ROMANCE NOVEL THESIS - Boston College

ROMANCE NOVEL EFFECTS 1

The Effects of Romance Novel Readership on Relationship Beliefs, Romantic Ideals, and Relational Satisfaction

Jennifer C. Bun Boston College

An Honors Thesis Directed by Professor Jonathan M. Bowman

May 1, 2007

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ABSTRACT

Gerbner & Gross' (1981) Cultivation theory has been used to study the effects of television on people's perception of reality, showing that heavy viewers of television develop a more unrealistic view of reality than light viewers. This unrealistic perception of reality also transcends to false views of romantic relationships. As a result, individuals who are heavily exposed to television begin to adopt and develop dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals. They begin to have high expectations and standards for their own relationships.

The focus of this thesis was to study the effects of romance novel consumption on relationship beliefs and romantic ideals. Results showed that women in their late teens and early twenties had very high ideals and expectations when it came to relationship characteristics, but did not have many dysfunctional beliefs or romantic ideals. They tended to be very satisfied in their romantic relationships, and were more satisfied when their actual relationship resembled their ideal relationship. Results of this study also indicated that women were not just solely drawn to romance novels that supported their currently held beliefs, but postulated that such an attraction could also have originated from their own hopes and desires for their actual relationship. The content of these books influence the thoughts and perceptions of million of readers around the world, making it into a very powerful medium. Similar to television, romance novels portray reality in many unrealistic ways, therefore influencing the perceptions that readers have about social constructs and relationship standards and expectations.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 5

2. LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................. 6

What is the presence of the romance novel in today's culture?

6

Why do women read romance novels?

9

Where in the text do dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals arise? 17

How are these beliefs and ideals adopted by readers?

29

3. CULTIVATION THEORY.......................................................... 30

4. HYPOTHESES........................................................................ 34

5. METHOD AND PROCEDURE..................................................... 38

The survey

39

Subjects

40

6. ANALYSIS AND RESULTS......................................................... 41

7. DISCUSSION........................................................................... 50

8. CONCLUSION......................................................................... 57

9. FUTURE DIRECTIONS............................................................... 60

10. REFERENCES........................................................................ 62

Appendix A: Survey

65

Appendix B: Romance Novel Genres

70

Appendix C: Tables

78

Table 1

70

Table 2

80

Table 3

81

Table 4

82

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The Effects of Romance Novels on Relationship Beliefs, Romantic Ideals, and Relational Satisfaction

INTRODUCTION This thesis will examine how dominant themes and ideologies in romance novels help to influence and cultivate dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals in its female readers. The beginning of my thesis provides some background information and history on romance novels and their formulaic natures. This information will help readers better understand the role in which romance novels play in the lives of women all around the world. The questions I will answer are: ? What is the presence of the romance novel in today's culture? ? Why do women read romance novels? ? Where in the text do dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals arise? ? How are these beliefs and ideals adopted by readers?

First, I will provide some brief statistics on the romance novel industry and its readers. Second, I will offer four reasons for why so many women read romance novels. These reasons are as follows: (1) nurture depravation/ recapturing intense feelings of love, (2) entertainment value/ escapism, (3) female empowerment, (4) dealing with patriarchy. Third, I will use scholar Helen Mae Sterk's (1986) nine basic stages of a romance novel plotline in order to point out when and where certain dysfunctional relationship beliefs and romantic ideals are introduced. These beliefs and ideals incorporate what is considered to be "repetitive themes and dominant ideologies." Fourth, I will address the different ways in which female readers are influenced by these repetitive themes and dominant ideologies, and adopt them into their philosophies of good, happy and successful romantic relationships. Some theories that will be addressed in this section are Gerber and Gross' (1969) Cultivation Theory and M. M. Bakhtin's

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