FYS 57 Isn't It Romantic? Romance Novels as the People's Genre
While the term "romance novel" today often brings to mind tawdry love stories featuring heaving bosoms and uncontrollable passions, the genre of romance is much more complex than these stereotypes would make it seem. The modern romance novel celebrates love... and also questions gender, sexuality, family and friend relationships, and professional success. In this course we will explore the modern romance novel, asking not only what constitutes a romance, but also what the continuously popular genre can teach us about readers' desires and discontents across history. The course includes a mandatory field trip to the LA Times Festival of Books, the weekend of April 18-19 (exact day and times TBD). Open to first-year frosh only.