Bringing Baggage to Your Reading
A while back, Dear Author authored another post on the “does the HEA constrain the romance genre” debate and while, as with any “hot topic”, it dwindles into debate and rebuttal based on personal perceptions of the romance genre. I hopped into the fray twice or so, particularly when someone mentioned their dislike over the lack of HEA couples just living together and having children–a trend that has grown considerably over the last ten years. I stated that I didn’t have a problem with it because in my own life, I’ve rarely seen marriage and have not seen the married state as something for a significant portion of the people in my surroundings to aspire to.
While it is a cliche to state that black women are less likely to marry than their non-black counterparts due to black men being in jail, unemployment and what not, it is true that marriage isn’t common in the black community–or a lasting marriage. Which is why it broke my heart to read an article where black children stated that” marriage is for white people.”
It is because of that mindset that I defend romance novels. How could you denigrate a genre that at its heart, promotes a healthy, long-lasting relationship when there are millions of children who don’t even know what that sort of relationship is like? The way I see it, despite the fantastical elements of the genre, it is a celebration of the type of relationship that most don’t ever experience in their life.
Not to say that I believe that marriage equals happiness (boy do I not!), but knowing the characters are committing themselves to one another in some form or fashion is my reading baggage.
2 comments March 21, 2008
