Why has the Romance genre been able to evolve so rapidly in the past one hundred years?
Jane Austin is often cited as one of the first influential figures in the rise of the classic romance novel, but her name did not even appear on her books until after she died.
In the 1800’s it was not considered a respectable profession for woman and the books were often labelled, as they still are today as “frivolous,” but these type of novels were beginning to gain “popularity and women were gaining literacy.”
Quote from an article by Maya Rodale author of Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained
However, the majority of women were uneducated, which meant that the popularity of the genre could only advance when a woman could actually afford the time, the money and the education to read one of these books.
The perception of woman began to change in the 1900’s from an uneducated, mother, wife, stay at home figure to one where gender roles were more fluid and less specific. Feminist ideals were realised when women gained greater power and autonomy in their lives; firstly, through politics with the vote, then economically through work. The freedom woman experienced during the war years, when they took over the work of men, while they fought a war, were not easily given up when the men returned. Their new found independence led woman to seek more than just marriage and motherhood; they wanted jobs that gave them financial freedom. The sexual revolution of the 1960’s altered main stream thinking about woman and sex. This thinking continued to evolve and woman expected greater equality in all aspects of life and public opinion shifted in regard to woman’s sexual conduct, marriage and family life; leading to the advocation of woman’s rights within work, politics and the equal opportunities which are evident in society today.
However, woman needed not only the social freedom to read these books but the opportunity too, and this was only possible with modern technology, inventions, peace and prosperity, especially since World War II (but between the wars also) in developed countries. These developments have led to a rise in consumerism; whereby mass produced items, manufactured cheaply, are made available to the masses. Romance novels have been part of this.
Romance literature became affordable to the masses and although during the early 20th Century people had many hardships; reading provided an escapism from everyday life, as well as, other forms of mass communication that appeared during this time such as: movie theatres, radio, swing music and the use of leisure time to participate and watch sports.
With this context in mind, how did the Romance novel genre become so popular?
Firstly, is it popular? Yes, it is!
In “2013 romance sales totalled $1.08 billion” and “Romance novels have a 34% share of the U.S fiction market.”
Source Michele Harris and Donna Hatch
The Romance genre gained popularity because Romance publishers such as the British company Mills and Boon “began releasing escapist fiction for woman in the 1930s” and these books were then redistributed by Harlequin in North America. By the 1970’s they had a very specific marketing campaign targeting woman shopping in the supermarket and utilising the products that they brought, such as cleaning or sanitary items with a free book attached. These publishing houses directly contributed to the rise in popularity of the Romance genre, by specifically targeting woman, in a location they knew they would be. They realised early, that woman had their own disposable income to spend on leisure pursuits and there was a market for books that appealed to woman needing an escape from the drudgery of daily life, disappointing romantic encounters and for a short while allowing their imaginations to take them away from the constraints of their lives.
The Romance genre has only evolved within popular opinion and within the constraints of what is the socially acceptable norm in order to maintain its popularity and sell books. Publishing houses have been able to set the pace and the trend as they dictate what is released, but with the rise of self-publishing this is being challenged as writers push the boundaries of socially acceptable romantic fiction e.g. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James and become best sellers in the process, as the readers has greater choice to decide what they would prefer to read.