We are a consumerist culture. Much of what we create is created to have the best chance of selling. And what sells is romance.
We have come to expect romance in everything we read and everything we watch. Every story these days includes some romantic element. Even in genres that are typically not emotional or romantic, like sci-fi, mystery, or horror, we usually find some sort of romance. You would be hard-pressed to find a book today that lacks a romantic subplot. Even children's books often contain romance. When did romance become such an essential part of a story? When did we make a rule that a story without romance was a story not worth reading?
In many stories, the romance seems almost forced. And in many cases it is. Authors know that a love triangle or an unrequited crush is what catches readers' attention and sells books. Authors force romance into every story regardless of if it actually makes sense. And readers now expect it. I find myself looking for romance in every book I read, because I know it will almost definitely be there. When reading The Book Thief recently, I scoured the pages for signs of romance. The Book Thief is a dark, sad book. It is not in any way a light-hearted romance. I had no reason to expect to find romance, yet on every page I looked for it and even hoped for it. I personally enjoy romance plots in books, romantic comedies, etc. But I despise the fact that romance has become so prevalent in every story out there. The romance often distracts from the heart of the story. It sometimes cheapens what otherwise would have been a fantastic piece of writing. I believe in many cases, romance is the right choice for a story. But I also hope that authors will stop forcing it into stories it doesn't fit in, and I hope that readers will stop expecting it.
No comments:
Post a Comment