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The genre is not about womens bondage, as the literary critics would have it. The romance novel is, to the contrary, about
womens freedom. Pamela Regis, author of A Natural History of the Romance Novel
It is well past time forsophisticated, rigorous, and romance-positive academic analyses of romance.
Sarah Frantz and Eric Selinger, editors of New Approaches to Popular Romance
Welcome to this special topics course on Critical Approaches to the Romance Novel. This course offers you the
opportunity for a scholarly exploration of what in scorned literature is the most popular, least respected genre
(Regis xi). This semester, you will examine the definition, history, and development of popular romance fiction by
reading a wide range of exemplar texts alongside critical studies of novels, the genre, its authors, and its readers.
Utilizing tools of literary and cultural studies, you will ask questions about the structures that guide the reading of
romance novels and what these reflect about the context in which these novels are produced and consumed. Through
such analysis, you will also, hopefully, better understand your own relationship with popular romance as readers, fans,
critics, scholars, and Filipinos.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the semester, you should
be familiar with the definitions, development, and cultural significance of popular romance fiction
be aware of the waves of scholarship on romance fiction and be able to apply/adapt various critical approaches to
representative texts of the genre
have read several romance novels and examined these, through writing and discussion, as literary and/or cultural
texts in order to explore the complex relationship between popular literature and the needs, desires, conflicts,
fears, and anxieties of women
have produced output that demonstrates an understanding and interrogation of the genre and your own
relationship with popular romance as a reader, fan, critic, scholar, and Filipino
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Reading log and quizzes: a blue book in which you will record short in-class exercises and answer a few
questions aimed at checking to see if youve read assigned texts
2. Session facilitation: a group-facilitated class session focusing on assigned romance/critical texts (45
minutes to 1 hour, with at least 15 minutes for the teachers synthesis; see page 3 for more guidelines)
3. Class participation: written and oral output that demonstrates that youve not just read the material but
thought about it (attendance, recitation, and participation in exercises 15%; three short papers
15%, posts and comments on the class Facebook page - 10%)
4. A term paper: a 1,500- to 2,500-word critical documented essay, which you will work on throughout
the semester, from topic proposal form, to abstract, to completed draft (see pages 3 and 4 for more
guidelines)
5. Mock conference presentation, in which you will present a short (10-to- 12-minute) version of your
term paper or, if the class size becomes too unwieldy, a scholarly journal of popular romance
scholarship prepared by the class (guidelines to follow)
TOTAL
10%
15%
40%
25%
10%
100%
Policies:
Attendance: Roll call and quizzes begin at 1:05; dismissal is at 2:40. Three lates = one absence. Six absences =
automatic 5.0 (dropping deadline is Nov. 7).
Participation: Various participation options are open to you. Please contribute to class discussions and/or
Facebook discussions.
Reading: Please read the required texts. They will be made available to you in print and/or e-form.
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Plagiarism: Passing off someone elses words or ideas as your own will not be tolerated. If any portion of your
final paper is lifted from any source without due (MLA-style) documentation, as Gandalf says, you shall not pass!
Benovitz The Interactive Romance Community: the Case of Covers Gone Wild; Glen Thomass Happy
Readers or Sad Ones? Romance Fiction and the Problems of the Media Effects Model; Regiss Ch 17 One Man,
One Woman: Nora Roberts; *required: Radways Readers and their Romances, Modleskis The Disappearing
Act: Harlequin Romances, Selingers How to Read a Romance Novel (and Fall in Love with Popular
Romance); McNaught books, Chases Lord of Scoundrels, one of Thompsons Nerd series; a Nora Roberts book
Requirements: a one-to-two-page write-up focusing on a particular trend/trope and using one of the required
novels/authors as a take-off point
Module 4: ROMANTIC TRYSTS and MENAGES A TROIS (Weeks 10 to 13)
In which we examine categories and boundaries in womens popular fiction, question terms such as erotica and
pornography in relation to the romance genre, and look at new avenues of popular romance writing, publishing, and
scholarship
- Emerging genres in romance, genre expansions and permutations (mashups, chick lit, teen paranormal
romance, new adult?, romcoms)
- Fantasy/Paranormal romance: J.R. Wards Dark Lover** (2005) (facilitator:
_________________________)
- Romantic suspense/new genre: either a Mary Stewart/J.D. Robb novel or a novel in the genre of the
groups choice (facilitator: ____________________________)
- E-publishing and erotic romance: The Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon
- Guest Lecture: #romance class The Romance Movement in the Philippines (Fairy Tale Fail by Mina
Esguerra)
- Wrap-up/synthesis session
Sources/Readings: Mary Blys On Popular Romance, J.R. Ward, and the Limits of Genre Study; Regiss Ch. 14
Courtship and Suspense: Mary Stewart; *required: Wards Dark Lover, a Mary Stewart novel/novel chosen by
facilitator group, Esguerras Fairy Tale Fail
Requirements: Abstract and revised outline + consultation session; a one-page write-up on one of the novels
discussed, gesturing towards new directions in popular romance fiction
Module 5: YOUR SCHOLARLY AFFAIR WITH ROMANCE (Weeks 14 to 15)
- Research/consultation/drafting week
- Mock conference/paper presentation
SESSION FACILITATION GUIDELINES:
You will be in charge of one class session roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour of it, leaving 15 minutes for
synthesis/discussion by the teacher. This means you will facilitate the discussion of an assigned text (or a set of texts)
via class activities or a presentation/report. Please prepare a handout for your classmates and me and a non-report
activity, one in which you get your classmates to answer/ask questions and discuss the materials.
TERM PAPER GUIDELINES AND FORMAT:
Length: 1,500 to 2,000 words (roughly 5 to 7 pages), not counting your works cited list or text in tables,
graphs, and charts.
Font: Times New Roman 12
Format: typed/encoded on short (8.5x11) bond paper; double spaced with no extra spaces between paragraphs; title
and section headings (if any) in bold, with an extra space separating sections from each other; standard one-inch
margins; no title page necessary, just the information in Figure 1 at the top of the first page and with MLA-style
pagination on pages beyond the first as seen in Figure 2. Any tables, charts, and figures should be labeled and
captioned appropriately.
October 4, 2013
Term Paper (1.987 words)
Marriages of (In)Convenience:
Love and Repression as Popular Romance Trope
Figure 1: Sample heading for the first page of the term paper
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Cruz 3
Figure 2: Sample MLA-style pagination form the term paper (students last name and page number)
Documentation: Please use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation when writing your
term paper. You are expected to cite six or more sources, at least three of which are print. I will upload an MLA
Documentation Guide for your use. You will also have access to sample documented critical essays about
romance novels. Choose one of these broad options:
a. A close reading of one novel informed by critical approaches to the genre
b. The examination of a specific conflict or theme (e.g. power, trauma, and healing through love) in one or
more novels
c. A developed argument about the negotiation of generic convention and artistic innovation in the genre
via a look at several contemporary texts
d. An investigation of popular romance via a specific group of readers/reading communities and/or the
romance industry in the Philippine context
Bibliography of Romance Novel Scholarship/Critical Texts:
2008. Print.
Frantz, Sarah S.G., and Eric Murphy Selinger. New
Approaches to Popular Romance Fiction: Critical Essays. Jefferson,
NC: McFarland & Co., 2012. Print.
Hughes, Helen. The Historical Romance. London: Routledge,
1993. Print.
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