Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained

by Maya Rodale

  And Maddie Caldwell, the reader group leader, told me, “I had all my romances stacked behind my shoes, so my mom wouldn’t find them. Yes, I literally kept them in my closet.”

  * * *

  Novels form an unfortunately large proportion of the habitual reading of the young at the exact crisis of life when the spirit is at once most susceptible and most tenacious...when the experience affords no criterion whereby to separate the true from the false in the delineations of life...

  —“False Morality of Lady Novelists” by William Rathbone Greg (1859)

  Most readers discover romance novels at the same age, often in the same way: As young girls, they snuck them from their mom’s bedside table, grandma’s bookshelf, or their sister’s closet. They read them illicitly, vaguely aware that these stories are somehow bad or wrong or something to be embarrassed by. Why else would they be tucked away in the closet? Why else wouldn’t we talk about reading them?

  This, I suspect, is how our culture is able to perpetuate a stigma against a certain literary genre without ever saying a word. This is how we “just know” that reading romance novels is a shameful act. Because romance novels are so obviously and unabashedly female, we’re not just communicating snark toward the books, but snark toward women and girls.

  Romance novels feature nuanced portrayals of female characters having adventures, making choices, and accepting themselves just as they are. When we say these stories are silly and unrealistic, we are telling young girls not to expect to be the heroines in their own real lives.

  Romance novels depict female sexuality as a loving, pleasurable, and above all acceptable part of being a happy woman. But when we call them smutty, dirty, or trashy books, we are negating that message.

  Romance novels portray life as we, women, would love it to be. One that recognizes our worth, rewards us for our confidence, and supports our choices. When we say these books are unrealistic, we are telling young girls, who might still be open-minded about their own opportunities, that they should lower their expectations.

  Romance novels show a variety of heroines, be they plain, pretty, plump, or skinny. They might be black, white, rich, poor, gay, or straight. But when we say only stupid women read these books, we are telling young girls that they are foolish for believing that they can be beautiful and loveable just the way they are.

  Even when we don’t talk about romance novels, we are sending a message that women are not worth talking about and that they should be seen and not heard.

  We communicate these messages to girls at their most vulnerable age. A majority of my survey respondents, 40 percent, discovered romances between the ages of 11 and 13. Another 29 percent were between the ages of 14 and 18. This is the age when girls are learning how to be women. This is also the age when girls start losing confidence: “At the age of nine a majority of girls were confident, assertive and felt positive about themselves. But by the time they reached high school fewer than a third felt that way,” the New York Times said in a report on a major study examining self esteem in adolescence.[150] This is the age when to do something #LikeAGirl goes from being a badge of honor to an insult.

  Because romance novels are by women, about women, for women, what we say about them can be interpreted as a statement on how we value women (or don’t). If we care about the messages we send to impressionable young girls—and all women!—then we should care about how we talk about romance novels.

  * * *

  At the start of this book, I had the noble goal of defending and redeeming the genre’s reputation. I believed it was of vital importance that these books received the critical respect they deserve. But the more I wrote and researched the subject, the more I came to realize that the status of the romance novel is inextricably linked with the status of women in our society. To change the perception of the genre, we would have to change some other deeply ingrained cultural values. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as the status of women has increased, so too has the status of romance.

  What has made the romance genre so successful is also what has contributed to its bad reputation. Romance novels are, relatively, cheaply made, mass-produced items. They will probably never be perceived to be the same value as something expensively produced in limited quantities. And yet, the widespread availability of these cheap books has meant that entertaining and uplifting literature was readily and affordably available to a greater audience. This is a good thing.

  There are things we can do to combat the snark: Put romance in the curriculum in schools, put these books on the same shelf as Literature, and watch what we say about it.

  But here’s the other thing I have come to realize: We may not want to change the reputation of romance.

  It was toward the end of writing and researching this book that I came across this passage from The True Story of the Novel by Margaret Anne Doody, which cast everything in a new light:

  By making the novel so officially unimportant, so harmless, the definition permitted the Novel to continue, and Novels to be bought. Such a definition even encouraged (if slowly) further writing by women, and the production of novels in which female characters play central roles.[151]

  Perhaps the romance genre didn’t flourish in spite of its bad reputation, perhaps it thrived because of it. A lack of reviews meant no one in positions of authority was watching, so lady authors were free to write whatever they wanted. A lack of prestige meant that men weren’t interested in trying their hand at romance, thus interrupting all those female voices. Jokes about heaving bosoms and throbbing members meant that those who tried to ban or regulate sexual expression didn’t focus on this frivolous, euphemistic purple prose. Everyone knew these were stupid, trashy books so we didn’t have to worry about them.

  Like the “fallen” or “ruined” heroine of many a romance novel, perhaps a bad reputation isn’t a death sentence, but a passport to freedom.

  While many readers feel that romance has a bad reputation, many don’t give a damn. They love the genre and don’t care who knows it. Fifty-six percent are “out” as a romance reader and another 37 percent are out with “certain people.” You, or someone you know, could be reading romance novels.

  If there is one lesson that I have learned from every romance novel I’ve ever read and every conversation I had for this book, it is this: To hell with what anyone else tells you and follow your heart.

  THANK YOU!

  Thank you so much for reading Dangerous Books For Girls. I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope it makes you want to read a romance novel and tell everyone about it. If you found this book entertaining, interesting, thought-provoking or [insert adjective of your choice here], there are a few things you can do next!

  Tell your friends. True fact: personal recommendations are the #1 way readers find new books.

  Leave a review. This is another way to help get this book into the hands and onto the e-readers of fellow readers. I appreciate all reviews, whether raving or scathing.

  Subscribe to my newsletter. I send monthly emails with links to fascinating and funny articles from around the web. I also include recommendations for your TBR (to be read) pile. Sign up here: www.mayarodale.com/newsletter

  Read a romance novel! I share many “must read” suggestions on my blog.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book would not be possible without the contributions of so many people and I will be eternally grateful to all of them.

  My mother, for making me read romance novels in the first place.

  My professors at NYU, particularly Gabrielle Starr, Susan Ostrov Weisser and Stacy Pies for their guidance and encouragement in my studies of women, fiction and romance.

  I am especially grateful to the men and woman who generously took and hour or two out of their busy days to talk to me about romance: Bella Andre, Bobbi Dumas, Brenda Chin, Cindy Rizzo, Courtney Milan, Eloisa James, Elle Keck, Elyse Discher, Esi Sogah, Jackie Horne, Jane Litte, Jenn Northington, Jennifer Probst, Jon Paul, Kate McMurray, M
adeline Caldwell, Olivia Waite, Petra Mayer, Sarah Frantz Lyons, Sarah Wendell and Tessa Woodward. Special shout out to Megan Mulry for a great interview, beta-reading and encouraging text messages. Special thanks to Lisa Lin, Amy Valentini, Maria Almaguer and Allisia Wysong for sharing their expertise on romance novels with me in our Facebook group.

  Major thanks to everyone who participated in the surveys associated with this project. I asked a lot of questions and was so grateful to receive a lot of thoughtful responses.

  Everyone I surveyed and interviewed had smart, fascinating, insightful things about the genre and shared what romance has meant to them, personally. I feel lucky to have had these conversations. While I wasn’t able to include everything everyone said (alas!), each survey response and conversation helped to shape my thinking and was a valuable contribution to this project.

  Very special thanks to:

  My editor for this project, Madeline Caldwell. You made this book so much better, lady!

  My copyeditor, Nancy Bailey. Any remaining mistakes are my fault.

  My designer, Tokiko Jinta for beautiful work on this book and related materials.

  My husband, Tony Haile, my romance hero IRL.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Maya Rodale began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence. She is now the bestselling and award winning author of numerous smart and sassy romance novels. A champion of the genre and its readers, she is also the author of the non-fiction book Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation Of Romance Novels, Explained and a co-founder of Lady Jane’s Salon, a national reading series devoted to romantic fiction. Maya lives in New York City with her darling dog and a rogue of her own.

  ROMANCE NOVELS BY MAYA RODALE

  Bad Boys & Wallflower Series

  The Wicked Wallflower

  The Bad Boy Billionaire's Wicked Arrangement

  Wallflower Gone Wild

  The Bad Boy Billionaire's Girl Gone Wild

  What a Wallflower Wants

  The Bad Boy Billionaire: What a Girl Wants

  The Writing Girl Romance Series

  A Groom of One's Own

  A Tale of Two Lovers

  The Tattooed Duke

  Seducing Mr Knightly

  Three Schemes and a Scandal

  The Negligent Chaperone Novels

  The Heir and the Spare

  The Rogue and the Rival

  Anthologies

  At the Duke’s Wedding

  At the Billionaire’s Wedding

  WORKS CITED

  [1] Raphel, Adrienne. “What Happened to the Harlequin Romance?” The New Yorker. May 08, 2014. www.newyorker.com/business/currency/what-happened-to-the-harlequin-romance.

  [2] U.S. Book Industry Year-End Review. Report. February 25, 2014. www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2014/u-s-book-industry-year-end-review-2013.html.

  [3] Milliot, Jim. “Publishing's Holding Pattern: 2014 Salary Survey.” PublishersWeekly.com. September 19, 2014. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/64083-publishing-s-holding-pattern-2013-salary-survey.html.

  [4] While all these literary terms have very different definitions and even canons, for the purposes of this book, I’m going to use the term romance novel since it’s most widely understood today and the result of all these different literary subgenres devoted to women’s interests.

  [5] “About the Romance Genre.” MyRWA: The Romance Genre. www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=578.

  [6] Jack, Belinda Elizabeth. The Woman Reader. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.

  [7] Rathbone Greg, William. “False Morality of Lady Novelists.” In Victorian Print Media: A Reader, edited by Andrew King and John Plunkett. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005; 50–54.

  [8] S. “What Is the Harm of Novel-Reading?” In Victorian Print Media: A Reader, edited by Andrew King and John Plunkett. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005; 48–49.

  [9] St Clair, William. The Reading Nation in the Romantic Period. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2004; 309.

  [10] St Clair, 309.

  [11] St Clair, 309.

  [12] Moss, Gabrielle. “The Rise of the Reactress.” Slate.com. www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/02/20/sienna_miller_and_the_rise_of_the_reactress_what_her_roles_in_american_sniper.html.

  [13] Crusie, Jennifer. “Romancing Reality: The Power of Romance Fiction to Reinforce and Re-Vision the Real Romancing Reality: The Power of Romance Fiction to Reinforce and Re-Vision the Real.” Accessed March 24, 2015. www.jennycrusie.com/for-writers/essays/romancing-reality-the-power-of-romance-fiction-to-reinforce-and-re-vision-the-real/.

  [14] St Clair, William. The Reading Nation in the Romantic Period. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

  [15] Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage. New York: Viking, 2005.

  [16] Radway, Janice A. Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1984.

  [17] Edgeworth, Maria. Belinda. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2008.

  [18] Coontz, 180.

  [19] Salmon, Edward G. “What Girls Read.” In Victorian Print Media: A Reader, edited by Andrew King and John Plunkett. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005; 68–72

  [20] Rathbone Greg, William. “False Morality of Lady Novelists.” In Victorian Print Media: A Reader, edited by Andrew King and John Plunkett. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005; 50–54.

  [21] Chatel, Amanda. “The 6 Most Common Sexual Fantasies for Women Might Surprise You.” Bustle. January 2015. Accessed March 24, 2015. www.bustle.com/articles/61918-the-6-most-common-sexual-fantasies-for-women-might-surprise-you.

  [22] Mahler, Jonathan. "Bodice-Ripper in New Hands." The New York Times, May 02, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/business/media/news-corp-to-acquire-harlequin-enterprises.html?_r=0.

  [23] Bosman, Julie. "Penguin and Random House Merge, Saying Change Will Come Slowly." The New York Times. July 01, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/business/media/merger-of-penguin-and-random-house-is-completed.html.

  [24] Baron, Jesse. "Bad Romance." Harpers Magazine. February 2014. http://harpers.org/archive/2014/02/bad-romance/.

  [25] Dederer, Claire. “Why Is It So Hard for Women to Write About Sex?” The Atlantic. February 19, 2014. http://bit.ly/1fosdZL.

  [26] “Let’s Read About Sex.” The New York Times. October 05, 2013. www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/books/review/the-naughty-bits.html?pagewanted=all.

  [27] MacLean, Sarah. “Letters.” The New York Times. October 19, 2013. www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/books/review/letters.html?_r=0.

  [28] Giraldi, William. “Finally, an Academic Text Devoted to ‘50 Shades of Grey’” TheNewRepublic.com. May 19, 2014. www.newrepublic.com/article/117814/50-shades-grey-academic-study-feminist-point-view.

  [29] Luther, Jessica. “Beyond Bodice-Rippers: How Romance Novels Came to Embrace Feminism.” TheAtlantic.com. March 18, 2013. http://bit.ly/15mkBhS.

  [30] Dumas, Bobbi. “Don’t Hide Your Harlequins: In Defense of Romance.” NPR. December 18, 2013. Accessed March 24, 2015. www.npr.org/2012/12/18/167451651/dont-hide-your-harlequins-in-defense-of-romance.

  [31] Sachs, Andrea. “The Global Boom in Bodice-Rippers.” Time. September 21, 2009. Accessed March 24, 2015. www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1921627,00.html#ixzz0cOquKNTq.

  [32] Radway, 28.

  [33] Shaffer, Andrew. “How Paperbacks Transformed the Way Americans Read.” Mental Floss. April 19, 2014. http://mentalfloss.com/article/12247/how-paperbacks-transformed-way-americans-read.

  [34] Grescoe, Paul. The Merchants of Venus: Inside Harlequin and the Empire of Romance. Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 1996.

  [35] Grescoe, 89.

  [36] St Clair, 39.

  [37] Romance 2012 Books and Consumers US Genre Profile. Report. August 7, 2013. www.bookconsumer.com/store/product.php?id=85.

>   [38] Ibid.

  [39] Ibid .

  [40] “Online Retailers Gained, While Brick-and-Mortar Lost in Wake of Borders Exit.” Bowker. August 6, 2013. Accessed March 24, 2015. www.bowker.com/en-US/aboutus/press_room/2013/pr_08062013.shtml.

  [41] “Did You Know?” NoraRoberts.com. http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noraroberts.com%2Fdid-you-know%2F.

  [42] Weiner, Jennifer. A Moment of Jen. February 13, 2015. http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/.

  [43] Weinstein, Adam. “Where Are the Women Writers?” Mother Jones. April 4, 2014. Accessed March 24, 2015. www.motherjones.com/media/2012/04/women-writers-vida-asme.

  [44] Donahue, Deirdre. “Scholarly Writers Empower.” USA Today. July 10, 2009. www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-06-romance-novels_N.htm.

  [45] Regis, Pamela. A Natural History of the Romance Novel. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.

  [46] Donahue, Deirdre. “Scholarly Writers Empower.” USA Today. July 10, 2009. www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-06-romance-novels_N.htm.

  [47] Weissmann, Jordan. “The Decline of the American Book Lover.” TheAtlantic.com. January 21, 2014. www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/283222/.

  [48] St Clair, 178.

  [49] St Clair, 179.

  [50] Radway, 21.

  [51] Mansel, Henry Longueville. “Sensation Novels.” In Victorian Print Media: A Reader, edited by Andrew King and John Plunkett. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005; , 55–57.