Rethinking the Romance Genre

Rethinking the Romance Genre examines why the romance genre has proven such an irresistible form for contemporary writers and filmmakers as they approach global issues. In contemporary texts ranging from literary works, to films, to social media, romance facilitates a range of intimacies that offer new feminist models in the age of globalization.

"In globalizing the formulaic provincialisms of traditional genre critique, from Egypt and Palestine, to South Africa, South Asia, and the West Indies, from the 1980s anti-apartheid struggle to the 2011 Arab uprisings, Davis's critical textual readings offer a provocatively uncomfortable combination of romance and politics." - Barbara Harlow, Louann and Larry Temple Centennial Professor of English Literature, University of Texas at Austin, USA

"Davis makes a compelling contribution to comparative genre studies by theorizing the contemporary global romance. Arguing against dismissals of romance as simply popular or conservative, she demonstrates a critical reading practice - drawing on feminist and postcolonial theory as well as recent work in affect studies - to illuminate the intersections of intimacy and desire with the larger, uneven forces of globalization." - Alexandra Schultheis Moore, Associate Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA

"Genre fiction is the next great frontier in contemporary literary studies. Emily S. Davis maps out that territory by showing how the romance novel has absorbed and refashioned the critique of globalization. We are indebted to Davis for that alone. But she also claims that the critique of globalization needs romance fiction. With this surprising turn, her book breaks new ground. Rethinking the Romance Genre will spur important conversations about the politics of genre fiction." - Rebecca L. Walkowitz, Associate Professor of English, Rutgers University, USA

Emily S. Davis is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at University of Delaware, USA.