Romance novel reading as a rebellious act of self care

Ditch everyone and treat yourself to a good romance novel

don't bother mom when she's reading

I was recently skimming through Janice Radway’s classic and controversial text Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature looking for a particular quote and something else kept jumping out at me: the repeated instance of romance reading as a rebellious act of self-care by the readers. For example, some of my highlights:  

…it is precisely this emotional drain caused by a woman’s duty to nurture and care for her children and husband that is addressed directly by romance reading at least within the minds of the women themselves. 

The romantic fantasy is therefore not a fantasy about discovering a uniquely interesting life partner, but a ritual wish to be cared for, loved, and validated in a particular way. 

The reading experience is valued for the way it makes the reader feel, but the feeling it creates is interpreted by the women themselves as a general sense of emotional well-being and visceral contentment. 

…romance reading as a special gift a woman gives herself…

I thought of Young Single Maya who read and highlighted this book but had no idea. Tired Mother Maya gets it in a totally, really real way. As we head into the holiday season, with lots of extra demands both physical and emotional, I wish everyone a good romance novel and pockets of free time to escape into its pages, so you can experience a moment of rest, feeling cared for a visceral contentment.