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Romance Blog Archives
Romance Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the romance facet of life. Romance Blog: Romance-Novels News 1 Creater of modern romance novels dies at age 68: July 10, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS — Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, a pioneer of the modern historical romance-novel marked by strong heroines, detailed period settings and steamy sex scenes, has died, her family and publisher said today. She was 68. Woodiwiss, whose first book “The Flame and the Flower” became an instant best seller in 1972, died Friday of cancer at a hospital in Princeton, Minn., said her son, Sean Woodiwiss. Her editor for the past 13 years, Carrie Feron, called Woodiwiss “the founding mother of the historical romance genre.” Romance Blog: Romance-Novels News 1 (Continued) Woodiwiss published 13 novels over the past 35 years, and all made the New York Times list of best sellers, her publisher said in a statement announcing her death. Her books focused on the relationship between a helpless heroine and the hero who rescued her, featured longer plots, controversial situations and characters, and impassioned sex scenes. Nicole Kennedy, spokeswoman for the Romance Writers of America, agreed that Woodiwiss “revolutionized” the romance novel. Before Woodiwiss started turning out thick novels in the 600-page range, most romance novels were much shorter and simpler, she said. Romance Blog: Romance-Novels News 1 (Continued) Woodiwiss received a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America in 1988. Kennedy said most romance writers today would credit Woodiwiss’ books with getting them hooked. Woodiwiss was born Kathleen Erin Hogg in 1939 in Alexandria, La. She met her husband, Ross Woodiwiss, at a sock hop when she was 16 and he was an Air Force lieutenant. His Air Force career took them to Japan and, eventually, Minneapolis. Ross Woodiwiss died in 1996. Romance Blog: Romance-Novels News 2 Harm in reading romance novels?: Jul 2, 2007 Shaunti Feldhahn, a right-leaning columnist, writes the commentary this week and Diane Glass, a left-leaning columnist, responds. Commentary by Shaunti Feldhahn
I enjoy an escapist beach read like anyone else. I’ve got no literary pretensions. That said, however, I was concerned to learn that many romance novels are not as harmless as they look. In fact, some marriage therapists caution that women can become as dangerously unbalanced by these books’ entrancing but distorted messages as men can by distorted messages of pornography. In fact, many of today’s romance novels actually have a huge soft porn influence, as nearly all major publishers are rushing to put out mainstream “erotica” titles to meet exploding demand. At what point should we admit that there is little difference between graphic images to men and seductive, graphic words and feelings to women? Erotica romances provide the porn-laced story with no worry about a spouse catching you online. Erotica aside, even traditional romance novels promote - almost by definition - an unattainable romantic ideal. The male heroes are all strong, rugged and breathtakingly handsome, yet sensitive, patient listeners and utterly unselfish. Is it any wonder that if we read two or three of those romances in a row, we’d start to be irritated by our real-life husbands with all their wonderful yet exasperating idiosyncrasies? Romance Blog: Romance-Novels News 2 (Continued) Dr. Julianna Slattery, psychologist and author of the excellent book Finding the Hero in Your Husband, explained in an interview that “For many women, these novels really do promote dissatisfaction with their relationships. There is a neurochemical element with men and porn, but an emotional element with women and these novels. I have met women that are addicted to these novels.” Although I wish “erotica” would disappear, I’m not suggesting women ditch other books that also happen to be romance stories. But this summer, those of us who like a good beach read would do well to remember, as we fold up our towel and head home, that it’s our choice to find the hero in our husband and not in the pages of a fiction book. Romance Blog: Romance Novels News 2 (Continued) Rebuttal by Diane Glass
There’s a war going on, children go to bed hungry and women are being raped at alarming rates in South Africa. Harlequin novels may not be like reading Maya Angelou, but at least women are reading. If we’re getting out the protest signs about insipid romance novels, why not rid the shelves of silly self-help books, too. They, too, give women unrealistic and dangerous notions. Like, say, the notions of the sick woman I saw on the Oprah Show who had breast cancer. She believed the positive thinking mantra message in the actress-edited best seller, “The Secret,” was a more viable method of fighting cancer than chemo. Even Oprah thought she was whack. Romance novels are about entertainment, not the dissemination of seriously dangerous notions. I don’t think Harlequin readers believe they’re doing in-depth gender research or that Fabio is going to ride up on his white horse. I think they’re indulging in a little female pornography. Romance Blog: Romance Novels News 2 (Continued) But I’d argue that all porn isn’t equal. Comparing romance novels laced with story lines and plots to visuals of girls bent over motorcycles is unfair. Erotica has been shown to have no adverse social implications, according to an in-depth study of pornography and erotica, in “Pornography: Research Advances and Policy Considerations.” Violent and dehumanizing pornography did, however, show anti-social implications. And Internet pornography users show weak social ties, the March 2004 “Social Science Quarterly” reported. The difference between erotica and porn isn’t the lighting, it’s the content. Romance Blog Comment: In fact, the pure romance prefers to live with the idea rather than its execution. One thing that is good about it is that it never lets you go cold! That is what keeps the colors in your life still a little bright as well as the fire in your soul still simmering a bit! Although not as bright as the color of the spring, nor as hot as the fire of passion within! Romance is an idea. Romance novels are ideas about how to flirt with this idea! I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. In order to subscribe to the blog, right-click on the orange RSS button (see buttons up to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on add to My Yahoo! button or My MSN or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS or blogging is all about, click on What's an RSS Feed? here:
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