Recently in my writing group, the discussion started as to what makes something “romantic.” I got to thinking and made an interesting discovery. Romance incorporates all the other genres. In many ways, Romance can be thought of as a “super genre.” Let’s see how:
Mystery
Will the hero meet his hero, the man of his dreams, or will he wander the earth alone and bereft? When he meets the hero, will he recognize the man? Worse, will the man of his dreams recognize our hero? Good romances leave this up in the air, so you don’t know right away. They create tension, so you root for our poor, lonely hero.
Suspense
Once the hero figures out who his man is, will they get together? Will an ex-boyfriend intervene and threaten the budding relationship? Will the villain kill our hero’s dream lover before they get a chance to consummate their relationship? Will monsters destroy everything they hold dear? What happens next? Good romances have suspense so you keep turning pages.
Thriller
Excitement adds spice to romances, just like it does to anything else. Why else do we ride roller coasters? If a romance has twists and turns and villains out to get our heroes, it makes us want to read more. Even contemporary romances like Dallas do this for us, as we root for one or another of the characters. Add in werewolves or aliens and the mix deepens.
Horror
Any fan of horror can tell you that there’s always a monster out to get the hero. This is true in romance, as well. There are a plethora of monsters out to end our hero’s relationship prospects and maybe even his life – vampires, succubi, zombies, oil tycoons, you name it.
As one of the members of my writing group pointed out, even fine literature is romantic – look at Doctor Zhivago! Love story. Romeo and Juliet. Love story! See? Romance is everywhere, if you just know how to look – as any good reader can tell you. So next time you read or write a romance, see if you can’t find the other elements in the story that make it that much more compelling. Maybe one day, bookstores will realize this and put “literary” stories in genre fiction and give the main literature space to romance, where it belongs!
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A. Catherine Noon is an author and textile artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Rachel Wilder is an author and image consultant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together, they love to write stories and create worlds for readers to explore and enjoy. To learn more about them, please visit their website.
I’ve never thought of Romance as a sort of ‘super-genre’. That’s an interesting idea.
Romance is an integral part of life and when we’re involved personally it makes us feel good. So reading about it has that kind of effect too.
Thinking about it now, I’ve had the vague idea that Romance will pair up with any other genre, rather than it being a super-genre…but perhaps that is the same thing?
I suppose you could say Romance is the perfect partner
I like that analogy too, that romance is the perfect partner. (That would make a cool name for a niche bookstore, no?) Thanks for commenting!
Oooo! How nice to have a bookshop with that name … or perhaps it would make a great title for a short story…
I like my romance with a good smattering of comedy too!
I like the idea of romance incorporating all those other genres as elements, and I think most of the other genres often feature a romantic subplot. It’s clearly a big hook for many readers – even in literary fiction. I remember reading Patrick Gale’s lit fic novel Rough Music, and all I can remember now was the gay romance subplot – which was a pretty small part of the overall story.
Comedy! You’re totally right. Forgot about comedy! Romantic comedies are the stuff of dreams, and adding humor to a story can lighten it and add variety – making it a stronger story.
I think romance, at its core, is about relationships, and relationships are what interest us. We build relationships with characters who compel us. And you’re right, romance is an undercurrent in many stories that aren’t “romances” – from Star Wars to Poirot.
A huge thank you to Josephine for hosting Rachel and I on her blog! Rachel emailed me that she’s having some computer problems and couldn’t comment herself, so please consider this a thank you from both of us. We’re grateful to be here!
What a great concept. Just last night, my significant other and I were watching the movie “Butterfly Effect” when we had to comment on how it’s really a great romantic story. The same goes for “Donnie Darko”. I’m sure there are many more examples in film. This is great food for thought. Thank you for sharing!
I agree. Once you start to look for it, it becomes very obvious. Batman the Dark Night – a thwarted romance. NCIS even has romantic elements, as viewers wonder who will be the next Mrs. Gibbs. Relationships are why we watch and read stories. We see ourselves reflected in them, we fantastic about them, we love to know what comes next.
Romance has been with us since the beginning of time. Think of the Biblical examples of Sampson and Delilah and King David and Bathsheeba, both stories with a hefty dose of suspense, horror and mystery to go with them. It’s a part of the human condition, as you’ve just succinctly proved with your post. It’s foolish to think it can be separated and ‘annexed’ into its own place at the bookstore.
Good point! I forgot about Sampson and Delilah and Bathsheeba. Shame on me!
I agree that it’s part of the human condition. I’m glad that, with the internet, the divisions are blurring and folks are able to write what they like, without artificial marketing designations.
OH now that’s very interesting and you make a really good point. I never thought of romance being all encompassing like that. And what a great idea to see how one can include aspects of these other genres in their writing. Thanks for such a great post!!
Thanks, Katherine! I’m glad you appreciated it. I think it’s important to remember that we read fiction to see what happens to the characters, and the better we can make those characters act like real people with real relationships, the better our stories become. It’s finding the universal in the specific.
Have a great weekend!