Generra Johnson
12 December 2012
ENG 3029-01
Professor Chandler
Research
Paper: Modern Romance and
Classical
Romance
Introduction:
There is classical romance and modern day romance.
Actually there are different types of romance genres. Today’s romances are
different from the romance of thirty years ago. For example in the book, Reading
the Romance, by Janice Radway the romances of 1984, would be
different but yet the same romances read by today’s readers of 2012. So today’s
readers still do read for the features of 1984, but they want more of a
modern-day twist to the story. In other words they want something new. Many
features of romances are the same, but some new features have been added. The
identities of men and women have changed since thirty years ago, but the
identities have also stayed the same. The purpose of my study is to find out
what elements of romance do women like in a romance.
What
I will and expect to show in this study is that women still like the features
of the past romances, and they also like modern features in today’s romances.
My work is important because it will see what features women like to read about
today. It will also show what women liked to read about thirty years ago. The
answer that I found in my research is that women still love the features of the
past like romance, or even boy meets girl. They even love how they have
problems, and the problems bring them even closer. As for the women of today,
they love drama and romance. It is all drama, drama, drama. They love the
thrill and the suspense in the story. I interviewed two women, one is a young
adult and the other is an adult.
Literature Review:
The other authors that have finds that are related to my
work are Janice Radway. She wrote the book, Reading the Romance,
and this work that she wrote does relate to my work. Her findings pointed out
why women read romance novels. One reason she found that women read romance
novels is because they wanted to get away from their daily lives, and make
their own world of comfort and enjoyment. As illustrated in Radway’s conclusion,
“In picking up a book, as they have so eloquently told us, they refuse
temporarily their family’s otherwise constant demand that they attend to the
wants of others even as they act deliberately to do something for their own
private pleasure. Their activity is compensatory, solitary space within an
arena where their self-interest is usually identified with the interest of
others and where they are defined as a public resource to be mined at will by
the family” (Radway 211). The second reason women read romance novels Radway
discovered is: because they want the attention. Plus they want to feel the
emotions that their everyday life does not have. “Romance reading supplements
the avenues traditionally open to women for emotional gratification by supplying
them vicariously with the attention and nurturance they do not get enough of in
the round of day-to-day existence” (Radway 212). Lastly, the reason that women
read romance novels is because they want to feel fulfilled and complete.
What I am going to do differently from Radway is first I
want to find out what plots women like in a romance novel. Another thing I am
going to do differently from Radway is find out the features that women like in
a romance novel. Radway also found those out in her surveys, but that was not
the point of her book. Her point was why women read romances.
Radway’s work relates to my work because during her
surveys she found out what features a woman likes in a romance novel. That is
my purpose to find out what features a woman likes in a romance novel. For
example Radway asked in one of her surveys, “Can you briefly describe what
makes romances more enjoyable than other kinds of books available today? ...
What are the three most important ingredients in a romance? Please pick the
three which you think are essential and rank them by placing a number 1 next to
the most important ingredient, a number 2 next to the second most important,
and so on” (Radway 230, 235). That is how Radway’s work relates to my work; she
made questions to find the features of a romance novel in her research.
Methods:
What I did with the two interviews was very different. Basically,
during the first interview I did it face-to-face with my subject. The subject
and I met at my house. I questioned my subject by using my computer. I had the
questions right in front of me on my computer, and I used it to question the
subject. The second subject, I was questioning over the telephone. I still had
the questions in front of me on my computer, and I questioned the second
subject. So in a way I did two different types of interviews: a face-to-face
interview and a telephone interview.
I chose my methods because they were the easiest to
accomplish. It was easy for my first subject to come to my house because she
lives near my house. As for the second subject, I was sick and it was also hard
for the second subject to come and meet me face-to-face. So we had an interview
over the telephone.
How I prepared to collect my data is by using a recorder
to record my interviews with the two subjects. I also collected my data by
typing it on the computer after I listened to it on the recorder. The reason I
prepared my data this way is because recording was the best way to keep the information.
I could keep the information on tape and listen to it many times. Also I can
make adjustments to my transcript at any time.
How I collected my data is I recorded the interviews on
the recorder. I recorded the interviews for thirty minutes each. I asked the
questions each in a row and in order. But I did miss one question. It was the
question on: How old were you when you started reading romance novels? Other
than that, all the questions were answered, with great length and great
honesty. Everything was collected smoothly, but the analysis had to be done a
few times.
How I analyzed the data is I just read, and reread the
data. Then I saw which questions matched the others, and which data went
together. I just read the data many times over, and I also see which data goes
together to match my purpose.
Presentation of Data:
My overall focus in my research is to find the features that
woman like in a romance novel. The meaning of my classification system is on
romance, and it is just based on romance novels and there features. My
classification is in a few groups. Those groups are: The features of the books
Rebecca and Twilight, What makes a good romance story, and what features are in
the stories that make them a good romance novel to read.
My categories occurred in different questions of my
interview with my two subjects. The first category occurred in this question:
To you, what features
make a good romance story?
·
Subject:
Hmmmm. I think the main component for any good story is the characters. There
has to be something about them that makes you want to know who they are.
·
Interviewer:
Okay.
·
Subject:
And the relationship between them doesn’t always have to be: they meet they
fall in love, and then the love story is the best love story that you ever
read.
·
Interviewer:
Yeah.
·
Subject:
But their love story has to compel you, you know. It has to be a good chemistry
to write, and it also has to be the right scene, the right timing, the right
plot. Casey Cat for example writes two series one young adult called The House
of Night with her daughter Kristen Cat, and then one for herself called The
Goddess Series which she modernizes the romances. What I love about it is that she
brings the characters to life. She puts them in a new situation where you want
to know what happens. I have seen her books, and I have stayed up until two or
three in the morning reading these books. It’s just like with any TV show, you
have to know what happens.
·
Interviewer:
Know what happens. Yeah, and it’s the same thing with this thing that I am
looking at. This show that I am looking at called Elementary I am still wondering about their relationship.
·
Subject:
Yeah, exactly. You got it perfectly. Yeah,
because the best relationship of the majority of love is when one of them is
oblivious.
·
Interviewer: I know right.
·
Subject:
I think that is always the best one. Then you have one of them in love, well
technically you have both of them in love, but one of them is too dumb to see
it.
·
Interviewer:
To see it, right?
·
Subject:
Yeah, they feel sorry for her, or everybody feels pity for that one because of
the kinds of horror this idiot is not putting one and one together.
·
Interviewer:
Or if they would figure out one and one equal two.
·
Subject:
Yeah, if they would only put it together. And eventually when you get to the
end of the story the resolve is like finally you idiot, yea I am so happy for
you, you finally realized it, but you a moron to wait that long.
·
Interviewer:
Yeah, because they finally got together.
·
Subject:
That’s the best relationship.
·
Interviewer:
Yeah, they finally got together. But I have to add without all those guidance’s
and explicitness wouldn’t you say that would lean towards more adult?
·
Subject:
Yes, that would lean towards more adult. The House of Night novels are more
teens; I think you can tell the differences between them because of the
constant change in relationship. I think a more mature view on it is that there
is one girl and one guy in the story. In the teen story there is one girl, and
who knows how many guys.
·
Interviewer:
Yeah, for teens they usually say they are trying to find their way, their like,
they are just going through a battle with puberty.
·
Subject:
Yes, but when you have a true romantic it has the candle light dinners, and the
candelabras, and they are all in just the right setting. The guy that does not
give into reality because most men are idiots.
·
Interviewer:
Yes, I know.
·
Subject:
I stand by my philosophy: When God made men, making dogs was redundant.
·
Interviewer:
Redundant.
This
question discusses the features of what makes a good romance novel. The first
subject says that the characters, along with the chemistry in their
relationship are what make a good romance novel. Then the next thing that makes
a good romance novel is the progress in the character’s relationship. Even
though they might or might not get together the reader still wants to see the
progress in the character’s relationship. The next question still discusses the
features of romance novels:
What do you like about
modern day romances?
·
Subject:
I think I like the drama qualities of it. You know you never know who is going
to get screwed, who is going to get together with who, who is digressing, who
going behind who’s back. You know it is always a constant puzzle of: “If she
finds out about this she is going to beat the both of them to death.”, or “I
can’t believe he did that to him.”, or “Oh, my god she is pregnant with his
baby.”, or “Oh my gosh.”
·
Interviewer:
True.
·
Subject:
That is what you like about it. That…
·
Interviewer:
That drama in it mostly.
·
Subject:
Also that I guess it relates to today’s reality.
·
Interviewer:
Yup, and that is true, and as you told me reality is a good motivator.
·
Subject:
Reality is a good motivator. You know as long as it’s interesting and true, I
guess you can see yourself in the situation (the character’s situation). Not
that I didn’t like Twilight that you like so much. A lot of girls like to be
looked as Bella. Who is getting her Edward? You can see yourself in that type
of position.
·
Interviewer:
Yeah.
·
Subject:
That’s what I think it is. So I guess what’s good about modern day romances are
that they can make everything into reality and a movie.
In
this question it is discussed by the subject what is the best feature of modern
day romances, which is the drama. Plus that everything is related to reality,
and the women who read the modern day romances can relate to the story and the
main character. Next is the question which discusses the features of classical
romances:
What do you like about
classical romances?
·
Subject:
Hmmmm. Pride and Prejudice to me would have to be one of the best
romances ever written.
·
Interviewer:
I know right.
·
Subject:
She made her world come to life. I mean even now after many years you can see
yourself in that scenery. And what I like in a classical romance is: I guess
the classical style. You know the characters, and their biography, the
background and the colors, and the imagery. You don’t see that a lot in today’s
romances. In today’s romances it’s about the drama. They are usually about the
who stabbed who in the back. You don’t hear much about the background in the
story, which I think is the most important part of any good story.
·
Interviewer:
Wow, because that is just classical romances are mostly like about the time
setting, and the girl….
·
Subject:
I know that plays a part in it, but look at today’s romances. Let’s compare Twilight
to Pride and Prejudice. Twilight, you really don’t get the feel of what
Edward looks like, you know you really can’t tell me right now he looks like.
She only gives you an idea.
·
Interviewer:
Or Bella, she just looks like an average girl with brown hair and brown eyes.
·
Subject:
Wow that was descriptive. In Pride and Prejudice you see this tall
imposing figure who has this gruff voice and he is stout and the way he speaks,
you can see that he is a very dignified lord very stiff and introvert and into
himself. And you can sort of see the characters, and you can see the characters
grow, and the passion and love in him grow. I mean the Victorian age is much
romanticized. I mean it was the birthplace of classical romance that we know
today. And it is the Victoria era you know, the guy is what every girl wants
but no longer exists. You know he not the knight in shining armor, so last
year, he’s not what everyone wants anymore. He is an English gent (gentleman),
which is very much what classical romance is, but the reason why you want him
more is because he is more classical (basically a true gentleman) than this
modernize emo (emotional) gothic prince.
·
Interviewer:
That’s true.
In
this question that is discussed with the second subject, is on classical
romance. Plus there are a few points in this discussion. The first point is
what does a woman dream about when reading a classical romance? She dreams
about the guy that she wants. She also reads this classical romance to get away
from the reality that she is faced with. Second, another feature that makes these
classical romance novels is the characters and their backgrounds. To relate to
the characters the reader must know about them. The last point in this
discussion is that the classical romance novel just takes you to a place that only
exists in fantasies. These are the features in this discussion. Also all of the
questions that were mentioned are on the features of romance novels.
Analysis of Data:
The pattern of data I would have to say did have one
pattern that I noticed in both interviews. Women basically not only today, but
also thirty years ago want something that they have in common with. It is
something that they could say, “Oh that happened to me once.” Then another
pattern that came about conclusively was that women want something that they
can dream about. It would be something that they could think of and always hold
on to.
These patterns just came up randomly in the interviews,
and when I was analyzing the data. What the data means is that women want to
have something in common with the romance novel that they read. Plus women like
to dream when they read romance novels. Hey who does not like to dream when
they read a story? How the data works is it reviews the information that I was
given in the interviews, and it tells a story of what women want in a romance
novel. So the data would be presented as an oral interview and descriptive
data.
Conclusion:
My research question is what the features that women like
in a romance are. What I found was that women love drama and they love
something they can relate to in a romance. The romance story could be anything
as long as it draws them into it. Plus as long as the women have something in
common with the romance novel, they read it. I also found out that woman to do
not just like the genres in a romance novel, they also like again how the story
relates to them. In addition they do not want the story to be boring.
My study is important because it confirms what different
and all women like in a romance. The women tell which genres they like, but
they all want the story to relate to them. Plus they want the story to be
interesting. So my study confirms these theories by questioning different women
of different ages.
In my opinion, there is more left to do. The thing left
to do is to figure out how to write the romance novel, once the information
about what features women want in a romance are collected. Also how can the
novel come together, and how can it meet a woman’s expectation?
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