Why Reading Romance Novels Makes Women Smarter

[gloriana]

Maybe they help some women pick what they want and do not want in a man/relationship. I like to read them every now and then, the romance is nice but sometimes the relationships border on abuse in some books.

[Lucy]

I think reading books make us intellectually smarter. Not sure reading Romance makes women emotionally smarter, think rather it sets them up with unrealistic expectations of life. I have three friends that it took weeks to get over reading Twilight because they realised that no one had ever loved them the way Edward loved Bella.

I think if no one had ever loved them the way Edward loved Bella, they've had a very very lucky escape. Edward is an abuser. If you are feeling up to it, I would google "Edward and Bella, abusive relationship" and you'll see that school counsellors in the USA and the UK are using the Twilight trilogy to teach teenage girls about how to spot the signs of an abuser and get out of the relationship quickly and safely. Don't do what Bella does! A lighter touch if of course the excellent Buffy v. Edward, which juxtaposes clips from the TV series and the movies, which you can still find on YouTube. Show it to your friends. They'll feel a whole lot better about not having a predatory stalker in their lives. That kind of violent obsession is not love. It wasn't love with Cathy and Heathcliff, it wasn't love with Edward and Bella, it isn't love with Christian and Ana.

I don't think reading romance makes women emotionally smarter. I think it conditions them to accept abusive controller. I've read a few - by no means as many as some - in researching the teen market and the urban fantasy/sci fi market for my books (still a long way off from being ready for publication - maybe I would get somewhere if I could stop reading trash). I know if I followed a formulaic romance formula with lots of sex in impossible positions then I would make some money, but the thing that weirds me out is that I would also have to write about relationships which to me seem singularly unhealthy. For example, Eloras' Cave publishing in their guides advises authors to write about Territorial men who lay claim on women because this is what their readers love. Territorial obsession is of course one of the hallmarks of an abuser. Examples abound - in JR Ward's Lover Eternal, the first meeting between the hero and heroine is one where he grabs her by the throat. He then stalks her. In Twilight, again with the stalking. PC Cast's work is not as well-written technically, but one thing I think is excellent is that her heroines "don't take no crap" from controlling men. It is not the horrible trend of putting a graphic sex scene every second page which so troubles me about writing women's fiction, but the fact I would feel guilty about setting abusive relationships up as a romantic ideal and asking my readers to swallow it. So yeah, it's crime thrillers, sword n horses, and mysteries for me.

[sherry2013]

reading can make people, not only women, know more than things around them. thinking more, and when meet the same situation, act quicker

[AGNES FAVOUR JOHN]

i concur with doDridge..it makes women open up their eyes and realize that some things can only occur in movies and novels and not in reality

[enshafer2]

Yes reading does allow one to expand on their thoughts and become more intelligent. I would not say romance novels are a direct source for women's enlightenment. That notion seems somewhat problematic. At least it suggests that only women read read romance novels.

[mv_2303]

Well i doubt if it makes them smarter.
It only helps them escape to a world which is what they fantasize but is not a reality!

[adityamadan]

Without the books they are totally dumb. When they read, they at least get something into their empty heads. It's a general view, exceptions are always there.

[Fran]

Without the books they are totally dumb. When they read, they at least get something into their empty heads. It's a general view, exceptions are always there.

Amazing how you can always count on at least one misogynist to rise their ugly head

[MandiKenendy]

I think if no one had ever loved them the way Edward loved Bella, they've had a very very lucky escape. Edward is an abuser. If you are feeling up to it, I would google "Edward and Bella, abusive relationship" and you'll see that school counsellors in the USA and the UK are using the Twilight trilogy to teach teenage girls about how to spot the signs of an abuser and get out of the relationship quickly and safely. Don't do what Bella does! A lighter touch if of course the excellent Buffy v. Edward, which juxtaposes clips from the TV series and the movies, which you can still find on YouTube. Show it to your friends. They'll feel a whole lot better about not having a predatory stalker in their lives. That kind of violent obsession is not love. It wasn't love with Cathy and Heathcliff, it wasn't love with Edward and Bella, it isn't love with Christian and Ana.

I agree with you. I watch Twilight and think that as a mother I would be horrified if my daughter was Bella. She throws her whole life away based on what she thinks she wants when she's seventeen.

[reluctantreader]

Aw, I think that's a little harsh on Twilight. Didn't think it was a particularly good book but I think it's just an example of teenage love which is obsessive and over the top.
I don't think it's necessarily abusive - I think Bella is equally obsessive about Edward as he is of her.

[reagan ralston]

From a married woman who cringes during the romantic section of a book:

First of all, reading in any form and on any subject matter is engaging, beneficial and should be encouraged. So I guess women and men can become more intelligent by reading romance.
Personally, I have always viewed the popularity of romance novels as an outlet for repressed sexuality. Men are allowed to be more sexually open while women are more apt to be negatively labeled for the same sexual expression. Romance novels help bridge that gap.

[vlarson169]

Seriously? This is a serious question? I can't imagine how reading Romance Novels contribute to making women "smarter". I question the depth of the content of them as a way and means of making women smarter. I'd guess they are for escapism and/or fantasy. Nothing wrong with that, but a genre which contributes to a woman's intelligence. Nah. Don't think so.

Just to clarify however, my definition of a "romance novel" is a Harlequin type.

[Daffers]

Makes women smarter? You're kidding! This reminds me of the time I met a friend's new girlfriend and we chatted about various things in order to get to know each other a little. "Do you read at all?" I asked her. "Oh yes," she replied. "Romance and hospital stories." Mercifully (for all of us), her own new romance was short-lived.

[cloud+burst1]

I think it's because they understand emotions and the inner feelings of the characters better. They use this intuitive edge to create memorable characters of their own when they write the books that they write. The whole process makes them much smarter. At least that's my humble opinion.

[erinhope116]

The purpose of fiction is to use made up elements to convey a truth. By reading a well-written book, we observe truth for ourselves and in the end we gain more than a simple story. But the deciding factor here is how the novel is written. As of today most novels (particularly the romance genre) are written with the purposes of entertainment and economical profit rather than to present a new perspective or an aspect of truth. The other fatal factor of modern literature is the decline of language. If a book doesn't challenge you, it is in my opinion missing the vital element of education. If women are reading romance novels that were written either during or before the 20th century then of course it will make them smarter. Why? Because those works in particular have higher vocabulary, great character development, and eloquent prose. The demographic for romance novels is mostly women and the most popular of these novels are those that are considered classics and many of these classics were written in an earlier time period. It's the era that these books were written not the genre. Anyone who reads a book from an earlier century will reap a greater vocabulary, not just women.

What makes the romantic novel unique is its exploration of the heart, mind, and soul of the individual. The foundation of the plot is based on internal character development through external events. We as an audience are plunged into the thoughts and emotions of characters and by this method the story is fleshed out. As we experience the struggles and triumphs of the protagonist we are inspired to look into ourselves and ask questions of our own character. Through this process one becomes familiar the habits of the heart and the sways of emotions. The romance novel is not the perfect novel, but it is essential to literature because of its specialization in teaching readers about human nature through internal struggle and revealing truth about oneself by means of prose inflicted contemplation. This sort of education makes any reader (male of female) the wiser.