Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy
The story of romance is the most powerful narrative in Western art and culture, sharing roots with Christianity and functioning as a mythic story about the meaning and purpose of life, particularly in regards to the HEA ending of redemption and wholeness. Contemporary romance novels are popular beca...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR)
2010-08-01
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Series: | Journal of Popular Romance Studies |
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Online Access: | https://www.jprstudies.org/2010/08/getting-a-good-man-to-love-popular-romance-fiction-and-the-problem-of-patriarchy-by-catherine-roach/ |
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author | Catherine Roach |
author_facet | Catherine Roach |
author_sort | Catherine Roach |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The story of romance is the most powerful narrative in Western art and culture, sharing roots with Christianity and functioning as a mythic story about the meaning and purpose of life, particularly in regards to the HEA ending of redemption and wholeness. Contemporary romance novels are popular because this religious nature of the romance narrative allows them to do deep work for the (mostly) women who read them, engaging readers in a reparation fantasy of healing in regards to male-female relations. Romance novels help women readers deal with a paradoxical relationship toward men within a culture still marked by patriarchy and threats of violence. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:13:28Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-1c190a00d09e45e489dd0ba2ca6d7379 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2159-4473 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:13:28Z |
publishDate | 2010-08-01 |
publisher | International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Popular Romance Studies |
spelling | doaj.art-1c190a00d09e45e489dd0ba2ca6d73792024-02-12T19:46:28ZengInternational Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR)Journal of Popular Romance Studies2159-44732010-08-0111115Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of PatriarchyCatherine Roach The story of romance is the most powerful narrative in Western art and culture, sharing roots with Christianity and functioning as a mythic story about the meaning and purpose of life, particularly in regards to the HEA ending of redemption and wholeness. Contemporary romance novels are popular because this religious nature of the romance narrative allows them to do deep work for the (mostly) women who read them, engaging readers in a reparation fantasy of healing in regards to male-female relations. Romance novels help women readers deal with a paradoxical relationship toward men within a culture still marked by patriarchy and threats of violence.https://www.jprstudies.org/2010/08/getting-a-good-man-to-love-popular-romance-fiction-and-the-problem-of-patriarchy-by-catherine-roach/american culturecatherine roachchristianityerotic faitheroticahappily‐ ever‐after endinghealingheterosexualitynarrative eschatologypatriarchypopular cultureromance narrativesex‐positive feminismsexualitythe story of romance |
spellingShingle | Catherine Roach Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy Journal of Popular Romance Studies american culture catherine roach christianity erotic faith erotica happily‐ ever‐after ending healing heterosexuality narrative eschatology patriarchy popular culture romance narrative sex‐positive feminism sexuality the story of romance |
title | Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy |
title_full | Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy |
title_fullStr | Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy |
title_full_unstemmed | Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy |
title_short | Getting a Good Man to Love: Popular Romance Fiction and the Problem of Patriarchy |
title_sort | getting a good man to love popular romance fiction and the problem of patriarchy |
topic | american culture catherine roach christianity erotic faith erotica happily‐ ever‐after ending healing heterosexuality narrative eschatology patriarchy popular culture romance narrative sex‐positive feminism sexuality the story of romance |
url | https://www.jprstudies.org/2010/08/getting-a-good-man-to-love-popular-romance-fiction-and-the-problem-of-patriarchy-by-catherine-roach/ |
work_keys_str_mv | AT catherineroach gettingagoodmantolovepopularromancefictionandtheproblemofpatriarchy |