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Romancing the Genre

Susan Aylworth discusses her craft

Susan Aylworth, English and Multicultural & Gender Studies, has not only realized a childhood dream of writing fiction, but has successfully published nine novels in the romance genre. "Commercial publishing in genre has not yet been well accepted by the academic community," Aylworth said. "While some kinds of genre fiction, such as science fiction and mystery, have been grudgingly accepted, for many academics, romance is still a dirty word."

Often dismissed as trash by people who don't read them, the romance novel has shifted from the days of muscle-bound men saving bedraggled damsels from a life of lonely spinsterhood. "In the 1950s, romance novels were premised on the idea that a woman needs a man, that she must have him to be fulfilled, whereas he could be perfectly content without her," said Aylworth said. She believes those novels reflected the cultural beliefs of that time, and today's romances reflect the cultural beliefs and realities of romance readers' lives today.

"I think modern romance genre novels are about female empowerment. They're about women winning in their lives," Aylworth said.

"The feminist critique claims that romance novels re-emphasize and strengthen the idea of the patriarchy, of the woman as subservient to man," Aylworth said. She disagrees. No longer passive, today's romance novel heroines run successful businesses and are respected in their communities. Aylworth believes romance novels provide positive, healthy images for women. What is most important to the women in her novels is a committed relationship, but these women refuse to give up their careers to be with their men. They do it all: career, community, and passionate commitment.

Does this reflect the world as we know it? Aylworth argues that in her books you have realistic characters who have realistic trials, and who finally end up committing to each other. While she is well aware of the dismal divorce statistics, she points out that there are happy endings for real people. Even those who divorce have had some good years, and may find new happy endings, a theme she uses in A Little Night Rain- bow, her most recent book.

As for the significance of her writing, Aylworth said, "I don't pretend that I'm writing anything important, that it's going to change the world." At the same time, she finds satisfaction in knowing from fan response that "here or there I've encouraged one or two people."

What's next? Aylworth's writing interests include young adult fiction and another romance fiction series set in the Northern California hills.

Barbara Alderson