TSS: Why are Romance Novels looked down upon?

I used to be a die hard Romance Novel reader in my teenage years. I used to devour Mills & Boon novels. Harlequin came much later. In school Barbara Cartland was more popular with her Historical romances , and Lucy Walker, whose romance novels were mostly based on the Australian Outback. Those novels helped us escape our studies taking us to the English gentry and to the remote Australian Outback. And others somewhere in between.

Those who think that romance novels are mindless trash, definitely haven't read any. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Most romance novels have good settings, wonderful dialogue delivery and most of the times, wonderful characterizations, of the main as well as secondary characters. We must not forget that these are fast paced too.

Even now I do read romance novels. I keep a romance novel for those in between times when one can't read heavy stuff or when one does not want to think. Or I read one if I want to read one.

To summarise a romance novel:

They meet, they fight, and they kiss and make up and live together happily ever after.But that’s not what I want to say. I find some similarities though there have been vast differences in those novels I read in 80s and now.

Similarity is that the hero is as handsome as ever. Tall, dark and very handsome in a rugged sort of way. He always has a scar somewhere on his body. The heroine is very beautiful, with a great figure.

Now for the differences:

In the eighties, those were kind of mild. The hero was either a tycoon, banker, rancher, prince or something like that fully loaded with money or what have you. Hope you get my gist. He was almost above the age of 35. The heroine was a secretary, nurse, governess, and housekeeper or was so young as to be made a ward of the hero. She was never with money. (Exceptions are there!) She was around 17-23 years. The age difference was always around 8-20 years. The girl was always untouched except by the hero. He was the only man in her life. Even if they parted and met after a few years, she remained one man woman. That couldn't be said about the hero. You see, man of the world and all that.... (Well, that's another thing altogether). In those novels, they only held hands, kissed on the last page and/or if there was love making scene it was never worded. Implied is the operative word.

Speaking of now, the hero is a trouble shooter, television journalist,undercover agent, and commander, Professor, artist, whatever. No change in his age. He still is more than 35 years of age. Has to have money! What is a hero without money? The heroine is not the same any more. She is very much the woman of the world. As powerful as the hero. And with as much clout and finances, sometimes more. Now the heroines are older, 26-35 years. They know what they want. They are not shy to get into bed with the hero if they so desire. Marriage is never the agenda. Infact it starts with sex right in the beginning (page 1) and love follows much later, if you call that love. Some of the so-called romance novels have become pornographic. How times have changed. Romance is no longer the same. We can't blame the new writers when sex stares at you from everywhere. Just look at the book covers!

Actually paranormal romances have brought a bad name to the pure romance novels. These are so explicit that I sometimes wonder who reads them. I really can't think of anyone who enjoys reading about explicit sex scenes between weird creatures. Not even one of my closesest friends who doesn't read anything other than romance novels.

Coming back, last few I read, the heroines were very very rich and the heroes were as poor as the churchmouse. One of the novels had the hero wholly illiterate, that made a refreshing change, heroine teaching him to read..

To tell the truth, I enjoy reading these after a fashion. Mushy or whatever! Reviewing those novels is not easy and neither is writing one. Oh yes, I tried writing one.

One of best romance blogs that I read regularly and sometimes comment is, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I think you ought to check it out to know for yourself.