"Literature doesn't always have to be so serious." I very much agree with this quote, because as someone who tends to overthink everything, literature is my break from real life.
I enjoyed the background on how romance grew as a genre, having read many of the books myself; in fact, Jane Austen and LM Montgomery have always been two of my favorite authors. I also read the Sweet Valley Twins/High books! I personally feel a lot of romance has gotten a bad name as of late, but I am especially fond of the new chick lit genre that blends humor and romance together-I think it is quite witty. I wish though, that romance didn't have to be the horrible Danielle Steele or Nora Roberts, carbon copies or "porn" for women, but rather was either smart like the genre I just mentioned, or stayed true to the Victorian or Early Modern Europe eras when they were more than just love stories. Even though I too believe many romances out there are now sort of polluting kid's minds, I think it is good that they are at last reading. My biggest issue with romance of any kind however, is that it sometimes needs to be realistic. There is a time and place for escaping or happy endings, but as I have heard many women say, "romance novels are like porn is for men"-if readers are not smart or educated about it, and use romance novels as there only basis for what true love is, they will be sorely disappointed. The guy doesn't always get the girl the first time, men aren't always knights in shining armor, exc.
I also enjoyed the humor section, loving that it is human to have the "ability to laugh while crying. I think a little humor is always good to have even in the toughest situations in life, so why not novels? As someone who wants to write someday, I feel that humor will be difficult to implement though, because it can be often offensive or hard to understand. I really appreciated the guide to developmental humor on p. 197-I think this will be invaluable when choosing appropriate book selections to students.
The sports section didn't really appeal to me as I have always found reading about sports even more boring than playing them, unless it was running (you know what kid I was :)), but the lists of books will be good for choosing novels for students; I have many students who like to read books about sports.
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Coutrney,
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with your notion that romance novels can take some women "down the wrong path". Rather like watching soap operas, right?
There is one sports book that I really liked and that is Chris Crutcher's Athletic Shorts. These are short stories for guys that really delve into some of the issues in the sports world. I think it would be a good choice for athletes that don't like to read.
Sue