Guilty pleasures : a content analysis of feminist elements in top-selling Mills & Boon category romances written by New Zealand authors, published between 1996 and 1999

Abstract

In the late seventies Cawelti prophesised that '[n]o doubt the coming age of women's liberation will invent significantly new formulas for romance, if it does not lead to a total rejection of the moral fantasy of love triumphant' (Cawelti 1976, 42). The aim of my study was to explore whether recently published Mills & Boon romance writing reinforces the conservative status quo, subverts it, or even challenges it within my selected texts. There has not been a rejection of 'love triumphant', and the romance still exists in a recognisable form, but the second wave of feminism has had a significant impact on the romantic formula, even within the once sacred bastions of Mills & Boon. The title of my research project questions whether Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are 'guilty pleasures' indulged in by their readers. Mills & Boon readers may feel 'guilty' for many reasons, primarily because a sub-genre that they enjoy reading is perceived as sub-standard and politically incorrect by the public at large, including many librarians. By 'politically incorrect' I mean contrary to the predominant liberal ideology pertaining to correct non-discriminatory conduct. The 'pleasurable' element is inherent in the sheer popularity of series romances and the Harlequin Mills & Boon publishing house in particular. According to Lynne Wilding, ex-employee of Harlequin Mills & Boon (Australia) and founder/ex-president of the Romance Writers of Australia, 'of the top twelve Mills & Boon authors in the world, there are four in Australia and New Zealand: Emma Darcy, Helen Bianchin [ex-pat New Zealander actually], Susan Napier and Robyn Donald'. (McAlpine 2000,124). This pleasure is derived from a successful fictional integration of two conflicting ideologies. That of a Utopian fantasy of female empowerment and that of the familiar formulaic comfort of a happy ending based around an idealised marital union between the sexes. Whether they approve of Mills & Boon novels or not, public libraries do their (often embarrassed) readers a disservice if they fail to engage with this publishing phenomenon. This project is in-depth study of feminist issues relating to the central protagonists' careers and sexual activity within a small, specifically chosen body of popular romantic texts united in branding and nationality. My study aims to foster a greater understanding of feminist elements within the romances and perhaps a greater understanding of their widespread appeal to an almost exclusively female readership.