s identities and lives are accepted and appreciated. By providing affirmation and support, romance novels have also tended to influence the thoughts and actions of its female readers. In romance novels, there is a great indication of certain ideal priorities for relationships that should take precedence over all else in a woman’s life. These novels can be very persuasive in their portrayal of certain relationship beliefs and expectations.
Where in the test do dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals arise? Now that the issues concerning what romance novels are, and why women read them has been addressed, the next question is where dysfunctional relationship beliefs
lives in that one moment in time. They may not know it is love yet, but they are fully aware of the effects they have on each other. Since there are so many novels that stress the idea of love at first sight , there may be many women who believe such an occurrence is usual, and will happen to them when they find their one true mate. In this first step, the stirrings of another romantic ideal is introduced, that of soulmates. The idea of soulmates is one of the biggest romantic ideals found in love stories. The idea postulates that destiny plays a role in romance and relationships. Destiny creates and brings together potential romantic partners who are meant for each other based on predetermined factors. A person who finds his/her soulmate will achieve and maintain relationship happiness instantly. Also implied in this belief is the idea that long-term relationship success is not attainable with anyone else except for that one “true” soulmate. As a result, individuals who believe in this idea spend their time trying to find the “right mate”. Accepting a partner or relationship less than one’s ideal implies failure to live up to one’s potential. Adopting such a belief may lead to quickly ending relationships where initial satisfaction is low. According to scholar Bjarne M. Holmes (2004), the idea that one can find a soulmate that fits perfectly with preconceived standards and beliefs is an unrealistic view that fails to take into account the work required in developing and maintaining a healthy and loving relationship (pg. 3). This first meeting sets the basic power relation between the hero and heroine. No matter how they meet, the heroine finds herself, in some degree, at the mercy of this strange, yet attractive man. When the hero first sees her, he desires her in a sexual manner. The heroine, on the other hand, is both attracted and repelled by his desire. Unable to deal with such a change, she shies away from him. Most commonly, the man is
depicted as having both physical and psychological power over the woman; thus, she feels as if she is at his mercy. He acts and she reacts. His desire enables him; hers enfeebles her (Sterk, 1986). This power play touches upon another dysfunctional belief – the idea that the sexes are different. Men are shown to have different physical and emotional needs than women have.
2. Complication The second step is the Complication, in which the two individuals face some problem that creates dissension between them. This step helps enforce the dysfunctional belief that disagreement is destructive in a relationship. This may be the couple’s first bump in the road, yet the problem is shown to be a threat to the existence of the relationship. If a couple is not able to compromise or find a solution that they are both happy with, then the only other option presented is a breakup. The complication is depicted as extremely negative and not at all beneficial to the relationship. This type of mindset is considered dysfunctional because in reality, relational psychologists have realized that arguments and complications are very natural and normal for couples, and may even be good for relationships due to its ability to teach couples how to compromise and communicate with each other. For readers who have had relationship experience, and have not been able to get pass this step (the complications in their relationship), may adopt a pessimistic view about the ability for couples to compromise or change for the continuation of a relationship. This is where the dysfunctional belief of partners cannot change becomes developed. Women who have encountered failure at this step start to believe that people don’t change over time, and that their partners cannot change in the end. These women