Humans are a sentimental race, they require love to live a fulfilling life. Love stories like Romeo Juliet, etc. have inspired us. Romantic Fiction has been in existence since times immemorial. The popular romance novel is a story of two individuals with emphasis on romantic love and their subsequent relationship, complete with a happy ending. Oscar Wilde’s famous words “Life imitates art,” forces us to acknowledge that fiction shapes our lives. We are taught from a young age to read into things, and look at things and learn from them.
Aaccording to RWA (Romance Writers of America), romance is a billion-dollar a year industry. Romance fiction generated $1.368 billion in sales in 2011. From 2007-2011, romance was the second top-performing category. According to a RWA Reader Survey, 74.8 million people read at least one romance novel in 2008. Romance novels are read by a wide and diverse audience. They vary in age groups but most romantic fiction tends to be targeted at a female audience. It is also well known that educated people, many with degrees read romantic fiction. But as reality television is not the real thing, romance fiction is also not the real thing. The result of reading a romance novel could be positive for some and negative for others. My research paper seeks to analyze the various effects of romance fiction on human interactions, on everyday relationships and various romantic beliefs and ideals.
The research paper aims to interest all romance fiction readers. The paper would also be of interest to Psychologists, Sociologists, Anthropologists; anyone interested in the study of human behavior. The study of human behavior helps us better understand the motivations of individuals in different situations in life. Understanding the attitude of an individual helps us communicate better and clearly, without unnecessary misunderstandings. It is easier to mend a broken leg than a broken heart.
Psychologist Dr Juli