Old Romanticism of Wishing and Winning

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Old Romanticism of Wishing and Winning

• Chapter 5
• p. 144- 174

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Characteristics of Romancesp. 144

• 1. Essentially about one persons achievement
• 2. Usually a quest or a trial
• - leaving home, nurturing of family
• - new way of life (moving out)
• - can be seeking and securing a true love
• 3. Villain stands in the way

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• 4. Worthy heroes
• 5. Exaggeration - good times are like daydreams
  bad times are like nightmares
• 6. Experience doubts
• 7. Extremes
• 8. Happy ending

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• 9. Empathize with hero
• 10. Youthful (many are teens)
• 11. Hopeful, optimistic
• 12. Usually contains either love or both
• 13. Many of classics and traditional stories
  used in schools are romances

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• Problem novels and romantic quests overlap a
  great deal.

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Types of Romance Stories

• 1. Accomplishment / Adventure
• every culture has myths, folk and fairy tales
  that follow this pattern
• p. 146 - 167

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Characteristics of Accomplishment/Adventure
Romances

• ?Stages
• separated physically, and spiritually from
  friends and family the protagonists comfort
  zone
• noble hero undergoes test of mental,
  psychological or physical courage and stamina
• reunited in role of increased status

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• Heros worth proven through a crisis or ordeal
• physical challenge often symbolic of mental
  challenge
• because of physical challenge, males featured
  more often

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• usually a sacrifice
• real loss is loss of innocence, often symbolized
  by physical loss
• finds wisdom even though that wasnt the goal
• sets out to find out about another, but discovers
  self
• suffering makes victory sweeter

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• 2. Quest romance
• p. 150

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Characteristics of Quest Romances

• Usually receives vision or insight in high or
  isolated place e.g. mountain top
• Compromised dream
• Obvious plot so reader recognizes it as same old
  thing
• Reader experiences deja vu

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Criticisms of Quest Romances

• Reader interprets physical, rather than
  figurative achievement
• Will add to teens existing concerns about their
  body
• Acceptance of compromised dream
• Seldom is pot of gold what it had been imagined

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• Types of Quest Romances

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Characteristics of Sports Books

• 1890s and 1900s
• how sports could change person
• detailed account of games
• 1950s 1960s
• price of fame
• fame is fleeting
• reeked of sweat

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characteristics of sports books

• Contemporary
• Training needed
• Expected rewards
• Disappointments

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Why are sports books important?

• important part of our lives e.g. team player
• youth can identify with sports heroes
• games are microcosm of American competitive
  system
• provides natural place for interracial tensions

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Animal or Nature Quest Romances

• in many, the animals are symbolically sacrificed
  as a symbol for loss in exchange for wisdom

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Westerns

• 1880 - 1895, roughly
• want variation on familiar theme
• physical, intellectual, and psychological
  journeys
• exaggerated good and bad guys
• straight forward style
• lots of action

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Religious Themes

• rare because we fear conflicts when using
• publishers fear few potential sales
• if criticized, interpreted as criticizing
  religion, not books style

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Acceptable Religious Themes

• informative, not persuasive
• historical setting
• have been proven over time
• religion is subtle background
• treat with honesty and respect
• allows reader to reach own conclusion
• high literary quality

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Unacceptable Religious Themes

• promotes one faith over another
• E.g. polemic against other religions
• protagonist is set right because of religious
  conversion

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Characteristics of Religion in Books for Teens

• Portrayal of religion is often similar to
  negative portrayal of parents
• Good characters often go unnoticed because
  behavior is expected from character
• Religion often small part of a bigger story
• Occasionally, young people view themselves as
  religious figure

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• 3. Love romance
• p. 167 - 174

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Characteristics of Love Romance

• successful pairing of likable couple
• boy meets girl, loses girl, wins girl back
• often not as serious as adventure/accomplishment
• not much risk, or gain
• people seldom die
• basically wish fulfillment

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Characteristics of Good Love Stories

• believable characters
• something beyond simple pairing
• neither partner is exploited or manipulated

http//www.rwanational.com/ Romancers Writers of
America
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• 4. Formula Romance
• p. 171

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Characteristics of Formula Romance

• 1. most exclusively for females
• 2. many feature girls 15 - 17 with boyfriends
  slightly older
• 3. targeted at 12 -16 year old audience

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• 4. typically set in small town or suburb
• 5. no explicit sex or profanity (but many rely on
  sexual titillation)
• 6. problems are normal ones - no drugs, bad
  parents, etc.

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• 7. clearly labeled so reader recognizes
• 8. quick beginnings, love at first sight
• 9. if male oriented, less emphasis on courtship
  and romance, more on sexuality
• 10. similar to high-low books

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Criticisms of Formula Romance

• not realistic and lead to unreal expectations
• play on existing insecurities
• project and perpetuate stereotypes
• absence of third world, disabled, poor, elderly,
  etc.

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• courtship is glamorized
• Role sex plays in male-female relationships is
  glossed over
• not age appropriate e.g. sexual relationship
• monotonous
• escapist
• teens take too seriously

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Positives of Formula Romance

• correct grammar and spelling
• at least people are reading
• can use as stepping stones to other books
• can be psychologically satisfying
• more than any other genre, match this stage in
  life

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• 53 of all mass market paperback books sold in
  this country are Romances
• Romance generates approximately 1 billion per
  year in sales
• Romance novels earn more money in the USA than
  baseball! So you tell me what's the national
  pastime?
• Approximately 19 publishing houses produce
  romance novels
• Romance novels are sold in over 100 foreign
  markets, and translated into more than 25
  languages
• http//www.dm.net/cnyrw/stats.html

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Great Picks
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Focus Boxes
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Film Boxes
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Discussion Question

• Using daytime soap operas, prime time television
  programs and/or movies, describe how the
  characters display highly charged emotions.
• Would formula romances be considered formula if
  cultures other than the norm were included