I was going
through the list of books in my library – when I noticed something. Something
that had previously noticed and not put too much thought about.
It looks me
that most women authors writing fiction - seem to write stories – no matter the
genre of fiction be it Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, Comedy, Mystery – the central
pivot is romance or the protagonist has to have a romantic interest.
This is not
to say that male authors don’t write stories with the central pivot being
romance, or that that there is no romance angle in the stories (or by-plots)
but that the preponderance of stories written by women authors – the romance
angle is front and center.
Is this
because that most women authors don’t write stories without romance angle –
because of the type-casting of expectation/peer mentality/ group-thinking or
that there is an inherent bias in the book publishing industry – where in the
expectation is that a story sent in by women authors that don’t have the central
pivot of romance or the protagonist does not have a romantic interest is not
published?
If you ask
me – it’s a mix of both the factors – or to put in a better way – a
self-perpetuating cycle where women authors because of the inherent bias they
feel write stories with romance angle and the editors/publishing – because they
see women authors writing/turning in more stories with romance angle – expect
to see all books from women authors to have romance angle and biased against
stories that do not have the romance angle.
With the
availability of self-publishing in recent years and especially with Amazon –
ebook publishing – I think we should see varied stories from women authors that
doesn’t have the central pivot is romance or the protagonist has to have a
romantic interest.
2 comments:
But Machi, what about the books written by Agatha Christy, Enid Blyton or the celebrated J. K. Rowling? The crux was never on the romance. In the other line, I am sure you would have read books by male authors focusing on romantic interludes unnecessarily be it J. R. R. Tolkien or Dan Brown. I always felt it is that individual's nature that flies through their pen.
True, I am not saying there are no women authors who don't write non-romance or male authors who write romance.
I am talking about the vast majority of the women authors and male authors.
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