Changing the face of the world, one pulsating manhood at a time.
In an extremely, ahem, thorough discussion of the recent “Love as the Practice of Freedom” conference – devoted to romance fiction and American culture – author Hillary Rettig stakes a claim for romance novels as a force for revolution! Romance writers have long fought for respect in a world and an industry that frequently ignores the genre’s leaps in quality, in commitment to female empowerment, and progressive sentiments. But the fact is, that romance increasingly demands to be taken seriously: a quarter of all books sold are romantic fiction, a number that’s not dropping with the Dow. It is, as the author puts it, not merely a reflector of the times, but “an important transmitter of values.” As such, Romance Writers of America’s decision to recognize GLBT-themed romance fiction is significant. Rettig would suggest that the fight for legitimacy really comes down to an ingrained sexism that sees the genre’s focus on women, and on emotion, as fundamentally opposed to the masculine logic that characterizes good writing – those “emotionally-satisfying and optimistic endings” that bring so much comfort are offensive to a pragmatic sensibility.
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