tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post6848365968597528717..comments2024-03-25T09:18:22.829-05:00Comments on Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR JOAN REEVESANASTASIA POLLACKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03160162455676799133noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post-4416873937788339562013-06-30T11:42:19.778-05:002013-06-30T11:42:19.778-05:00I agree with Callie. Wonderful article! And great ...I agree with Callie. Wonderful article! And great explanation of what and why. Romantic fiction empowers both women writers and readers. Hear, hear!Cynthia Wicklundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10300641698484285282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post-72353341107437098812013-06-29T12:41:50.722-05:002013-06-29T12:41:50.722-05:00Liz, thank you for your comment. You are correct o...Liz, thank you for your comment. You are correct on every point. I wrote a very long article on the history of romance several years ago. I think I should pull it out and publish it on my blog SlingWords.<br /><br />Have a great weekend. Joan Reeveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17622809465767116747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post-51165568498849900632013-06-28T11:18:20.911-05:002013-06-28T11:18:20.911-05:00Years ago, when I was studying for my graduate deg...Years ago, when I was studying for my graduate degree, I chose Romance as my genre (over epic, drama, etc.), to be studied over the ages. The modern romance novel, of course, is just one part of that historic genre, but people who scoff at modern romance simply do not recognize that it has a long and, until recently, respected place in literature. There are a lot of reasons for that, of course, but so-called escape fiction, in which category I would place modern romance, exists for most readers; it just varies according to what idealized world they wish to inhabit for a while. For many men, it is the violent thriller, which may be regarded with more indulgence simply because it is a male-dominated, male-values subgenre, and as we all know, anything written (as well as read) by a man is likely to receive more respect than anything written by a woman. That the genre is, by definition, not "realistic," was not, historically, a knock against it; it is only with the rise of modern novels, and the modern privileging of Serious, Realistic, and (usually) Tragic, over the ancient appreciation for fantasy, with its understanding that anything made up is inherently Unreal, that the genre of Romance in all its forms has lost its stature. Spenser's Faerie Queene, to take just one example, is a fantasy, a romance in every sense of the word.Liz Ghiselin Steinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post-38577022447288153602013-06-28T09:24:09.093-05:002013-06-28T09:24:09.093-05:00Thanks, Callie! You made my morning brighter. *g*Thanks, Callie! You made my morning brighter. *g*Joan Reeveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17622809465767116747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6348734432793771357.post-73781449854735402262013-06-28T07:34:07.834-05:002013-06-28T07:34:07.834-05:00Loved the article, and agree with everything you s...Loved the article, and agree with everything you said. We need to stand up for our genre, and remind people today's romance novels are not the bodice rippers of yesterday. Today's heroine is a kick-ass kind of gal, even if she never raises her voice. Calliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08109239327871560240noreply@blogger.com