Ha! Guess what I found today? A huge sheet – well, two A3 paper sheets stellotaped together -of an infographical map of the romance genre I hand-drawn in 2005!
Basically, it’s a map of genre and its sub-genres, with key references and key names.
Why the hell did I think it was a good idea, I haven’t the foggiest, but I do know that I did this during my two-month bed rest.
The scanner is broken and my phone is crap (I need to buy a phone with a better camera). This is actually the best of roughly 20 attempts:
Pathetic. (So is my handwriting, admittedly. I’m not that good at writing in capital letters.)
Here is the one with a similar layout and those scribbled notes:
(Frank’s Reel Reviews‘s reproduction of a tree, drawn by teacher Dewey Finn (Jack Black), on a chalkboard during one scene in The School of Rock (2003).)
Only, mine is a lot more expansive and – let’s be honest – brain-numbingly nerdy.
It has numerous scribbled notes (mostly explanatory notes and reminders to check) and references to notable book titles/authors, readers who influenced the community, and various lists including films that I thought may have influenced the genre.
A genre genealogist’s wet dream, basically.
To give you a rough idea of how insane I was for trying what the map looks like, here is a small sample:
(NB: those in bold are what I considered, in 2005, major genres and major sub-genres)
- Gothic romance
- Gothic romance: American
- Gothic romance: British
- Gothic romance: Misc.
- Romantic suspense
- Romance suspense: mystery
- Romantic suspense: suspense
- Romantic suspense: gothic [NB: I think I was thinking of Gothic romance's classic characteristics, e.g. story told in first person, the heroine's fear of the hero who may have a villainous vibe, isolated location, and a mystery - usually a murder - that suggests the hero's involved. Example: Anne Stuart's Nightfall]
- Romance suspense: action (NB: a scribbled note says: “including military-oriented action, road/jungle adventures and a couple on the run”)
- etc
- Contemporary
- Contemporary romance: small-town America
- Contemporary romance: military romance
- Contemporary romance: adventure / action
- Contemporary romance: comedy (I listed Austen’s books here)
- “Contemporary romance:
multicultural???” [NB: this has the longest written section, along with a list of authors (including Bette Ford, Beverly Jenkins, Francis Ray, etc.), key figures (Dell editor Vivian Stephens who "bought several ethnic romances for Candlelight and Candlelight Ecstasy in 1980" - I didn't think to list the source of this, ack), and key romance novels. A long note about Heaven Sent, which at the time was the first (and still only) contemporary rom I read that features an ethnically East Asian couple. Also, I wrote this question: "What's the title of that rom featuring a sheikh and his temp P.A., who's from a wealthy black American family?" This surprised me as I don't remember this at all. Any idea?] - Contemporary: Inspirational
- etc
- Category
- Category romance: medical
- [NB: And that's it for Category. I think I felt overwhelmed by the sheer scope of Category Romance and decided to leave it for later]
- Romantic historical fiction
- Family saga
- Family saga: historical (any time period before 1900s; no more than three generations only)
- Family saga: modern (from 1900s to WWII; ditto)
- Family saga: contemporary (from WWII to present; ditto)
- Family saga: dynasty (any time period and it follows more than three generations of a family. Example: Cynthia Harrod-Eagle’s Mortland family series and Janet Dailey’s Calder series)
- Sentimental novels [NB: I think this refers to novels published during the Victorian era?]
- Sensational novels [NB: ditto?]
- Moral novels for Women [NB: I haven't the foggiest what this means]
- Women’s Fiction [NB: Clearly, I was referring to British women's fiction/general fiction]
- Women’s Fiction: Aga saga
- Women’s Fiction: cloak & clogs
- Women’s Fiction: village novel [NB: I'm not sure why I didn't lump Aga saga with village novel. Perhaps a village novel is community-oriented and from heroine's POV while Aga saga is heroine-oriented?]
- Women’s Fiction: kitchen sink
- Women’s Fiction: bonkbuster
- Women’s Fiction: romance
- Comedy [note: I do remember that I associated Chick Lit (including Austen's P&P) with Humour/Comedy more than I'd associate them with the romance genre's Romantic Comedy)
- Historical
- Historical: epic (Woodiwiss)
- Historical: western
- Historical: pirate
- Historical: Americana
- Historical: traditional Regency romance
- etc
- Historical romance (periods & countries) [Note: I think I planned to have a spin-off tree that lists countries and time periods, but I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea because I can't see how it could work.]
- Speculative Romance
- Speculative romance: SF [NB: I filed 'futuristic & space opera romances' under this, but I have to say, I disagree with the 2005 me on this. I think it should go under alternate reality]
- Speculative romance: fantasy [NB: I filed 'witch romances, magic romances, etc.' under this]
- Speculative romance: alternate reality
- Speculative romance: time travel
- Paranormal romance
- Paranormal romance: supernatural (ghost, etc.)
- Paranormal romance: vampire
- Paranormal romance: werewolf
- Paranormal romance: paranormal ability (psychic, telekinesis, etc)
- etc.
- Postsomething a.k.a. Chick Lit & Lad Lit
- Young Adult romance
There are still more. Comics (including graphic novels, photo comics and illustrated novels), non-fiction books about the romance genre, etc. I also had it interconnected with other main genres (mystery, SF, Fantasy, etc.) to explain the overlapping.
Actually, I’m now quite shocked I had managed to lay it all out. I shouldn’t be surprised as I spent time on it – for an hour or two, I think – almost every day for almost two months, but… the feck?
It’s definitely flawed as there are some bits I disagree with. Some, I suspect, are based on educated guesses than on verifiable info. There are some painful errors (“Jude Davenport” when I meant Jude Deveraux). Some weird decisions, too. Such as including Jude Morgan, Mary Brown and Nancy Mitford. That’s right, Nancy bloody Mitford! What were I thinking? There are a lot of oversights, too.
And of course, all new additions and changes since 2005 are absent from the map.
Still, it amuses me so much that I’ve decided to do another attempt.
Mostly to see if I can pull it off. It’ll be flawed as feck, but at least it’ll be fun. I plan to make it tidier and more coherent, too. Considering the scope, I think I’ll need to simplify it a lot more. I’m not sure how, though.
Should I upload each major modification of the new map for you to see the progress, and perhaps to offer feedback, corrections and suggestions?
Oh definitely! This is way cool.
I’m sure the sentimental/sensation novel categories are for the 19th century stuff. Moral novels may be from the same era. If you can’t find your sources, I have some and Robin is pretty much an expert so we can fill in.
I found some pencilled notes on the back of the map and you’re right, all three are related to 19th-century British literature. I also associated Gothic romance with that group as well. I’ll have to re-structure the map to make more sense. Eep.
Just the other day I put up a call for papers about sensation novels at TMT and it includes a list of authors which might be of use to you.
Cool beans. Thank you. None of names I have listed on the map are on that list, though.
I’m pretty certain that I obtained my list of those names from imdb.com that listed them as novelists of sensation novels that inspired film adaptations (mostly silent films).
I wonder if you were thinking of Brenda Jackson’s Delaney’s Desert Sheikh. I don’t think the heroine acts as a temporary P.A, but it’s the only novel I’ve seen mentioned which has a sheikh hero and an African-American heroine.
Ooh, thanks for that. I found another possibility earlier: “Maleka and the Sheik” by Layle Giusto — “a trendy fashion designer student and an overbearing sheik become involved in an adventurous mystery” — from anthology Cupid’s Arrow by Layle Giusto, Doris Johnson and Jacquelin Thomas (BET Books / Arabesque, 2000.)
I don’t believe it’s either because I wouldn’t mention a profession like ‘temp P.A.’ so specifically without a reason. It could mean either I read it and forgot or someone mentioned it. I’ll keep searching because otherwise, it’ll be a pebble in my shoe.
I’ll add the Brenda Jackson book to the list as a notable title, though. (Brenda Jackson. Delaney’s Desert Sheikh. New York: Silhouette, 2002.) Thank you!
As a matter of fact, while tracking down the mysterious book earlier, I stumbled across something that might interest you: Slow Motion (Arabesque, 2005), a romance anthology of two novellas, by Wayne Jordan and Devon Vaughn Archer, who are cited as “BET Publications’ first male Arabesque romance authors Wayne Jordan and R. Barri Flowers, writing as Devon Vaughn Archer.”
Also, it seems that Wayne Jordan is still writing for Kimani Romance, which makes him one of rare openly male category romance authors, doesn’t it?
Yes. I didn’t notice that particularly when I made a list of male romance authors, but he is on it.
There are three names missing (I have just checked RomanceWiki’s male romance authors in addition to your post):
One is Charles Garvice, but I suppose the question is what defines a ‘category romance’?
Does it have to be published by HQN, M&B, BET or RWA- or RNA-recognised category romance publishers (like now defunct Heart Line) to qualify as one? Garvice’s romance novels are similar to category romance novels as well as authors (he wrote roughly five short romance novels per year). Until the question about the definition of ‘category romance’, there is a question mark over his name (as well as two more best-selling romance authors H. B. Marriott Watson and William Baxton(?)) in this case.
One is a British scriptwriter, who wrote a couple of titles for Mills & Boon during the 1980s. I don’t know if he’s made this public knowledge, though. I will check.
One is an American scriptwriter, whose name I forget, who wrote a couple of Harlequin romances (I think). He wrote about his experiences online. I’m thinking that if he has an article online, there’s no double that you or someone will have already stumbled across it.
‘double’? The feck, Maili? Doubt! I meant ‘doubt’. *cough*
I’ve never come across any of Charles Garvice’s novels.
Re category romances, I think the defining feature is that they’re published in “lines,” unlike single titles, which all get (relatively) different covers. The Romance Wiki has what seems to me to be a good description of them.
HQN is Harlequin’s single title romance imprint (MIRA is also another Harlequin single title imprint but it “features a variety of genres: commercial women’s fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, romantic suspense, paranormal fiction and thrillers.”)
I haven’t, but somebody else may well have. If you remember or find out, I’d be interested to know.
@Laura
I can’t find the article at the moment (it’s definitely still online, it’s just a matter of remembering his bloody name!), but while I was searching, I picked these up along the way for you
Some of these I think you already knew, but just in case.
Monica Barrie / Jennifer Dalton (David Wind)
K.N. Casper (Ken Casper)
Robyn Anders (Rob Preece)
Victoria Gordon (Gordon Aalborg)
Kylie Adams (Jon Salem)
Madeleine Ker (Marius Gabriel a.k.a. Marius Gabriel Cipolla)
Vanessa Royall (Mike Hinkemeyer)
May McGoldrick (James A. McGoldrick and Nikoo K. Coffey McGoldrick)
I knew about Victoria Gordon and Madeleine Ker but not about the others. I’ve created pages for Monica Barrie and K. N. Casper at the Romance Wiki, but after that I was rather tired of data entry work, so I left the rest. May McGoldrick (and associated pseudonyms) already had some pages, so I added a few tags to those.
@Laura
Re category romances, I think the defining feature is that they’re published in “lines,” unlike single titles, which all get (relatively) different covers. The Romance Wiki has what seems to me to be a good description of them.
But surely, considering the time and state of the publishing industry before WWII, authors themselves were “lines”? Almost cottage industries. Similar to how Jane Austen is to the public today.
I’m thinking along the line of cinema when actresses and actors were known by their nicknames rather than by their actual names, e.g. “the Biograph Girl”, “the Cowboy Kid”, “Baby Mollie” and so on? Mary Pickford was known as “The Girl With Curls” and “Little Mary”. So wouldn’t it make sense that “genre authors” were essentially “lines” of their time? That’s why I view the likes of Charles Garvice as ‘category romance authors’.
Each category line nowadays represents a certain style or type of romance, which isn’t unlike romance authors prior to WWII. We have E.M. Hull who were known for her sheikh / yellow peril / white slavery romances, Violet Harlow was famed for her teacher romances, and so on. Mills & Boon basically evolved their story types into book types, which became “lines”. Does this make sense?
The authors you mention did create a sort of brand for themselves but were they working to publisher-generated guidelines which were also being followed by other authors writing for the same publisher? I think the defining features of “category” or “series” romances are that
a) the books can be identified visually by the publisher-generated branding which is more prominent/defining than the authors’ names
b) a number of authors write in each line, and the line has guidelines generated by the publisher.
c) the books are relatively short in length.
I think the historical antecedents of the category romance would be the short romantic stories published in penny dreadfuls and then women’s magazines. According to McAleer, decades before M&B developed lines, it sold a lot of its novels to women’s magazines prior to their publication as novels. Some of the magazines had quite strict guidelines about what they would or wouldn’t accept.
@Laura
Finally! Here you go — Billy Mernit as Leigh Anne Williams and Lee Williams
My Life as a Woman, Pt.1 (7 Dec, 2005)
My Life as a Woman, Pt.2 (8 Dec, 2005)
Phew.
That was an interesting, if somewhat disillusioning story. After I’d read it I went over to the Romance Wiki and you were right that someone else would already have noticed it.