My thoughts on…romance novels
November 3rd 2007 -
Ok folks. Today’s post will be about romance novels. Ok wait! Don’t close the browser window, or question my sexuality! I have a genuine reason for posting this, which I will reveal soon. I had long wondered what was the fascination with women and romance novels. I understood the fascination with soap operas. In fact I used to watch them with my mom, before I got older, and as such, was forced to conform to Jamaica’s hyper-masculine culture, more so due to the fact that I went to an all boys’ school. Not like I cared.
Anyway, to satisfy this curiosity, I read one of my mom’s romance novels, trying my hardest to withstand that lovey-dovey crap women seem to like. But one part caught my attention. It was the lovemaking part (big surprise), and I have to tell you, it was surprisingly well-written. Every aspect of the act was described in painstaking detail. The setting, the sounds, the smells, and of course, the motions. (I did this years ago. I wonder why it didn’t occur to me to post this?) Ashamedly I must admit that it was getting me a little hot. Maybe because of the powerful wording or the fact that I was just a bundle of hormones back then. I like to think it was the latter. I locked the book, my quest for discovery being complete. Then came to the realization…that romance novels are porn for women! It made perfect sense. After all, women are verbal, men are visual. That would explain the different ways we get our kicks.
And these trashy novels have plots thinner than the pages they’re written on, just like a typical porn movie. (Hmm. I wonder how many hits I’m gonna get for mentioning porn? Porn, porn, pornitty, porn. That should give the ol’ hit counter a workout.) Need proof? Many of them have similar titles, containing the word “heart,” “secret,” “sun,” “moon,” or some reference to marriage or a geographical location. Check it. And no, I haven’t been reading that many to see the similarity! I just see them on the magazine racks at the supermarket. Really! And the guys are always perfectly chiseled, to Herculean proportions, that no living man could match up to. Heh. Seems like women are just as shallow as we are. But I wonder why you don’t see women reading them anymore? Well, not nearly as much as they did when I was in high school. They were mainly read by lovesick young women, reinforcing their naive perceptions of love. I guess it’s because we live in more liberal times, so women are freer to live out their fantasies. Wow! That was a surprisingly entertaining rant! And to put the icing on the cake, check out these fictional romance novels!
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Maritza Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 6:30 am
You’re right, I don’t see young women reading these anymore. They are fun, escapist fantasies with a touch of porn to keep it interesting. Romance publishers may need to work on the marketing to attract the young readers. Most of the women on the covers look like they’re in the late 20’s. Maybe that’s the problem?
kami Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 6:37 am
I think they just too predictable ..more like read one and read all. Haven’t read any in ages but back in the day I did read my share.
Marsha Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 10:52 am
aahhhh!! the romance novel. My mother used to read these all the time when I was a child. I used to sneak in her room when she wasn’t home, open the top drawer to her end table and take a peak inside the book. You only have to read two books to figure out that almost all of the sex scenes fall near the center of the book. I haven’t read any romance novels since I was a teenager. I enjoy scifi these days.
Jamaipanese Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 11:03 am
you read one!…my mom has loads of these mils and boon or something like that
The Seeker Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Wo! Ans so the truth has been revealed.
I never thought about it.. but now i know you are right…. Sigh and to think they scoff at us with our x rated movies….. Gotcha!
Melody Says:
November 4th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I’ve resumed mi romance-novel readin’ habits lately. Ah stopped readin’ dem years ago, but recently I’ve made up for that. A few of de writers create some pretty entertainin’ plots & de steamy love scenes R only icin’ on de cake. Helps put mi in a romantic mindset when domestic routine overwhelms romance — guess U’re right: Mills & Porn.
GC Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Oh, Leon, you’ve found us out. Whatever shall we do.
I stopped reading them too. They are not good. Part of the reason they are porn for women is not actually the sex but the emotional high that they provide. Notice that in those love scenes their lovers are attentive, sensitive, amazingly perceptive and GREAT listeners. Very rarely are these heroines treated roughly (or if they are, usually it is in a way they enjoy). And any misunderstandings are quickly resolved by the end. But if you want to know how that lovelorn young lady on the bus clutching a harlequin wants to be treated–just pick one up in the checkout aisle.
jamsprint Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
U have too many thoughts
Nickiesha Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
i really never thought of it that wta….but i rather the visual than the mental!…maybe i am emasculate? LOL
mad bull Says:
November 6th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Good point, Leon. I have read some of a couple of them myself and they are quite racy!
Ricardo Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
You have discovered something very important here Leon and yes, women do tend to be more cerebral. Use this knowledge to your advantage.
owen Says:
November 10th, 2007 at 8:46 am
why read when they can get it via email?
I used to skip through the book just to the parts with the sex. most authors would have it at the same physical section lol
mickleby Says:
December 27th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Why is it that men can’t seem to handle anything complex about women so they boil it down to a simple simplistic general statement that, while catchy, fails to capture the complete truth? I assume you don’t know much about the genre but here’s something enlightening….it’s pretty wide. Women read for the same reasons men do. There are romances that happen to be suspense thrillers, some are fantasy or science fiction novels and of course there are romances that happen to be pictureless playboy. There’s a novel for every need. So no. Romance is not porn for women. Erotic fiction is porn for women.
Erra Says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Not all romances are porn, but yes, a large proportion (including Mills & Boon) are basically soft-core porn. That’s the point. M&B are thinner on the plot than a lot of romances, but even the ones with good plots and character development (eg Nora Roberts, Linda Howard) have explicit sex scenes.
Most women prefer their sex in the guise of romance, so that’s how it’s packaged.