Reading and Writing the
Romance Novel
Dr. Virginia Lyn Neylon
Cuyamaca College
An analysis of romance fiction and its
place in the community college
classroom
WHAT IS THE POPULAR
ROMANCE NOVEL?
Popular romance novels stem from the literary
traditions of the romance & the novel
MODE
[story characteristics that differentiate a romance
novel from other genres]
MEDIUM
[characteristics of the novel]
ROMANTIC MODE
Main story goal must be the romance
Challenges and obstacles to the union of
the heroine & hero
Emotionally satisfying, optimistic ending
Female lead who succeeds in her goals
Romance creates an equal partnership
between heroine & hero
Romance raises both heroine & hero
NOVEL MEDIUM
Illustrates possible real life occurrences
in everyday language
Settings, people, places and time
described realistically
Story progresses through eyes of
individualized characters
Inner and outer projection
Allows for reader identification
MARRIAGE OF MODE &
MEDIUM
It’s the journey – not the destination
Love
Story
Accessibl
e
language
Romanc
e
obstacle
s
Female
Lead
Realism
Individual
characters
Optimistic
ending
Partners
Inner
outer
WHO READS POPULAR
ROMANCE NOVELS?
55% of all paperback fiction is romance
 7 % science fiction & 28% mystery/suspense
51.1 million readers in North America
93% of readers are women
98% of writers are women
HOW DO POPULAR ROMANCE
NOVELS AFFECT WRITERS &
READERS?
Writers reflect shifts in cultural beliefs about
love and marriage
Writers suggest ways to survive in a society
where women have little power
Readers see positive images of women who
struggle towards their goals and succeed
Readers change their own lives after seeing
positive models
SHOULD WE USE POPULAR
ROMANCE NOVELS IN THE
CLASSROOM?
 Of the 51.1 million readers of romance, 71% are
college age women
 Popular romance novels stem from valid literary
traditions
 Studies show positive benefits to women readers and
writers
 Studies show greater improvement in reading and
writing when using popular romance novels
POPULAR ROMANCE
NOVELS
Don’t judge the book by the cover!
www.cuyamaca.net/lyn.neylon/
Click on popular romance novels