One of the Oldest, Most Distinguished and Popular Fiction Genres – Romance

There are two criteria a romantic novel had to contain. Firstly, the story line has to concentrate on the relationship and romantic love between two people. Secondly, the story has to have a positive ending. And should leave the reader believing that love and the characters relationship will last forever more. Fans of romantic novels will claim a novel belongs in another genre if these conditions are not met.

For some readers, a happy ending is the most important element, while there are other who consider this kind of preference shouldn’t be applied to all romantic fiction. And it would mean removing such classics as Romeo and Juliet from the genre.

A far better description of romantic fiction is that it is our modern fairy tale. It should center around a love relationship, with the power of the story line coming from the realization that love is a defining moment in our lives. The plot should be one that grips the reader and keeps their interest through the chapters.

There are examples of romantic fiction that existed in classical Greece. There are more than twenty ancient Greek romance novels that are know, along with many examples of those that have survived as incomplete works. The first recognized precursor to love-romance fiction we read today is the sentimental novel Pamela or Virtue Rewarded written by Samuel Richardson. This was published in 1740.

An important influence on romantic fiction is widely recognized as Jane Austen. Her most well-known novel, Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. The Bronte sisters are responsible for romantic fiction in the early part of the Victorian era. With Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre demonstrating how flexible a romantic novel can be.

Mills and Boon, a British publisher, began releasing hardback romance novels in the 1930s and brought the romantic novel to the masses.