The Hypermasculine and Ubersexual Men in the Harlequin Novels of the 1980s and 2000s
(1)
(2)
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
Harlequin novels are so popular that Harlequin romance emerges as a genre. Unlike on the heroines, there are scarcely any studies or works on the heroes, thus, I want to focus my study on the heroes of Harlequin Romance. By analyzing using the Male Sex Role in the 1980s and themes of masculinity in the 2000s, I will prove that there are four types of ideal men in the 1980s Harlequin novels whose characteristics originated from the ideal men in the society at that time, the Hypermasculine men with extreme masculinity and avoidance of any feminine sides. I will also prove that there are three types of ideal men in the 2000s Harlequin novels whose characteristics are in accordance with the Ubersexual men’s, the ideal men in the society in 2000s having positive characteristics of traditional manliness with some “feminine“ characteristics. The reason behind these changes is because of the changes in the heroines and the characteristics of men in the society in time and these push for the changes in the heroes. As a publisher, Harlequin’s goal is the highest selling rate, thus, they adjust to the market’s demand.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
About Harlequin. (n.d.). Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Retrieve from http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=36&chapter=0
Brannon, L. (1995). Gender: Psychological Perspectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Inc..
Carr, R. (2009). Temptation Ridge. Harlequin MIRA. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Craig, R. O. (n.d.). Hypermasculinity. In Greene, H. T. & Gabbidon, S. L. (2009). Encyclopedia of Race and Crime. Retrieved from http://www.sage-ereference.com/abstract/raceandcrime/n157.xml
Cuthbert, K. Kate’s History of the Romance Novel Part 4. (2008, July). H.E.A.R.T. Newsletter
Harlequin Enterprises Limited. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Harlequin-Enterprises-Limited-Company-History.html
Harlequin Romance – definition. (n.d.). Macmillan Publishers Limited 2009-2012. Retrieved from http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/ Harlequin-Romance
Harris, P. (2005, October 23). Metrosexual man bows to red-blooded übersexuals. The Guardian-The Observer. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/ world/2005/oct/23/gender.books
Hur, J. (2009, December 3). The Business behind Romance Writing [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://missbluestocking.wordpress.com/tag/harlequin-romance/
Jordan, P. (1988). Fight for Love. Harlequin Presents. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Macomber, D. (1989). Navy Blues. Silhouette Special Editions. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Meek, W. (n.d.). Male Gender Role [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://www.psychologyofmen.org/index.php?itemid=6
Miller, L. L. (2007). McKetricks Bundle: McKettrick’s Heart. Harlequin HQN. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Morey, T. (2003, August). For Writers: Interview with Dianne Moggy, Editorial Director for Single Title Harlequin Enterprises, Toronto, Canada [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://www.trishmorey.com/Dianne%20Moggy. html
CanWest News Service. Move over metrosexual. (2006, March 21). Canada.com. Retrieved from http://www.canada.com/lifestyle/relationships/story.html?id =c26d63da-5915-4488-9e90-8cf80e65874b>
Palmer, D. (2006). Heartbreaker. Silhouette Desire. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Palmer, D. (1985). The Tender Stranger. Silhouette Desire. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Radway, J. A. (1991). Reading the romance: women, patriarchy, and popular literature. United States of America: The University of North Carolina Press,
Roberts, N. (1984). Opposites Attract. Silhouette Special Editions. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary.com
Roberts, N. (2009).Vision in White. Berkley. Retrieved from http://rapidlibrary. com
Romance Literature Statistics: Overview. ( n.d.). Romance Writers of America. Retrieved from http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=580
Valeo, T. (n.d.). Ubersexual: The New Masculine Ideal? WebMD.com. Retrieved from http://men.webmd.com/features/ubersexual-new-masculine-ideal>
Rabine, L. 1997. Romance in the age of electronics harlequin enterprises. In Warhol, R. R. & Herndl, D. P. (Eds.), Feminisms: an anthology of literary theory and criticism (pp. 976-990). Retrieved from http://books.google.co.id/books?id=YLaIQNkTbkIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=feminisms,+revised+edition&hl=id&sa=X&ei=XeO0UJSWJImErQeOk4DYBg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA>
DOI: https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.1.1.%25p
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Supported by:
Indexed in:
Tools:
Stats (installed since 17 December 2018)
View My Stats