This paper examines three conventions of romance novels: the importance of the relationship process, uplifting women, and the protagonists’ commitment to each other. I argue that the nature of the fanfiction genre is more suitable to fulfill these conventions than the romance novel.
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To summarize, fanfiction can be longer or shorter than a published romance novel. Fanfiction writers have more flexibility to elaborate on the romantic process. (129)
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Uplifting women is not an easy feat to accomplish in romance novels because of the industry’s “gatekeeping.” Fanfiction, however, can succeed in diversifying the gender roles of the protagonists and leveling the playing field.
A subcategory of fanfiction called slash eliminates gender and power dynamics by replacing the heroine with another hero. (131)
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A story that does not center around the power of love is, by definition, not a romance novel. Ironically, romantic fanfiction holds an advantage over published romance novels in portraying love. If lovers in fanfiction are already familiar with one another from the original text, fanfiction can proceed under the assumption that the lovers’ relationship is maintained by something that transcends lust. (133)
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This paper has covered three conventions of the romance genre: the romantic process, uplifting women, and the lovers’ commitment to each other. By definition romance novels include these conventions, but that does not mean they do so in an ideal way. Because fanfiction does not need to go through the publishing process and is based on a pre-existing universe, fanfiction writers enjoy freedoms that romance novelists do not. Fanfiction is also more accessible. It reflects a greater diversity of human experiences. The community of romance novelists is more homogenous. [...] Romance novels are static. They are for readers who want something new and who can part with the novel’s universe upon completion. Readers of romance novels must accept what is given. It is difficult to condense a tale of love to fit a novel, but many romance novelists have done so. But perhaps they would have been even more successful had they been privileged with the flexible format of fanfiction. (134)
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