The (Real) Problem with Romance Novels

I was led to a lovely little blog via an erotica author on twitter.  The blog author is an unpublished Sci/Fi writer, but states that he “will write anything that pays” for his questionable eating habits (except Romance, I surmise).  His blog post is entitled “The Problem with Romance Novels” and I won’t paraphrase here–the link is below so you can get it straight from the donkey’s mouth.   

I read through the entire post and all the comments and felt spurred to throw my own voice into the ring.  At the time, I figured that the all-powerful Cale McWhatskey would delete my comment as I failed to agree with him. 

I checked back a few days after launching my comment, to see if he had a reply for me, but the blog master had added a final statement of his own, saying, approximately, that he would no longer be posting/replying to comments as he was tired of repeating himself and couldn’t waste any more time on the subject matter.  It was truly magnanimous of him to post on the dubious merits of the romance genre in the first place, I’d say.

As of right now, he seems to have removed his ban on comments to allow another that shares his narrow view to take up residence.  And he seems to have gotten his second wind as far as replying, so long as you agree with him.

Well, this is my blog, and I can respond right here.  Hoorah for free speech and free blog fodder.  Thank you, Oh McWise One, for making my blogging day.

Here is the link to the original blog post, followed by my response.  If anyone cares to comment, feel free to do so.  I promise not to post only the comments from my boot-licking friends. 🙂

http://calemccaskey.blogspot.com/2012/01/problem-with-romance-novels.html#comment-form

My comment:

I realize your goal is to cause a stir here because even negative attention is still attention.  That’s blogging 101.  Not sure they teach that in Harvard…

Anyway, kudos.  Here I am.

I love your “grown women should be over that” argument.  I wonder if you lump erotica in with romance or if that is a steaming pile all on its own, but either way, romance has sex scenes, graphic or no, and is therefore, completely inappropriate for “little girls.”

Furthermore, romance/erotica frequently has sub genres, like the paranormal you mentioned, and sci/fi, suspense, fantasy, or even horror.  The author not only has to write an engaging spec. fic., or historically accurate Regency, but she/he also has to get the emotional/physical love part right.  So said author is taking your chosen genre one step further.

Is everyone who gets published Hemingway or Poe (and I’m sure you hate them, too)?  Of course not.  That reality goes for all genres, as you are doubtless aware.

Ought grown men to be done with Sci/Fi after their comic book days are over?  Or does still living in one’s mother’s basement make reading the genre acceptable?  Seriously, a woman could lose herself in a Romance story and be swept up by a perfect, fictitious, male character, or she could hang with the likes of you. 

I don’t care how big your… wallet is; hand me the book.  If men were as fantastic, in reality, as those in romance novels, I would totally read F. Scott Fitzgerald while receiving my post cunnilingus foot rub.  Your mere existence makes romantic fiction an absolute necessity for the female of the species.

***

So, that is the whole of it.  And it brings us full circle to the real problem with romance novels.  That is, the delicious men of fiction make real guys seem even more intolerable.  Alas, keep reading and keep looking, Ladies.  And don’t settle for the dregs. 

Related articles

• While Other’s May Hesitate To Post On This, I Don’t (inkwellsplatters.wordpress.com)
• Bookclutch: Beyond Heaving Bosoms (liliwilkinson.com.au)
• On Reading Romance & Bill Willingham: Day 32 of Project 365 (valeriesuydam.wordpress.com)
• Reader Uses Personalized Romance Novel to Deliver Wedding Proposal for His Own Real-Life Happily-Ever-After Love Story (prweb.com)