Blogger: Etta Wilson
Location: Books & Such Nashville Office
Weather: Mid-40s
We’ve just passed Valentine’s Day, and as usual it had a lot of emphasis on the romantic relationship. My sweetie tends to get more tender as the years go by, and I hope yours does too. It did set me thinking about how our perceptions of men and their role in family have changed. Most of us know a family or two in which the woman is the breadwinner and leaves the home every day while the man remains to care for children. And more often than in generations past, the care of home and children is a shared responsibility. The rise of the home office has facilitated this change in traditional roles.
The thing I’m pondering now is how men are presented in romantic fiction. What really appeals to women readers?
Has anybody read a romance novel in which the female protagonist and her intended knew on the front end that she would be the chief earner in their relationship or that the two of them together would provide income as the years went by?
In these times of economic downturn, should authors create stories that offer escape for readers and simply ignore the hard realities of the groceries and the mortgage and who’s going to pay? Or do those realities become the fictional grist for turning a fling into real love against all odds? What makes a man heroic and lovable in such stories?
I’d particularly like to hear about any books that you think provide answers. We’re in a changing world, and we have young girls and boys looking for models.
I did read one book about seven or so years ago that presented this scenario of the dad being the homemaker of sorts. It struck me as a wonderful addition to the changing world. Sadly, however, it was so long ago, I can’t remember the title.
In many ways, fiction is responsible for contemporary thought–regardless of genre. I feel it is important to address the realities of life and provide younger generations with a moral compass to follow. Not that I advocate for moralistic novels, but I do feel that subtle messages are anything but subtle to developing minds and that as authors, we can go a long way in making the world a better place.
A charming, complex depiction of the husband-wife relationship when roles are “reversed” is Dale Cramer’s Summer of Light. The husband sinks unwillingly into his new role, but both spouses learn much about who they are.
As a teen I read a biography of Queen Victoria. Her relationship with Prince Albert ought to qualify in this category, though I suppose most of the housekeeping and childcare duties fell to hired staff.
I’ve written a beginning chapter book in which the mc beg, borrows and eventually earns enough money to pay for something he bought on credit. He learns the value of the dollar, being a good friend, and of a hard days work. 🙂 I haven’t started looking for a home for it yet.
Brian, it’s interesting that you bring up Queen Victoria. She and Prince Albert continue to be the subject of new books, and it may be due to their inverted roles in that age.
Etta