This article, the result of detailed analysis of the cover illustrations of 50 Harlequin novels published between 1918 [this is a typo: it's 1978] and 1984, aims to verify whether the novels' early pages in fact reflect sentimental but chaste plots based on the hero's domination over the heroine. The study relates to the composition of the images, characters' physical features and attitudes to love, and the general atmosphere suggested by the covers. The data analysed are presented in detail and the results are discussed. Besides revealing the implicit discourse of these illustrations, this study presents an analytical method that leaves little room for subjective interpretation of the images, by using a theoretical framework based on iconic and extra-iconic signifiers.
Here's a version of the abstract in English: