This begins with an introduction to Harlequin, its lines and its readers (Harlequins in France had a significant male readership). The article then discusses the structure of Harlequin romances, drawing on a corpus of 30 Harlequin romances, published between 1979 and 1982. Helgorsky sees romances as being about a heroine's quest for love. The ideas about love to be found in Harlequins are compared to those expressed by women surveyed some 10 years earlier.
This begins with an introduction to Harlequin, its lines and its readers (Harlequins in France had a significant male readership). The article then discusses the structure of Harlequin romances, drawing on a corpus of 30 Harlequin romances, published between 1979 and 1982. Helgorsky sees romances as being about a heroine's quest for love. The ideas about love to be found in Harlequins are compared to those expressed by women surveyed some 10 years earlier.