Romance Fiction Flashcards
Feminist literary critics…
Seek to uncover the way in which gender is represented in the literature
Patriarchy
The male dominated power structure underlying sexual exchange and relationships between men and women
Men are the head of teh family, the famil
Importance of the romance genre
-Direct portrayal of relations between men and women
Romance novels typically include
- Heterosexual romantic conflict
- Heroine is feisty and innocent
- Hero is powerful
- Plot revoles around a conflict between the couple
- Ending is happy and optimistic
Criticisms
Poorly written
Addictvce and escapist
Poor substitute for real literature
Reinforces the patriarchy
Reasons to defend the genre
Protagonist is usually a woman
Heroines are able to assert themselves and express independence
Conflicts enable women to express dissatisfaction with gender relations
Reasons why the genre maintains the status quo
Promotes male brutality as an act of “love”
Women must be sexually pure
Marriage is the key to happiness
Methods of feminist literary critique
- Analyze how gender roles and power in sexual relationships are represented
- Explain the ideological implications of these representations
- Consider the potential impact of these representations on readers
