Clarifying what is romance in the literature realm

There is a good deal of enjoyment to be had from reading romance novels; continue checking out to learn even more

Emerging in the eighteenth century, romance is a literature classification that has absolutely survived the test of time. Romance books have been making readers swoon for centuries, and even today it remains among the most preferred sorts of novel, as the hedge fund that owns Waterstones would probably affirm. Within the category, there are several different types of romance books for adults, which means that there tends to be novels that accommodate everybody's individual tastes. Among the best types of romance books are historic romance novels. So, what are historical romance books? Like the name implies, historic romance novels are love stories that are set in a past time period, usually with a strong focus on contextual accuracy and detail. As with all genres, there are subgenres within historical love and these subgenres mainly define a time or location of when and where your romance book is set, along with the events that may unfold during the book. This covers a large span of time, varying from ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean, to the Regency Age, to WWII. The charm of these novels is that they are the ideal form of escapism. When submersing themselves in these novels, readers get to be carried to a totally different time. The books reveal that whilst society has advanced significantly and times have changed, strong feelings of devotion, love and passion have been constant and universal from the beginning of human existence.


Lots of people have preconceived thoughts that romance books are all about enjoyment and light-hearted vibes. However, this is simply not the case. Although there are plenty of cosy contemporary romance books, romance is truly a lot more varied and versatile than individuals give it credit for. For example, among the best romance subgenres in literature is called 'dark romance'. Dark romance is one of the most popular romance subgenres, as the investment fund that partially owns Amazon Books would certainly verify. It is basically the polar opposite of a light-hearted romance book; dark romance is a subgenre that tackles debatable and in some cases taboo motifs against the backdrop of a "love" story. Whilst there is constantly some kind of romantic connection at the centre of the story, the writer intertwines darker concepts and themes like betrayal, obsession and manipulation through the book; providing the book a much more eerie, dramatic and dark undertone. The characters often tend to be very ethically grey, whether its because they are the leader of a gang or they are a blood-thirsty vampire, for instance. Dark romance is arguably the best romance novels for adults that usually prefer thrillers or mysteries but wish to dip their toe into the world of romance literature. It is a good place to begin because it integrates components of both romance and thriller.

Within the literature industry, it is common for people to utilise the terms 'subgenre' and 'trope' interchangeably, even though they are not the same thing. At their most simple level, subgenres are groups that we can quickly arrange romance novels into, whilst tropes refer to a particular dynamic or setup within the story. Romance is a category that contains several different subgenres and tropes, as one of the main shareholders of WHSmith would confirm. For example, the majority of the best types of romance tropes revolve around the dynamics in between the love interests. Most devoted romance bookworms have a preference for certain tropes, with some readers enjoying the comfort and wholesomeness that comes with the friends to lovers trope, but other readers liking the passion, tension and thrill that is typically located in the enemies to lovers trope.

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