In the twenty-first century, the romance genre has gained a growing academic response, including the creation of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. Popular romance has long been so ignored and maligned that seemingly every scholarly work on it opens with a lengthy defense of the genre and its value for academic study. Even the early scholarly works on the genre approach it in ways that, while primarily respectful, make sweeping generalizations about popular romance, its texts, and its readers. This essay collection examines the position of the romance genre in the twenty-first century, and the ways in which romance responds to and influences the culture and community in which it exists. Essays are divided into six sections, which cover the genre's relationship with masculinity, the importance of consent, historical romance, representation, social status and web-based romance fiction.

Popular romance fiction constitutes the largest segment of the global book market. Bringing together an international group of scholars, The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Romance Fiction offers a ground-breaking exploration of this global genre and its remarkable readership. In recognition of the diversity of the form, the Companion provides a history of the genre, an overview of disciplinary approaches to studying romance fiction, and critical analyses of important subgenres, themes, and topics. It also highlights new and understudied avenues of inquiry for future research in this vibrant and still-emerging field. The first systematic, comprehensive resource on romance fiction, this Companion will be invaluable to students and scholars, and accessible to romance readers.

This edited book demonstrates how love both unites and separates academic thinking across the arts and humanities, and beyond: from popular romance studies to border criminology, from sexology to peace studies, and into the fields of health, medicine, and engineering. This book is both a reflection and a call for a greater understanding of the complexity and importance of love in our lives, and in our world.

This book constitutes the refereed post-conference proceedings the 11th EAI International Conference on ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation, ArtsIT 2022 which was held in Faro, Portugal, November 21-22, 2022. The 45 revised full papers presented were carefully selected from 118 submissions. The papers are thematically arranged in the following sections: Dialogues Between Geometry, Computer Graphics and the Visual Arts; Games and Gamification; Museums and the Virtual; Animation, AI, Books and Behavior; Fluency, Fashion, Emotion and Play; Movement, Film and Audio.

Saddle Up for your Pot of Gold! Yeehaw pardners! Ever dreamed of writing steamy Western bodice-rippers but didn't know where to start? My latest writer's guide teaches greenhorn and experienced writers everything needed to wrangle romance bestsellers and ride the ranges to publishing fortune. You'll master how to: Create smoldering chemistry between the gruff ranch foreman and feisty saloon girl that makes readers flush with longing Immerse readers in authentic historical details of Frontier life so they taste the grit between their teeth Structure plots with heart-pounding twists that keep fans stampeding to the shocking final pages If you crave reader adoration and book sales overflowing like a cattle drive, this trail guide to writing irresistible cowboy catnip will show you the way, greenhorn! Just set your spurs deep and hold on tight to ride the winds of Western romance success. Yeehaw!

A comprehensive guide that defines the literature and the outlines the best-selling genre of all time: romance fiction. More than 2,000 romances are published annually, making it difficult for fans and the librarians who advise them to keep pace with new titles, emerging authors, and constant evolution of this dynamic genre. Fortunately, romance expert and librarian Kristin Ramsdell provides a definitive guide to this fiction genre that serves as an indispensible resource for those interested in it—including fans searching for reading material—as well as for library staff, scholars, and romance writers themselves. This title updates the last edition of Romance Fiction: A Guide to the Genre, published in 1999.While the emphasis is on newer titles, many of the important older classics are retained, keeping the focus of the book on the entire genre, instead of only those titles published during the last decade. Specific changes include new chapters on linked and continuing romances, a new section on "Chick Lit" in the Contemporary Romance chapter, an expansion of coverage on the alternative reality subset. This is THE romance genre guide to have.

Designed as a companion to The Columbia Literary History of the United States, this compilation of 31 major essays covers the American novel from the 1700s to the present, although the majority deal with the 20th century. Within each era, themes, genres, and topics such as realism, gender, romance, and technology are discussed in depth, as well as modern Canadian, Caribbean, and Latin American fiction. Each essayist selects only the authors who best illustrate the topic, thus subtly skewing the view of the literary scene at that time. The volume also covers women, minorities, popular fiction, and the book marketplace. ISBN 0-231-07360-7: $59.95.