Romance Evolved:
An Exploration of Romance in the
Interactive Narratives of Final
Fantasy and Lunar
Johansen Quijano
University of Texas at Arlington
PCA / ACA National Conference 2011
April 19th – April 23rd
What is “Romance” Anyway?
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A Love Story
 Tangential
Elements
 Happy Ending
 Quest
 Superior Hero
 Magic Items
 Vast Landscape
Narrative Elements of a Romance
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Society
Meeting
Attraction
Barrier
Ritual Death
Recognition
Declaration
Engagement
The Anti Hero Protagonist
The Heroine
Temporal Regression / Textual Progression
The Repetition of the Quest Cycle
Evolution Through Immersion
The reader is actively participating
 The reader is projected into the story
 The reader does not consume, but creates
 The reader interacts with the text
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References
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(1993): 428-438.
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