Contemporary Romance and the Question of Literary Value

Here's the abstract:

Romance fiction doesn't get much real respect within society today despite it being the top selling genre for most publication houses. If there can be certain canonized romances by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte taught across the country, why aren't there more contemporary ones brought into the curriculum as well? While Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are widely thought of as "literature" why can't more recent popular romances also be considered to have the same literary value? I explore what goes into certain romances being considered literature over others and how that impacts perceptions of contemporary romance novels toady. I feel changing perspectives around romance could break down the stigmas surrounding the genre and help society recognize that contemporary romance fiction can be considered literature, read for both education and enjoyment. I do this by analyzing Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Venetia by Georgette Heyer, and Confess by Colleen Hoover, and exploring what they bring to the conversation around romance-as-literature through the similar themes, narrative techniques, and genre conventions they utilize.