Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance (New Cultural Studies)

I picked up this book as research for understanding the type of language women respond to. As referenced in this book, Romance Novels account for about 50% of total book sales. This means that from a mans perspective, something in this genre is resonating with with the Venus gender and if nothing else we should see what language patterns are of worth.I definitely noticed the interesting wrapping of words in descriptions. Where a simple minded man would say "I love you", the romance novelists would say "There exists this deep yearning from the core of my being to express to you the intense warmth and tender feelings of never-ending love I have developed in this beautiful journey we have shared together." And that would be the romantic hero saying this.I also liked the one explanation where a novelist confessed that she would love to have a romantic fling with the type of man she would never want a permanent relationship with. hmmmmmm, what age old non PC phrase would describe the winner of such attention?From an informative stand point I did enjoy some of the insight gained from this book. It was repetitive enough to drill the point home, and as an excercise in research was worth the time and money spent.

Fast delivery, book like new, great service, very happy customer.

This book filled the expectation I had for it completely. I wanted a short, quick and authoritative book to tell me clearly what's going on in romance novels, which I have never read an example of, and just exactly what they are trying to do. No frills, no clutter, no annoying gratuitous reflections. Obviously romance novels have a lot of power with half of the world's population, so it's natural to wonder. This book did an excellent job of that, more so than any other book I recall, in response to the need of finding out what's going on in an abstruse subject. So I think it is a great book.

This is a solid book from best selling authors that will truly help you understand the fantasies of women. Buy this book and read it slowly to let it all sink in, and then model yourself after these fantasies to banter with women, Fun guaranteed on this. This will help you understand their fantasies, and a book such as BANG from Roosh V will help you attract the Women.

This is a great collection of scholarly essays by well-known romance authors about the genre. Any serious romance fan will find this a fascinting read. I was continually impressed by the profound insights in this book. Not only is it a compelling response to the many unenlightened critics of the genre, but it is also a thoughtful consideration of how romance novels reflect the changing face of women's issues in this country. I particularly enjoyed the article by Susan Elizabeth Phillips called "The Romance and the Empowerment of Women." Also, Laura Kinsale's article about how readers respond to the point of view of the narrative was fascinating. This should be mandatory reading for all romance editors.

This book helped me write my popular fiction essay for school.

Good read. Having an English degree, I always felt guilty reading romance, but now I have a deeper understanding of why I enjoy them so much.

If a person wants to become an author, this might be an interesting and helpful book to read. it has chapters written by well known romance authors with hints about the hero and heroine.

To tap into the feelings & imagineering of a woman's sexual psyche you must first study, understand, accept & replicate the tropes that give her the tingles ... like it or not gents, resonate with YOU or not, these are the arcs that conjure

Considering that this book is now 24 years old, it doesn't seem out of date.It has cleared up quite a lot of confusion that I had about the romance genre and readers of the genre. I now feel that those who criticise the genre without knowing what is explained in this book could do themselves a favour by reading it. It shows that ignorance and then talking about something that they don't understand only makes them look foolish.Before reading this book I was still struggling to understand why girls and women would enjoy reading about domineering men, men that seem the opposite of what most would desire in reality. Now I understand that the heroine is triumphant each time, that the beast is tamed, that the dangerous man learns to love without losing what makes him a man.It's pointed out by the various authors that it is fantasy after all, escapism, and nearly all readers will feel that way. Sure there might be a small number who don't have healthy thoughts and blend their real and fantasy worlds, but generally for most romance readers it's entertainment with safety and the guaranteed HEA.It's no different to other genres in that what is expected by the readers in that genre gets served up to them. If romance novels were being sold as how-to books, I could understand peoples concern, but they're not. There is no suggestion that romance novels are anything other than entertainment for the reader.I highly recommend the book to anyone.

Stimulating yet narrow minded except for the last chapter.

Great.

Whether one likes to read romances or not, this collection of essays by famous romance writers is an eye opener and provides and inside view into the genre and its many varieties. A kaleidoscope of opinions, covering all kinds of aspects: the (bad) reputation of romances, the different hero and heroine types, the question of virginity, the hidden codes in the typical language of romances etc.This book is as valuable for the literary or sociological study of the genre as it is for any romance reader who wants to know what her favorite authors are thinking when they write their books.