09-29-2008, 07:47 PM
These are thought-provoking posts and my response may not make much sense because I'm "winging it" at work. Here goes!
Hmmm....I guess one thing I've noticed in my own reading is that I seem to differentiate between a "romance" and a "love story." They are two different things to me.
A "romance" is a formula that you find in the "romance" section of the book store. You know what you're going to get. It's a fantasy with a varying number of sex scenes (a lot or a few). There may be different iterations, but that's what it's all about. Usually, the only "adult" aspect is the sex. But the romance is the centerpiece of the book. That's what you buy it for. To me, a "Gothic romance" is basically a romance (as indicated above) with some Gothic atmosphere thrown in.
In contrast, I do like a good love story EMBEDDED in a gothic novel. I'm reading it for the Gothic storyline, but I LOVE it when a love story is thrown in for good measure. It enhances the story for me and satisfies my romantic side which has no patience for formulas. Don't get me wrong...sometimes I'll pick up a romance, but I rarely finish one.
My favorite kind of emotional connection is the Beauty and the Beast kind (saw Phantom in Seattle yesterday and LOVED it), but I'll take anything that is mature and emotional. I appreciate any gothic novel with a human connection be it star-crossed lovers or the love between a parent and a child, yadda yadda.
Hmmm....I guess one thing I've noticed in my own reading is that I seem to differentiate between a "romance" and a "love story." They are two different things to me.
A "romance" is a formula that you find in the "romance" section of the book store. You know what you're going to get. It's a fantasy with a varying number of sex scenes (a lot or a few). There may be different iterations, but that's what it's all about. Usually, the only "adult" aspect is the sex. But the romance is the centerpiece of the book. That's what you buy it for. To me, a "Gothic romance" is basically a romance (as indicated above) with some Gothic atmosphere thrown in.
In contrast, I do like a good love story EMBEDDED in a gothic novel. I'm reading it for the Gothic storyline, but I LOVE it when a love story is thrown in for good measure. It enhances the story for me and satisfies my romantic side which has no patience for formulas. Don't get me wrong...sometimes I'll pick up a romance, but I rarely finish one.
My favorite kind of emotional connection is the Beauty and the Beast kind (saw Phantom in Seattle yesterday and LOVED it), but I'll take anything that is mature and emotional. I appreciate any gothic novel with a human connection be it star-crossed lovers or the love between a parent and a child, yadda yadda.
