2013-06-02

lokifan: black Converse against a black background (Default)
2013-06-02 04:58 pm

In defence of romance

FYI: as ever am open for discussion and disagreement; I will still like you! But I will probably explain why I disagree, so.

[personal profile] teprometo linked to [personal profile] jelazakazone’s interesting bit of meta and discussion on the subject of how we define gen fic and romance. It’s interesting reading the comments, not least because I seem to be a lot more conservative in defining something as genfic than some people. Plot-focussed romance I still consider romance; if the romance (including an emotional arc between an established couple) is important enough to have an important climax I tend to think of the fic as “plotty slash/femmeslash/whatever” than “genfic with romance subplot”.

But that’s not the main thing that struck me about the comments on the post.

The main thing that struck me was people hating on “romance” as a term, as a concept, as a genre.

:( :( :( :(

It’s not even a lot of people. It’s just another, pretty minor example of this... thing in fandom. This thing which really bothers me and makes me sad. The commenters who said the things I quote below haven’t brought on this surge of OMG NO (or I’d be replying to those comments directly as opposed to replying to one and then writing more wide-ranging ranty meta). But it’s an example.

when somebody says 'romance' I think of Mills and Boon and all those other crappy sappy books that I would never touch )