As a little girl, I loved all of the fairy tale Disney movies. The one where the prince sweeps the princess off of her feet, they battle the evil villain and they live happily ever after. The underlying theme of the story is always that no matter what struggles one may go through, love wins in the end. I grew up believing in the pureness of love. I loved to read romance novels and still do to this day. They take you to another place or even another world. A world filled with danger, new experiences and love. As an adult, sometimes reading romantic novels is an escape that takes women to a different world, where anything is possible, maybe even fantasizing about their deepest, darkest desires. We only have to think of 50 Shades of Grey and can guess why that became so popular.
Always Guaranteed a Happy Ending
It may be the hope of many that get caught up in a beautiful love story or even a steamy love scene that allows us to sometimes play out that experience in our minds, living through that character and feeling their emotions. They can take you out of your own head and into a dream world. It can allow us to escape the stresses of everyday life. It’s empowering to embrace sexuality and to love someone with such an intensity, that you never want to be without them. We still want the happy endings, just as we did in our childhood fairy tale princess movies. There’s a hope and a dream that a happily ever after is possible, as most romance novels end leaving you with that feel good factor and a smile on your face.
Romance is the Literature of Hope
Romance is popular because it is the literature of hope. Have you heard the saying, she/he is a hopeful romantic? Hopeful romantics believe love is a beautiful, amazing experience that will come to them in time. I believe this is why so many of us read romantic novels. We can go there in our minds, even if finding love hasn’t played a part in our reality. The romance reader industry is booming. It makes up 34% of the overall fiction sold today. Romance novels are no longer just the average girl meets boy story.
According to survey results from Romance Writers of America, 84% of romance readers are women and 16% are men. This is up from 9% a few years ago. We all appreciate a well crafted love story and with each turn of the page, there is hope, which keeps us reading on until the end, only to find ourselves repeating our reading experience in the next story.
Could it be a literary addiction?
The Word “Roman” Means Novel
I recently learned that the word “roman” in modern French, means “novel” but “romance” gradually evolved to take on the characteristics of the words it was associated with, primarily love and chivalry. I found that to be very interesting. The word, “romance” also refers to romantic love. Romance describes compromising stories of legends of duty, courage, boldness, battles, and rescues of damsels in distress. It is through romance, literature can highlight the integrative nature of the written words.
Written words can touch our hearts. One of the most memorable quotes from one of my favorite books (and the movie) is from “The Notebook.” It’s when Allie reads one of the letters Noah had written to her …” The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I’d hoped to give you forever.”
They say action speaks louder than words, but there are times when words can be just as powerful. Romantic words can brighten someone’s day or change someone’s mind. It’s not just in words but in film as well. In fact, the first romantic movie ever made was in the 1890s. It was an 18-second sensation called, The May Irwin Kiss. Few would argue that romantic love is one of the greatest sensations to experience. It is why there will always be a need for romance novels.
My Love For Reading and Writing Romance
Ultimately, romance is an escape to a fantasy dream world and creating characters for a story can be challenging but quite fun as well. When you’re a hopeful romantic, there is something beautiful about bringing the characters you create to life, and writing their story, you can feel their emotions, even though they’re just characters you created in your head. There’s nothing better than escaping into a good love story, not to mention a sexy one at that. At times, I’ve become so absorbed in a story that I forget everything else and lose track of time, but sometimes that is just the medicine we need. It’s a healthy part of who I am and I would venture to say, who many are. The romance genre is alive and well.
Romance lives on…
Conclusion
So, why is romance the single, most popular genre? Romance fiction is smart, sexy, thrilling and diverse. If you could find an author who led you to a make-believe world full of excitement with romance, sex, and elegantly well written, why wouldn’t you want to read the story? It’s no wonder that we can look at romance as an open book.
From heart-wrenching love stories to a romance with a more sinful side, words can have a huge impact on our hearts and our minds. That is why we love romance novels. It adds depth to our lives and allows us to view the world through the stories we read. We are in love with love. It is through books that I’ve fallen in love many times over. No matter the theme, there’s a romantic story waiting to be read. Open a book and explore the romance that awaits you.
