Fantasy, fiction, and feminism: a study of feminists reading romance

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Date
2006-09Author
Green, Marie
Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Despite its huge mass-market appeal, the romance genre continues to be the most
maligned of the pulp and mainstream fiction forms. While academic critics, whatever
their degree of sympathy with readers, claim that romance serves to reinforce traditional
patriarchal structures and values, other researchers claim that beneath the obvious
patriarchal influences are elements that women find valuable in their lives. By studying
the shift that occurred in the 1980s, and though interviewing feminists who read romance,
my research seeks to understand not only the influence that the second-wave women's
movement has had on the genre, but also the value that feminists place on the reading of
romance fiction. If it turns out that academic critics have not kept up with the changes in
romance fiction, the image of the contemporary romance reader will require significant
change.
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)Department
Women's and Gender StudiesProgram
Women's and Gender StudiesSupervisor
Relke, DianaCommittee
Korinek, Valerie; Forsyth, LouiseCopyright Date
September 2006Subject
romance fiction
feminism