A romantic author is one who intertwines the power of emotions and psychological needs of human beings which not only satisfies the much needed appreciation and emotional pleasure but also keeps them motivated throughout their experience of reading the romantic novel. The following thought by Ramsdell echoes with the idea above “Contemporary romance novels usually focus on the attempts of the characters to find success and fulfillment, professionally, personally and romantically” (47). Hence the creation of such work which has the potential of providing all the above requisites to the readers becomes imperative on part of the romantic author.
Once the essence of a romantic novel is understood in the paragraph above, what comes next to provide a logical sequence to the discussion is the identification of the essential elements that are capable of nurturing the above said accomplishments for the readers of the novel. Not every human being and his attributes are same. Consequently, the factors that motivate and satisfy individuals also differ accordingly. Keeping this element of diverse personalities, motivational and psychological traits, the author of a romantic novel has to maximize his efforts towards creating a work that is a conglomeration of all essential rudiments of human emotions.
What follows the discussion is the listing of the factors that form the significant prerequisites of a romantic author’s work. The factors are nature, emotions, individual and the supernatural which need to be considered by the author of a romantic novel.
Nature as an essential element of romance: It is undeniable that love is the essence of any romantic novel. Also, love can never be imagined without the existence of beautiful and stunning nature. Because of the healing power that nature possesses, it can never be seen aloof from the most vital emotions in a human being i.e. love. It is the description of the exotic locales that can ignite the intense emotions of affection in a human being. It has rightly been quoted by Voltaire that “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination”. Therefore love cannot be blossomed in the absence of the wonderful nature that is prominently known for its curative properties.
Emotions as an essential element of romance: Emotions are truly a gift of God to mankind that helps them in channelizing all their energies in a positive direction so as to lead a meaningful and content life. It is the power of emotions that helps u scope with the vital stages in life related to birth, death, encouragement, achievements, romance and gloom. More often than not, we need the right emotions to strike to allow us to deal wisely and promptly in a tough situation in which we get caught due to varied reasons. These reasons that get us caught in tough situations are not controllable in nature, but nurturing our senses in such a manner that gives way to the right emotions to come out at the appropriate time can surely be cultivated. A romantic novel can be instrumental in the process of nurturing such senses within ourselves.
Individual as an essential element of romance: It can be rightly said that individual is the most essential factor to be considered by a romantic author, as it is the existence of this factor that gives rise to the need of a romantic novel. It is the needs of an individual, to satisfy which, the drafting of a romantic novel has been considered. Moreover, a romantic novel should therefore necessarily make a record of and take into consideration the various aspects of an individual so as to strike the right chords with its readers. Romance is a beautiful emotion of an individual under the influence of which he derives great amounts of happiness and gratification. Consequently, individual and romance are both interrelated and hence cannot be complete in the absence of each other.
Supernatural as an essential element of romance: With the changing times, it has been evident that a romantic novel in undergoing serious makeovers in terms of its story plots, characters and background settings. A predominant radical nature of human being had made it inevitable for the romantic writers to incorporate the sensation of suspense in their works. Nevertheless, the use of supernatural characters and situations in a romantic novel can also be traced back to the previous times where the not so revolutionary nature of the individuals was persistent. “The Castle of Otronto” in the year 1764 is a classic example of such works.
Thus, the above observations make it apparent that the existence of nature, individual, emotions and the supernatural situations make up for a paramount success of any romantic novel as these are such aspects of the society at a large that have a very profound impact on the human minds and behaviors. That is how the incorporation of the above said factors becomes unavoidable for the author of a romantic novel. It is the assimilation of such essentials that has the potential of making the romantic work a hit amongst people who seek the pleasure of being content and happy.
References
Ramsdell, Kristin. Romance Fiction: A Guide to the Genre. California: ABC CLIO, LLC. 2012. Print.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. London: Bloomsbury Publication. 1996. Print.
Regis, Pamela. A Natural History of the Romance Novel. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2003. Print.
Fang, Y, Karen. Romantic writing and the empire of signs: periodical culture and post Napoleonic Authorship. Virginia: University of Virginia Press. 2010. Print.
