 
Sarah Mlynowski, Milkrun (front cover)
|
Comic romance
| Document Type |
Paperback Novel |
| | | Category |
|
| | | Conventions |
- independent heroine
- focus on dating and beginning of a relationship
- misunderstandings, misconceptions, misrepresentations |
| | | Examples |
- Sarah Mlynowski, Milkrun; Red Dress Ink (2001)
- Judy Griffith Gill, Lady on Top; Harlequin Love & Laughter (1997)
- Candy Halliday, Lady and the Scamp/Dianne Drake, The Doctor Dilemma; Harlequin Duets (2001) |
| | | Description |
Romance and relationships are inherently ridiculous, and as such, they are fraught with potential for comedy. Comic romance fiction generally falls into either the 'comedy of manners' camp or the 'screwball comedy.' In both types, the heroine is usually an independent figure, self-assured but unsatisfied in her romantic life. The plot is driven by attempts to remedy this state of affairs, and punctuated by outrageous situations and comic encounters with potential lovers.
The rituals of dating and mating, and the utter seriousness with which we regard them, provide the source for the comedy in this type of romance. To win love, the heroine plays a number of roles, ranging from the vixenish sex kitten to the innocent damsel-in-distress, but fails until she accepts herself and stops trying to be something she is not. The simple moral of being true to yourself is validated by the heroine's happiness and discovery of love by the story's end.
See also: Contemporary Romance, Romance
(Ed. Note: All the images in this genre were scanned from books held in the CRC Humanities Computing Studio Collection.)
| | | | Comments |
None [add] |
| |
Genre record edited by Andrea Hasenbank at 2004-05-27 13:04:50
|
Browse all 6 images...
|
