When asked why women read romance, many readers will express their need to escape reality for a little while. Others will point out they enjoy the "happily ever after" or the positive reinforcement that life can be good.
But there is a part of romance that is particularly relevant to what is going on in our country today, be it financially or politically. What does a Medieval Scottish Historical romance have to do with the stock market? What could a Paranormal romance featuring a vampire with wings possibly have to do with the goings on within the beltway?
Perhaps they are not directly related, but the characters have a lot to teach us humans about perseverance, nobility, and success. Romances give readers role models in the aspect of their characters which face insurmountable odds and win. They provide examples of characters finding solutions and depending on themselves and those around them to triumph. Quite frankly, the characters, be they a cowboy from 1855 to a witch from 2022, all have human characteristics, values, and thought processes.
These characters have to be humanesque because they are written by amazing authors who draw from their own experiences and imagination. These great writers throw their characters into impossible situations and then make them find a way out. I think there is more to be learned from romances besides great historical facts and emotionally charged writing. We can learn how to persevere.
William Arthur Ward said, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it." He may not have had in mind imagining one's self as a fallen Arch Angel, but if a person can imagine changing a life style to better cope with today's stresses, I see no reason why he or she cannot achieve it, at least if the will to change is as strong as our hero's and heroine's wills to love each other forever.
I can think of worse role models, can't you?
Alexis
