Thing's I'm Going to Avoid

Some characteristics of romance novels that I find cliched and irritating are:

The Evil Other Woman--the former mistress of the hero; an acquaintance of the hero who secretly lusts after him

The Evil Ex-Wife--relatives who exist for nothing else but to cause trouble and move the plot along; are literally over the top evil to a ridiculous extent

The Country Mouse Theme-- The heroine lives in the city, but she visits the country and meets the rough-hewn hero. He, of course, thinks all city women are vain and weak and scared of horses, but she proves herself by working on his ranch/farm/feed lot. Eventually, she learns to like the country (or small town), and he learns that she is nothing like his ex-wife, who deserted him for the big city the moment she got dust on her black pumps.

The Naive Virginal Heroine--These heroines are often virgins not because of a moral choice but because they were burned by a bad relationship. Just as bad are the "near virgins" -- heroines who had sexual experiences but never enjoyed it until the hero came along.

The Duke of Slut--hero who has, ahem, been around the block a few times. He is usually paired with the naive virginal heroine. Because in true cliche form, although he has known nothing but harlots, only the naive virginal heroine can tame him. Suddenly, the rakish hero can no longer enjoy the pleasures of philandering, so he settles down with that one special woman.

The Will Stipulation--the hero and heroine of a romance novel are thrown together because of a stipulation in the will of a well-meaning relative, usually in an attempt at matchmaking behind the grave. They are often forced to marry, or forced to work together, or forced to manage a business together.

Amnesia Plots--These are particularly popular in series romance, although they appear in other sub-genres as well, from historical romances to romantic suspense. 

The Silly Big Misunderstanding-- this really goes without saying

source

The fact that so many of these cliches sound so familiar is shocking to say the least. I've seen them done countless times in movies, books, graphic novels and t.v. shows. Some of these cliches are just god awful and I will DEFINITELY be avoiding them over the course of my writing.

Definition of Romance

I guess i should have started out my reasearch with this but better late then never right?

Romance

a. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.

b. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.

c. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.

 

 For my story I will be combining elements of all three of these definitions. The story will take place in medieval times, tell of mysterious events and will deal with idealized, sexual love. Although there isn't a graphic love scene in my story, it is implied and is a major point to the story. I think my main goal is to make sure that the romance is key to the plot, and isn't just pointless fan service. It's always more satisfying when the romance is integral to the plot and not just slapped on as an afterthought.

Laila Majnu

All classic love stories involve an amount of tragedy and sacrifice that strengthens the reader’s compassion and belief in the romance being told. The Hindu ledged of Laila Majnu highlights themes of devotion and sacrifice for the sake of love. These prominent themes are so beloved by poeple, that they keep legends like this alive to this day.

The tale of Laila Majnu is about a boy named Qays and a girl named Laila who fall in love when they are young. Because Qays is poor, Laila’s family forbids her from seeing him and marries her off to a rich man. Laila, unable to bear the separation for Qays, falls ill and dies. When Qays hears of this he is driven mad with grief and dies near Laila’s grave. He is then known as "Majnu", or "Majnun Laila", which means "Driven mad by Laila".

Full Story of Laila Majnu

Despite the amount of suffering that both characters have to endure, Laila and Majnu’s desire for each other never falters. They fall so madly in love with each other that they would rather die than be apart. This is one of the things that draw people into romance and keeps them interested: the promise of unbendable devotion.

Delving into Darker Romance

I have received recommendations from my teacher to read Northanger Abbey and other Jane Austin Novels in my research into the romance genre, but since the romance in my story has a darker tone I decided to research some darker romantic novelists such as Laurell K. Hamilton. I have taken out her book called Burnt Offerings and have learned many things form it. The romance in her stories are very sexual but also very intimate and purposeful.

There is one relationship in this book that intrigued me, and it is the one between the main character, Anita, her love interest, Jean-Claude, and his former lover Asher. It is made clear in this book that Asher and Jean-Claude still love each other, but horrible circumstances cause tension that keeps them from loving each other fully. They both also love Anita, which adds even more tension, and leaves the reader with the sense that no matter whom each of them decides to love, it will all end on a very bittersweet note. That is the sense i want to capture in my writing: the deep love and sensuality drenched with a bittersweet sense of inevitable tragedy.

Romance and Romanticism Characteristics

This article helped a me great deal to learn about the characteristics of romance novels and romanticism. It also gave me some useful information on Wuthering Heights, a book a intend to read over the course of my research into this genre.

Link to article.