Uh oh, my writing friends, I stumbled on this article claiming romance novels may be hazardous to your health Danger. Susan Quilliam, a UK ‘relationship specialist’, believes fictional representation of romance may be wrecking our real lives. She gives examples dealing with multiple orgasms, unprotected sex, uncomplicated encounters, etc. as being detrimental to attaining meaningful relationships in real life. I read all of Ian Fleming’s novels about his fictional spy with a license to kill when I was a kid. While I thought James Bond was cool, I didn’t emulate him. It’s always been my theory that people who believe us regular schmucks can’t differentiate between fact and fiction in our reading materials suffer from a regrettable malady – they have no imagination. Without an imagination a person may very well take everything in a literal sense. Thankfully, people without an imagination are I believe a small minority, and they don’t read fiction, because they can’t imagine anything. That someone without an imagination works as a ‘relationship specialist’ bothers me a heck of a lot more than whether people are in danger of blending fiction and reality in romance or anything else. :)
I've heard the same thing about porn too, and there is some evidence for that. Sounds like Romance is being compared to porn.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Charles. I get the impression Ms. Quilliam may not be able to distinguish between the genres. For me, I need to have a romantic thread in a novel and I leave it to the author how it is presented.
ReplyDeleteIt's such an old argument. C'mon. People who can't tell what fantasy is don't need romantic fiction to wreck their lives. They're probably pretty screwed up already.
ReplyDeleteAnd if we're swinging that way--wouldn't that apply to ALL types of fiction? And the occasional religious mythology too?
Sigh.
Yep, Raine. The silliest part of an article like that one is when you realize some condescending ditz assumes the rest of us are incapable of being able to tell what reality is after we read a novel. :)
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