Romantic fiction has long been dismissed as trivial and denounced for peddling supposedly oppressive patriarchal myths of heterosexual love and marriage. Despite such criticism, the popularity of romantic fiction has only increased in recent decades.
Drawing on research from the evolutionary sciences, Ania Grant proposes that narrative patterns of romantic stories and their enduring appeal reflect the importance of love as a fundamental human drive. She examines two of the most successful and critically scrutinized romantic narratives of the past 200 years, Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice and the hit television series Sex and the City, and argues that such texts simulate the cognitive and emotional complexities of mate choice—one of the most consequential decisions from both a biological and a cultural perspective. Her biocultural analysis aligns the interpretation of romantic fiction with the feminist ideals of female autonomy and gender equality. It also suggests that positive identification with romantic heroines gives audiences the hope and energy to pursue the transformation of gender relations in real life.
The book will be of interest to anyone who ever wondered why so many women (and some men) around the world are enthralled by romantic stories. It will also appeal to anyone who has ever been inspired by romantic happy endings to strive for a world in which men and women love and cooperate with each other—even if it seems like a utopian ideal while the war of the sexes rages on.
Most of the book focuses (as the subtitle suggests) on Pride and Prejudice and Sex and the City, but for a broad discussion of romantic fiction see the chapter "Romantic Fiction: Tales of female mate choice" (https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003320982-5). The abstract for that chapter is as follows:
Since feminists see romantic love as a recent invention of Western patriarchy, they see romantic fiction as an effective propaganda in service of this dangerous ideology. Most importantly, they see the heroine's marriage as a sign of her passive submission to the patriarchal status quo encouraging similar submission in female readers. However, research shows that the romantic plot is the most common type of plot across all known literary traditions. Building on the ideas from Chapters 1 and 2, this chapter argues that romantic fiction such as Pride and Prejudice and Sex and the City examines the complexities of mate choice which is particularly consequential for women, given both biological and social pressures. It helps audiences clarify their mate preferences and vicariously rehearse various relationship options, from the problematic to the wish-fulfilling ones. Secondly, romantic fiction highlights love as a mate choice guide because it is the best, albeit not perfect, facilitator of long-term cooperation for both the couple and their community. Finally, through its admittedly idealistic happy endings, romantic fiction creates a sense of hope and empowerment which, according to psychologists, is necessary for personal and social change in real life.
Here's the abstract:
Most of the book focuses (as the subtitle suggests) on Pride and Prejudice and Sex and the City, but for a broad discussion of romantic fiction see the chapter "Romantic Fiction: Tales of female mate choice" (https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003320982-5). The abstract for that chapter is as follows: