Romantic fiction Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Romantic fiction is one of the oldest genres in literature, with a history that goes back at least to the medieval concept of courtly love, the "cult of the Virgin Mary" and beyond. In this context, the term, "romance", which originally referred to any kind of adventure story, has developed a specialised meaning.
In the later medieval and Renaissance period, there was an important European trend towards fantastic fiction. Works such as Le Morte d'Arthur and
Amadis of Gaul spawned a large number of imitators. By 1600, the poor quality of many of the romances had led to them being seen as harmful distractions. Don Quixote is the story of an elderly man driven insane by reading too many romances of chivalry.
These stories generally feature a heroic knight with super-human abilities who fights monsters and giants to win the favour of a beautiful, but ungrateful, princess while strictly following chivalric codes. The main story does not focus on love, but on the adventure. Modern comic books and sci-fi can be seen as the modern successors to these romances.
Romantic novels include classic literary works such as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and ''Wuthering Heights.
A common mechanism of the romance novel is unresolved sexual tension, which enables the relationship between the principal characters to build up a powerful erotic charge without actually becoming sexual until the end of the book.
Modern romantic fiction is often looked down on as inferior to "literary" fiction, particularly where it appears to be written to a "formula", such as "doctor and nurse romances", or fantasy historical romances known in the book trade as "bodice rippers". The publishing house Harlequin, along with its subsidiary Mills and Boon, is the best-known for the publication of romantic fiction, and the acceptance or rejection of submissions is governed by specific criteria which include the nature of the plot and conduct of the characters. Both publish romantic fiction under a number of separate imprints.
See also Romance novel This is an Article on Romantic fiction. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Romantic fiction Medieval and renaissance romance
Romantic novels
Romantic fiction may include drama, poetry and short stories, but (in English literature, at least) the term is often regarded as synonymous with the romantic novel or romance novel: novels based around romantic love. The earliest romantic novels in English appeared during the 18th century.