Romance Novels: Brain Candy for Housewives

Radway’s article describes how many women, left less than satisfied with the state of their marriages (or lives), utilize romance novels as a means of escape. The women who contributed to Radway's article all agreed: romance novels gave them a break, allowing them to relax by filling them with feelings of contentment and hope (that their own relationships will one day be as happy). These novels provide respite for the women of Smithton, allowing them a brief escape from the banalities of their lives- unfulfilling housework, being a perpetually on-call “mom taxi”, condescending interrogations from their husbands (I’m the breadwinner, what did you do all day?)- thankless duties that they are obligated to fulfill based on their role as a loving mother and wife. Sounds like fun! However mindless or vapid these romance novels actually are (I’m not buying the whole “any-reading-is-educational” thing), they serve a purpose for these women: a moment of silence, solitude, and immersion in a fantasy world where men are gentle, eloquent and shirtless. Desire for this type of “escape” might seem unhealthy, but could it just be because these are mothers and wives? Are they expected to silently endure, acting only as the caretaker and nurturer that a “good wife” is supposed to be? Plenty of other people have hobbies, other means of escape or distraction from their everyday lives, and these women should be afforded the same luxury.

This article reminded me of the Kids in the Hall movie, Brain Candy, released and subsequently ignored by most of the public sometime in the mid-1990s. Brain Candy tells the story of a pharmaceutical company that releases a new "miracle drug", an anti-depressant that allows its users to capture the joy of their happiest memory. Things go awry when the drug has an unforeseen consequence - some users may become permanently stuck in their memory. Escape from the stressors and depression of everyday life has become a trap, however happy it might seem. While the premises are obviously different, there is a common thread: these women immerse themselves in these fantasies to make them happy, but to what extent does fantasizing - living in one's head, literally or figuratively - cause damage? Could these women become trapped within their fabricated reality? Literally, obviously not, but perhaps in a way that leaves them perpetually dissatisfied with their real lives.

The video only shows her being "trapped" at the very end...the age/relative obscurity of this movie made finding a clip a little difficult...!

Is There a Right Way to Cope?

The first reading, Women Read the Romance, deals with

 multiple surveys and interviews taken from a group of romance novel readers.  It text explains the Smithton women’s reasons and their justification for why they read the novels.  It describes that the readers of the novels are intelligent and usually mothers and wives.  The reasons why these women are so obsessed with reading these novels are for their own pleasure and escape.  They enjoy escaping from reality and their present situations whether they are good or bad.  Some women declare that they are simply more interesting than the newspaper or other books.  Whether the women have different or similar reasons for their obsession, they all have the similar sadness of wanting to escape from the “pressures” and “tensions” of being a wife or mother.  Radway goes into detail about how the Smithton women can decide between what could be a good or bad romantic novel.  The women discuss what kind of ideal man they enjoy reading about or fantasizing about.  They all had the similar opinion that they did not enjoy when their hero had been with other women before he unites with his future heroine.  They like the idea of a "one man-one women” concept.  I think that it is unfair to judge women for what she reads, but this text allows for people to dig deeper and understand the true meaning behind these romantic novels.  It gives these novels a universal understanding for what they do for women and how they wish for them to be written. 

Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts serves as an observation about the typical daytime talk show and what Oprah Winfrey has dared to discuss on her talk show.  Moorti discusses the idea that talk shows only serve to women, and not the “public good.”  With this being said, the episodes that Oprah aired in 1981-1991 are brought up.  These episodes interviewed numerous rape victims and even a convicted rapist.  This contradicted what was said earlier about certain talk shows not being informative to the “public good.”  By doing this, Oprah has given voice to pain and these women’s pain.  Although Winfrey and her staff carefully chose these topics and questions, these particular episodes were intended to be educational and activate women to talk about and take steps against sexual violence.  It is still logical that most talk shows are aimed at a female audience and individual problems, but is it wrong for men to be informed of important issues like rape?  Different particulars of rape are discussed on different episodes.  There is an episode with a man who was convicted of rape who discusses gender-role socialization, how he looked for the women he wanted to be with, and how he would not consider “no” as an answer.  Another episode highlighted how a woman dresses should not be paired with whether or not she was “asking for it.”  Winfrey plays the role of a therapist to these women and listens to the other guests and audience members.  She and her viewers believe that she is helping these women by asking them questions and listening to her stories. 

 

Both of these readings deal with the pain and suffering that some women go through.  Whether it is simple struggles such as marital problems, or traumatic problems such as rape, women tend to deal with things in their own way and that is shown in both of these readings.  In Radways article, women deal with their issues by escaping for a few hours a day in order to read romantic literature.  In Moorti’s article, these women have tried to cope with their experiences on their own, but Oprah Winfrey has offered to give them their voice back and talk with her about.

 

Romance

While reading "Women Read the Romance," by Janice A. Radway, you notice that women read romance novels to escape their everyday lives and fulfill their emotional needs. Radway keeps emphasizing that women are often mistreated compared to men, and that they should have more say in the household.

I believe that women are entitled to opinions in the household and should have emotional needs by their husbands instead of relying on romance novels. Marital problems might also be the cause of women relying on romance novels. Usually on the covers of romance novels, most the time their will be a young attractive male with a really attractive woman. The cover right represents a dream that the reader probably would never have because it is most likely a fantasy. When women read these novels their emotions are fulfilled for the time being, but after they are done reading, they are back to the old house life.

A Punishment From The Gods

As I read "Women Read the Romance" by Radway, I was repeatedly struck by how pathetic the lives of the Smithton women were. They read romance novels to escape reality; how horrible, wanting to escape ones own life!

I also noticed that the novels didn't really seem like that much of an escape. Even when avoiding the more "perverse" options, the women were reading stories about men who are cold to the women they love. They were ingesting novel after novel of dysfunctional relationship.

I understand that the happy endings make the struggle worth while, but is that what the women were imagining for themselves? The women of Smithton may have come from marriages that were less than perfect but did they imagine that their lives would somehow work out in the end, just like the novels? Did they think that underneath their cold exteriors their husbands were actually passionately in love with them and that it was all a big misunderstanding?

The novels may have given the women a temporary escape but they hindered them in the long run. Instead of realizing how deep-rooted their unhappiness was and doing something to change the situation, they let romance novels slowly eat away at their ability to control their lives.

Their position seemed to me like that of someone punished by the Greek gods. Like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill for all of eternity or the Danaides washing away their sins for all of eternity. The women of Smithton perpetuated the situation they were trying to escape.

Like the Danaides, the women are not solely responsible for the perpetuation of their misery. The situation and the social norms the women are held to are also accountable.

For the story of the Danaides: http://www.greeka.com/greece-myths/danaides.htm

The Unrealistic and Realistic

Janice Radway’s article, Women Read The Romance, Radway explains and analyzes an interesting point that women enjoy reading romance novels as an escape from reality and every day responsibilities. Romance novels are a way for women to put their life on hold for a little and dive into the perfections of a love story. One woman explains about romance novels, “They always seem an escape and they usually turn out the way you wish life really was” (69). The book becomes a special moment reserved aside during the day when the woman can separate herself from everyday chores and taking care of her family just to be independent and alone. These novels allow women to abandon the real world and get absorbed into a perfect world of imagination, where women’s emotional needs and escape from reality can be found within the context of a love story (one with obstacles and a declaration of love in the end).

Many know Jane Austen’s famous book (and now movie) Pride and Prejudice, a book that involves many obstacles and twists and turns throughout, but this book is worth reading every line until the perfect ending of a proposal and marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. This book is one that has captured the hearts of so many women and even young girls because of the perfectly portrayed love story. It is a natural need to want to escape from reality sometimes and just dive into an imaginary world where you do not have to worry about any responsibility, but placing yourself in the shoes of the love story. These romance novels and even romance movies provide an escape from our everyday lives, which is a huge part of their attraction. Nowadays we use many different forms of media to escape the real world, books, movies, TV shows, worlds where everything is too perfect, too unrealistic, world that will forever remain unreal and unreachable in our lives but are fun to escape in for moments at a time.

Daytime talk shows nowadays are delving into a more personal level especially as seen in The Oprah Winfrey Show, which is widely famous around the world. Moorti’s article, Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts?, explains how Winfrey’s show plays out more as a confrontation between an individual and their problems, whether then a general big issue topic that everybody could participate in. Still, Winfrey finds a way to open up the discussion to the audience and address the crowd as a whole. Through these individualized stories Winfrey acts sort of like a psychologist delving deeper and deeper into important topics such as rape. She identifies the problem, includes the crowd, and then gives solutions. Topics such as these though she delves deep down with the individuals, she asks for more detailed descriptions such as “What kind of stuff were you thinking, feeling, doing?” (524). Winfrey focuses on realistic situations that many other people in this world have faced, but do not speak up about to better our society. Look for example at this youtube video of Winfrey’s discussion with Naomi Campbell, Winfrey delves into her personal life about her drug addiction, many other people in society have addictions too and watching this show can maybe somehow relate to Campbell's problems. By being more personalized it brings more of a human touch and less or a fake entertainment purpose only vibe. Within in this video pay attention the way Winfrey asks her her problem, discusses it, and asks her what were her solutions.

Communication and Connection

In Radway’s Women Read the Romance, one of the main focuses is the cultural significance of romance. Young girls and women everywhere find great pleasure in reading books filled with romance. But what is it that some women love so much about these books? I believe it’s the sensation of living the life of someone else, through the eyes of people who don’t know who you truly are. Though many women will say they’re completely happy with their lives, there is usually something missing that they continuously try to obtain. Women that read these books envy the love shared between the protagonists, and they just want their husbands or boyfriends to love them like that. It’s almost as if these women acquire an obsession to this totally unrealistic world, and they literally become addicted to reading romance novels. But, they wont admit this. To keep the guilt away, they tell themselves that what they’re doing is educational, and that’s the main reason why they read in the first place. While this is true in some cases, most women just want a break from their own stressful reality and live life through the eyes of a character in a book. While can always be a good thing, when the book is finished the real world kicks back in, and you’re right back at the beginning.

In Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts?, Moorti defines “the role of television in Democratic Society.” Phil Donahue first came out with this idea to focus completely on regular people instead of famous people. This was also the “first talk show to market ‘serious’ girl-talk and to concede the importance of the female voice.” This became a popular thing amongst viewers, and when the Oprah Show began, audiences went crazy. Oprah Winfrey had a natural way of interacting with the audience so that everyone felt involved, and no one was ashamed with what was being said. This concept allowed people to discuss their problems in the public’s eye. In this reading, Moorti proved that “communication and individual resolve together can solve most social problems."

The good wife's guide

The first text, "Women Read The Romance", deals with findings of extensive interviews from a group of compulsive romance readers in a central mid-western state. Romance reading constitutes a tempora
ry "declaration of independence" from social roles of wife and mother (70). I believe that women read a lot of these romance novels because the man in their life cannot fulfill the required emotional needs of the woman. I have heard of a lot of relationships starting very good, with a lot of romantic moments and emotional fulfillment, but eventually after marriage it slows down and that is most likely a cause for the romantic novel readings. The image on the right seems to be a very sensual, romantic, style of a man that the women who read these books yearn for. It may also be the case that in a negatively stressful or possibly abusive relationship that a woman reads these novels to escape from the stress or abuse that the relationship has caused because it is the only way to fulfill the emotional need.


The second text, "Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts?", is about daytime talk shows, especially Oprah Winfrey's program (523). The main argument of the article is that daytime talk shows fail to deal with structural issues or large issues dealing with a community but instead focus on a single person for individual solutions. The Oprah Show obviously promotes a more feminine aspect to her discussions, mainly focusing on issues concerning women (525). It generally focuses on sexual abuse or rape as a main concern when "deplorable" issues are brought up (527). This text was written in 2003 but I do know that Oprah does bring in guest celebrities and sexual violence is not the only thing that is talked about on the show now. However, all of daytime talk shows I believe go into the sphere of women's roles and stereotyping. They all assume that all women are stay at home moms and they all want to be changed from their mundane household and have some emotional needs fulfilled that their husband can't provide- which sort of goes along with the first article.


The issue of Women's roles comes into view because of the stay at home mom part, I am sure there are a lot of women that work nine to five and are interested in watching some "women's television" during the day but they can't because of their job. Statistically, yes, there are probably more women caring for the house more than men during the day, but I think its too stereotypical to have soap operas on every single major channel, and women's talk shows on the other channels pretty much throughout the entire afternoon and all the commercials are related to female needs, makeup, or hygiene products.


Here is an image from the old days regarding the role of a woman in the household, which relates to this topic in general:

Issues of Feminism in the Words of Radway and Moorti

Radway in Women Read the Romance talks about women and how romance literature acts as a means of temporary escape from the real world both figuratively and literally and also as a form of relaxation according to the studies conducted with the female participants. Radway has collected much data from surveys, advising activities, interviews questionnaires and so on to show how women feel and act as a result of those feelings. As Radway says, "they (the women studied) are quite aware that men commonly think themselves superior to women and often mistreat them as a result" (68). These women are married, have kids, and have a lot going on with their lives, but they all share one thing in common - a true love for romance - and they are dying to have it in some way. These women read books of this genre as a way of "denying a present reality. It is better than television" (69). It allows them to fantasize and experience feelings that are missing in their actual lives. They get to play a different role and they get to pretend. It is complete and it is gratifying to these women. These women share a "hint of sadness because life has not given them all that it once promised" (69). Reading books like these gives the opportunity to believe in a fairy tale in order to move on or temporarily let go of pressures and tensions in their way that keep them from doing the things they need to get done. Something is missing in the lives of these women- that is a man that loves them and treats them the way they should be treated. Romance novels allow these women to interact with a man that is their ideal (good romance) in many ways. Dot Evans helps these readers to find good books and avoid the "bad romances" in order to achieve overall satisfaction.



The mistreatment issues found in Radway's article also ties with Moorti's article Cathartic Confessions or Emancipatory Texts? The article examines Oprah episodes that aired between 1989-1991 dealing with rape and other incidents of sexual violence. Again, in the eyes of women, this daytime show strives to give marginalized women the voice that needs to be heard. It acts as an educational session to the public and also as a mentally empowering moment for the victim, "highlighting individual narratives and collective gender identity as well as presenting private acts as socially relevant to the public"(525). Oprah "promotes a 'feminine' mode of discussion and it emphasizes the emotional over the rational" (525). Masciarotte, mentioned in this article, reveals that this hour long talk show is formatted to be "conscious raising, using strategies of the women's movement to rely on personal testimony, speaking out experiences at random, relating and generalizing individual testimonies, and overcoming repressions and delusions" (526). Winfrey has a role as the "interlocutor" in the show which, in the case of the rape victims, allowed them victims to articulate their pain and confusion as if venting to a psychiatrist. On this level, women are able to share their feelings that they feel are not valued to many. Revealing these personal words allow women to feel more publically accepted and understood and therefore more valued. It offers women the experience to come face to face with their nightmare and fixing it therefore making a difference. A "taboo" subject such as rape becomes self-awareness and self-expression.

These two articles point out the struggles that women face and the ways and means of these women handling their pains. Radway and Moorti address the importance of observing these issues and finding ways to fix it.