As stated in the article, this is not solely about romance fiction:
The category of adolescent romance fiction has fuzzy boundaries, intersecting with general teen or young adult (YA) fiction and with adult romance literature. My focus here is inclusive of ‘teen/YA fiction’ in which the main character’s navigation of romantic relationships (flirtation, falling in love, dating, and sex) forms a major narrative arc. Texts may be explicitly located within the romance genre, or they may be presented as generalist teen literature, in which the romance element is integral.
However, it does give background on attitudes towards romantic fiction in general, and one student arguing in favour of a happy ending, so I've included it here. Here's the abstract:
This paper examines analyses of adolescent romance fiction, highlighting key themes and debates over time. I will argue that contemporary social conditions underline the need to reconsider the value of this genre in the secondary English classroom. However, working effectively with genre literature (including romance) requires educators to diversify reading practices, challenging the dominance of the standard ‘class novel’ approach. I will describe the integration of a module on teen romance into a literature course for preservice English educators. Finally, focusing on a specific text, Frankly in Love by David Yoon, I highlight the skilful way in which authors of contemporary adolescent literature weave multiple perspectives into engaging and nuanced narratives in which characters navigate identities, relationships, and ideas about love.
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Educators often look to the Australian Curriculum for guidance as to the kinds of texts that should be set (https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/). They will find no preclusion of romance literature but little direct encouragement to include this genre or indeed other popular genres.
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Queer representation is the latest battleground for conservative critics of teen romance, and of adolescent literature in general. Currently, fiction which includes LGBTQ characters is being subjected to a sustained attack which has included book bans, picketing of libraries and schools, and serious pressure applied to librarians and educators (Bach, 2016; Chapman, 2021; Yorio, 2020). [...] One of the ironies of this crackdown is that queer critics of teen romance have pointed to its heteronormative assumptions.
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In a deliberate attempt to increase textual diversity in the English curriculum, the author has designed and taught an Adolescent Literature course for the first year of a degree programme in secondary teaching. This elective subject is taken by students choosing English as a major or minor. The course aims to acquaint future English teachers with the rich variety of contemporary literature for adolescent readers with diverse interests and orientations to texts.
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This course is structured in three modules: Perspectives, Futures, and Love & Lovers. [...] The Love & Lovers module begins with exploring the relationship between romance fiction and adolescent/YA fiction. YA romance is described in terms of centring on a protagonist who falls in love (often a first love experience) and whose love story is typically woven into a broader coming-of-age narrative. Students are introduced to gender stereotyping and heteronormativity as integral to the traditions of romance fiction, which have influenced the teen romance genre, but which are giving ground to more inclusive representations and storylines (as discussed above). The second lecture in the module focuses on sexuality in teen fiction. In contemporary YA romance, students learn, the protagonist may also be discovering their gender identity, and exploration of sexuality may form part of the narrative. The issue of objectification is also raised, reflecting debates amongst authors and commentators as to ethical approaches to representing characters as sexual beings. [...] The final lecture in this module focuses on diversity and representation and deliberately introduces an intersectional lens on romance literature.
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During a discussion of this idea in an online workshop, ‘Jem’ stated matter-of-factly, ‘the homophobic antagonist would be my family’. By taking up a tool of literary analysis, Jem alluded to her own queer identity and let her peers know that the experience of homophobia is real.
When it was time to adapt a novel, Jem asked me whether it would be ok to change the gender of the love interest. This meant she could create a lesbian romance within the narrative frame of her chosen novel Between Us (Atkins, 2018). I readily agreed. However, when she went on to propose that the ending be changed, I was more hesitant. In the original, the romance is not able to continue, as one of the protagonists is an interned refugee, who is moved to another camp away from the high school where she met her almost-boyfriend. I argued that the ending had something significant to say about the experience of refugees in Australia.
Jem told me: ‘I want them to have a happy ending, to leave their families and set up house together’. She explained that her family did not want her to have a girlfriend and that this was the future she wanted for herself one day. The adaptation assignment had opened the door for Jem to queer a straight narrative, and she made a compelling case for her rewrite.
As stated in the article, this is not solely about romance fiction:
However, it does give background on attitudes towards romantic fiction in general, and one student arguing in favour of a happy ending, so I've included it here. Here's the abstract:
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