A review by a_lovesbooks
Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature by Janice A. Radway

3.0

Let's just begin with the often mentioned phrase that this book is outdated. It certainly is. Or at least I definitely hope so. What I found striking is that I didn't find it very critical. The conclusion seemed to be the most critical part of the book. I would have preferred more criticism throughout the individual chapters. Also, I kept waiting for a more general approach to the whole topic. The inclusion of the Smithon women was alright, but not enough in my opinion. What is a romance? I stil ldon't know. I wasn't expecting a clear-cut definition, no, but more than I was given. In the part where the narrative was examined I was almost appaled at the lack of criticism; women reading (and enjoying!) men treating them badly, but then finding out the man only did it because he didn't know how to show his love? Maybe it's my contemporary view of things, but that almost made me sick. to be honest, I am not quite sure if I have ever read a true "romance". I am fairly certain to have read romantiv novels, but romances? Not sure. All in all the book was rather imformative and I will read one of the mentioned romances just to hopefully what the whole fuss is about. I am quite curious as to how studies nowadays differ from this one. Has anything changed, and if so, what? Are romances nowadays still as fomulaic as they were in the laste 70s and early 80s? Do they still subtly preach the same gender stereotypes and patriarchal power? It's a really interesting topic, I think.