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DEFINITION Historical romance is set before World War I . 1 Many historical romances include contemporary attitudes, as, for example, the heroines often have far more education than was the norm in their time period.Thurston, pp. 76-77. This subgenre includes a wide variety of other subgenres, including Regency Romance . SUBGENRES The following subgenres are commonly seen within historical romance. Viking These books feature Vikings during the Dark Ages or Middle Ages .2 Heroes in Viking romances are typical Alpha Males who are tamed by their heroines. Most heroes are described as "tall, blonde, and strikingly handsome."3 Using the Viking culture allows novels set in these time periods to include some travel, as the Vikings were "inverterate adventurers, founding and conquering colonies all over the globe." In a 1997 poll of over 200 readers of Viking romances, Johanna Lindsey 's ''The Fires of Winter'' was considered the best of the subgenre. The subgenre has fallen out of style, and few novels in this vein have been published since the mid-1990s. Medieval These romances are typically set between 938-1485. Women in the medieval time periods were often considered as no more than property who were forced to live at the mercy of their father, guardian, or the king. Always a Lady , the heroine must use her wits and will and find a husband who will accept her need to be independent, yet still protect her from the dangers of the times. The hero is almost always a Knight who first learns to respect her and her uncommon ideas and then falls in love. Heroes are always strong and dominant, and the heroine, despite the gains she has made, is usually still in a subordinate position. However, that position is her choice, made "the sake of and with protection from an adoring lover, whose main purpose in life is to fulfille his beloved's wishes."4 Tudor These romances are set in England between 1485 and 1558. Elizabethan These novels are set in England between 1558 and 1603, during the time of Elizabeth I . Georgian These novels are set between 1714 and 1810 in England. Pirate Pirate novels feature a male or female who is sailing, or thought to be sailing, as a Pirate or Privateer on the high seas. Pirate heroes are the ultimate "bad boys," who "dominate all for the sake of wealth and freedom."5 The heroine is usually captured by the hero in the early part of the novel, and then are forced to succumb and eventually fall in love with their captor. On the rarer occasions where the heroine is the pirate, the book often focuses on her struggle to maintain her freedom of choice while living the life of a man. Regardless of the gender of the pirate, much of the action in the book takes place at sea. Victorian These novels are set between 1832 and 1901 England, beginning with the Reform Act Of 1832 and including the reign of Queen Victoria . Colonial United States These novels are all set in the United States between 1630 and 1798. Civil War Set in the former Confederacy , these novels cover the time period of the American Civil War and Reconstruction . Western These novels are set in the Frontier of the United States, Canada , or Australia . Unlike Westerns , where women are often marginalized, the Western romance focuses on the experiences of the female. Heroes in these novels seek adventure and are forced to conquer the unknown. They are often loners, slightly uncivilized, and "earthy."6 Their heroines are often forced to travel to the frontier by events outside their control. These women must learn to survive in a man's world, and, by the end of the novel, have conquered their fears with love. In many cases the couple must face a level of personal danger, and, upon surmounting their troubles, are able to forge a strong relationship for the future. Indian These novels could also fall into the Western subgenre, but always feature a Native American Protagonist whose "heritage is integral to the story." These romances " instinct, creativity, freedom, and the longing to escape from the strictures of society to return to nature."7 Members of Native American tribes who appear in the books are usually depicted as "exotic figures" who "[possess a freedom to be admired and envied." Often the Native protagonist is struggling against racial prejudice and incurs hardships trying to maintain a way of life that is different from the norm. By the end of the novel, however, the problems are surmounted. The heroes of these novels are often fighting to control their darker desires. In many cases, the hero or heroine is captured and then falls in love with a member of the tribe. The tribe is always depicted as civilized, not savages, and misunderstood. When surveyed about their reasons for reading Native American romances, many readers cited the desire to learn about the beliefs, customs and culture of the Native American tribes. The novels within this subgenre are generally not limited to a specific tribe, location, or time period. Readers appreciate that native tribes "have a whole different way of life, a different way of thinking and a different way of looking at things". In many cases, the tribe's love of nature is highlighted. Americana Set between 1880 and 1920 in the United States, usually in a small town or in the Midwest . MARKET Historical romance novels are rarely published in hardcover, with fewer than 15 receiving that status each year. The contemporary market usually see 4 to 5 times that many hardcovers. Because historical romances are primarily published in mass-market format, their fortunes are tied to a certain extent to the mass-market trends. Booksellers and large merchandisers are selling fewer mass market paperbacks, preferring trade paperbacks or hardcovers, which prevent historical romances from being sold in some price clubs and othe rmass merchandise outlets. In 2001, historical romance reached a 10-year high as 778 were published. By 2004, that number had dropped to 486, which was still 20% of all romance novels published. Kensington Books claims that they are receiving fewer submissions of historical novels, and that their previously published authors are switiching to contemporary.8 HISTORY The first historical romances appeared in 1921, when Georgette Heyer began writing romances set during the English Regency period (1811-1820), when the Prince Regent ruled England in place of his ill father, George III . Heyer was inspired by Austen's novels. Although Austen had also written romances set in the Regency period, hers were contemporary novels, describing the times in which she lived. Because Heyer's writing was set in the midst of events that had occurred over 100 years previously, she had to include more detail on the time period in order for her readers to understand.Regis (2003), pp. 125-126. Unlike the other romance novels of the time period, Heyer's novels used the setting as a plot device. Her characters often contained more modern-day sensibilities, and more conventional characters in the novels would point out the heroine's eccentricities, such as wanting to marry for live.Regis (2003), p. 127. Heyer was a prolific author, and write one to two historical romance novels per year until her death in 1974.Regis (2003), p 125. 's ''The Flame and the Flower'']] The modern romance genre was born in 1972 with Avon's publication of Kathleen Woodiwiss 's ''The Flame and the Flower'', the first romance novel "to {Link without Title} the principals into the bedroom." Aside from its content, the book was revolutionary in that it was one of the first single-title romance novels to be published as an original Paperback , rather than being first published in Hardcover , and, like the category romances, was distributed in drug stores and other mass-market merchandising outlets. The novel went on to sell 2.35 million copies.
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