Romance Books: Why Are They Not Taken Seriously?

Not everyone likes romance books and there are many different reasons for that. However, despite being one of the most popular genres, there has always been an issue with elitism in the literary community with the romance genre being seen as invalid, unimportant and, by some, not “real literature.” Although it has gotten better in recent years, with romance books being a billion-dollar industry, there are still many reasons why romance novels and their readers have been treated with condescension. Terms used to describe these novels are often problematic and are used to keep romance contained in a box. By calling a book an “easy-read” it implies that the readers of the genre are not intelligent. Referring to it as “porn” it implies that readers only read the novels for sexual reasons and to categorise every romance novel as an outlet for sexual frustration diminishes the genre and women. And calling romance books “trash” implies that the novels are simply bad. So why do romance books face criticism so often when the entire point of the genre is to examine human relationships, something every person on the planet has experience of?

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1. There is often a misconception about what the romance genre entails.

As with any genre, there are many types of romance novels all the way from rom-coms to dark romance. However, there is a general stereotype that all romance books are badly written, predictable, have no plot, and are all the same. They are seen as formulaic and cliché - how this conclusion can be drawn when the genre has thousands upon thousands of books is anyone’s guess. Here are all these women writers reaching a huge readership and following in an incredibly popular genre and we're saying...that they're all copies? That there is no value to these works? That's a pretty big claim to make.
Another popular opinion is that all romance books contain sex, which isn’t the case. In fact many books within the genre skip sex all together. Romance novels fall on a spectrum from innocent tales to full-blown smut. Some authors don’t explore physical intimacy at all, others tease lots of build up and then leave it up to the imagination of readers with a “fade to black” scene and several go all the way with a vivid description of every steamy detail.

2. Misogyny

Romance is primarily written and enjoyed by women and in our society, we give less importance to anything that is targeted to women. I saw this illustration recently and it explains in much greater detail how this can originate. The negativity surrounding romance has nothing to do with the book content and more to do with women, which is evident when you compare it to crime fiction. Crime is typically a genre dominated by males and is declared as one of the best in fiction. However, like romance, it follows a formula, contains adult content and is a best-selling genre. The only difference is that one is promoted to men and the other targets women. If crime can be praised as a highbrow genre, how can romance be classified as lowbrow? There is bad romance just as there is bad crime fiction but both genres also have standout work, so why is only one recognised? Like I've said, romance isn't for everyone, just like any other genre. However, no other genre is continuously mocked by those who don't read it.

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3. Unrealistic Relationships

People tend to make comments about how unrealistic romance books are, as though they are worried that the reader is unaware that the works within the genre are fiction. There have been many comments throughout history that all boil down to the same thing: romance books give women unrealistic expectations for their own personal relationships. I’ve always been fascinated by that perspective. I mean, is anyone worried that men who read action books about spies are going to try to infiltrate a crime-lord’s lair? Readers of paranormal horror novels never say “I bought a house recently and I’m really surprised it’s not haunted because that happens in all the books!” Most people that read romance novels are very much aware that they are fantasy. Although some romances follow the age old fairytale plot line of boy meets girl, falls in love and lives happily ever after, that’s not the case for most. A lot of romance books focus on issues that real couples face, although often dramatised, and are more about the journey and character development than the end result. Isn’t the main reason people read for entertainment? So, while I disagree with the sentiment that all romances are unrealistic, what does it matter if they are?

4. Separating Fiction from Reality

Continuing on from the previous point, many criticisms of the genre come from those who believe that these books romanticise serious issues. Within the romance genre more and more authors are going down the self/indie publishing route, which gives them more freedom with their writing than traditional publishing. With this comes books surrounding subjects that are darker, more serious or even taboo, like stalker romances, Mafia romances, age-gaps etc. all falling under the dark romance subgenre. People outside the romance community (and some in it who don’t read dark romance) tend to think that if you read or write books like this that you are condoning the behaviours within those books - something that only seems to happens with romances (including movies and tv shows). Reading about a woman being stalked by a man who she eventually falls in love with does not mean that in the real world readers think that being stalked is anything other than terrifying. It’s a work of fiction and they know this. One of my favourite books is about a relationship between a female serial killer and the male FBI agent investigating her crimes. I think it’s fascinating that the author can make you side with a killer, hoping that she enacts her revenge (and encouraging her to do so), evades prison and is accepted for who she is by her love interest. Would I ever feel that way about a real serial killer? Of course not. These books are for people aged 18 and older because they are, by that stage, mature enough to know the difference. With something a little more subtle and common in all romances no matter the subgenre, such as toxic relationships, it’s the same principle. Some romance readers might love reading a book where the hero has anger issues, is possessive, jealous and manipulative, with his actions being excused away by past traumas, while the heroine tries to “fix him” and continuously forgives him. That doesn’t mean they think if someone treats them like that in real life that they should stay because “love conquers all” - they know how the real world works in comparison with fictional novels. If I tell people I love watching/reading horrors and true crime stories they don’t automatically assume I’m cool with murder. So why are your intelligence and morals questioned if you read morally ambiguous romance books?

Although the romance genre generates billions of dollars in revenue each year, it arguably has the worst reputation. In reality it shouldn't matter what you read. For most readers, reading is an activity that enables them to relax and escape for a little while. We're always told not to judge a book by it's cover but I think it's about time we stopped judging others for their taste in books (and all other things). No one should ever be shamed for reading, so as long as you're getting enjoyment out of it, don't be embarrassed to read anything.