I'm not sure what "romance" is. I know what I like, and I know what I like to read, but that's just me. I'll let Robert expound on the manly point of view. As for me, it all depends on my mood. Sometimes I like the sweet, old-fashioned notion of romance: a man opening doors for a lady, or perhaps placing himself in the outside position when going for a walk--to keep a lady safe from the dangers of veering cars, for example.
On the other hand, I also find it very romantic if the gentleman scrubs the toilets or does the dishes or gives the kids a bath, thus allowing the lady (that would be me, in this case) to put up her feet and relax a bit. Didn't you know we like that kind of thing, guys? Try it sometime and see what happens.
Having said all that, that doesn't mean I want to read about it. Yes, yes, it's occasionally nice to read about ordinary men and women and the ordinary (but somehow unusual, of course) circumstances under which they meet, but let's face it: I'm an ordinary person living an ordinary life, so why do I want to spend too much of my time reading about that? On the contrary, it's all about escapism for me. So, yes, I like to read about the woman who finds herself in a time portal, catapulted back to Scotland in 1475, where she stumbles upon a fierce, handsome (of course) clansman with good teeth (hey, it's called suspending one's disbelief). Or the frazzled modern woman who encounters a rakish medieval ghost during her trip to Scotland (what is it about Scotland and romance, anyway?) and somehow falls in love with this specter, even though he can't actually touch her. The more unbelievable, the better! Of course, it all depends on how realistic (if that's possible, I guess) the author can make it. Sherrilyn Kenyon has a way of making this supernatural stuff fun (okay, she sets her stories in New Orleans for the most part, but her alter ego, Kinley MacGregor, does the Scotland thing), as does Lynn Kurland, but it's been a while since I've read any of their stuff--I'm far too busy, dontcha know.
What do YOU like?
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2 comments:
This is a beautifully written post that goes to the heart of several differences between the way men and women look at romance. I hope to read more along these lines. r
I am but one woman, of course. I'm sure there are lots of women who see things very differently--which is why you see so many subgenres in the romance section of the bookstore.
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