by Kat Latham
I had the pleasure last weekend, thanks to the lovely Janet Webb and the power of Twitter.
A few months ago, I tweeted a picture of a statue in the gardens of a stately home in the middle of the Dutch countryside, near where I now live. It’s close to the sea, and the fog was so thick I lost sight of my husband when he was a few feet away. This statue shows how eerily atmospheric the gardens were.
Historical romance novelist Miranda Neville remarked that it looked very Betty Neels, and I said I’d never read any of Betty’s books. Janet and Miranda both told me more about Betty’s work (English nurses move to Holland and marry doctors who end up being filthy rich), and Janet actually sent me one.
How cool is that??
So last weekend I read Betty Neels’ The Little Dragon, published in 1978 – the year before I was born – and it was revelatory. Not only could I see how much romance as a genre has changed, but how women’s hopes, dreams and prospects have changed in real life, too.
Take this description of the heroine, Constantia, walking around an outdoor market with the hero, Jeroen.
They strolled round, the doctor’s hand on her arm, for there was a good deal of good-natured pushing and shoving and as he pointed out, her small slim person would have stood very little chance of staying upright. Constantia, who was remarkably tough despite her fairy-like appearance, didn’t argue the point; it was pleasant to be looked after so carefully.
Small. Slim. Fairy-like. Remarkably tough yet loving having a man look after her. Is this the ideal woman of the 1970s?
Has that changed?
And I loved this bit of praise from the hero when he gets an emergency phone call from work, and Constantia shows she understands he has to go: “What a splendid girl you are—not so much as a pout or frown.”
She’s a nurse! Of course she understands! But no, she’s a girl first and a nurse second.
In fact, her career is clearly just something to do until she finds a husband, which reminded me of my mom’s hopes for her own future. Mom wasn’t a nurse, but she certainly wasn’t encouraged to have a career. I wrote about her dream to be June Cleaver on my blog last week.
In The Little Dragon, Constantia’s career is never once mentioned again once she gets engaged. She doesn’t think about it, refer to it, or use the skills she developed through it. Instead, she essentially becomes Jeroen’s housekeeper and babysitter of his niece and nephews.
Contemporary romance often reflects women’s fantasies for their own lives. Did women who read Constantia’s story when it was first published in 1978 dream of being independent only until a rich man came along?
I really enjoyed the book, mostly because it felt like a historical romance since life has changed so much. But even more, it made me wonder about the contemporary romance published today. What does it say about attributes we value in women (slim? fairy-like?)? And what does it show that women today want from life and relationships?
Do you like reading contemporary romance published decades ago? What do you think today’s contemporary romance says about what women want from life and relationships? Thirty years from now, what will people think is strange about our contemporary romance novels
Kat Latham has been reading romance for a couple of decades. With degrees in English lit and human rights, she loves stories that reflect the depth, humor and emotion of real life. When she’s not writing contemporary romance novels, she can usually be found blogging or tweeting overly personal information. She loves meeting other readers and writers online, so follow her on Twitter or check out her blog and say hello!
This was a lovely post! And gave me something to reflect about.
I think the theme of love would not be a problem — since it is universal and ageless. Certain aspects/themes of the novel would date it — but, in the same way that Shakespeare and Jane Austen were “current’ at the time they were published, they are still accessible and relevant to our times.
Btw, I was also born in 1978. (This would make for a great reading challenge — pick up a novel published the year you were born. ^_^)
What a fantastic idea! Maybe we should start a year-you-were-born reading challenge. Hmm…
I actually did a google search on 1978 + romance novels —
I only found: Bertrice Small, Jude Deveraux and Carole Mortimer.
There really should be a romance novel wiki. ^_^
What an interesting review – and things have changed very much in some respects, I think. For instance, my mom was 21 in 1978, and she never expected to have a career, nor did her parents expect her to. They never even offered her a 4 year college as an option, just that she could take classes at the community college. She chose to work instead, but she was really just biding time until she got married and had kids (she’d already been dating my dad in high school). She still worked when she was married until the kids came, but it was my dad’s career that always took priority.
I can’t imagine what my parents’ reaction would have been like if that had been my stated objective in life, now!
But strangely the love part seems similar – what woman wouldn’t like to set aside her cares and be taken care of, at least for a little while, knowing that she could take control again when she chose? It’s kind of offensive that he expected her to make a fuss when he got called into work, though, don’t all doctors have that problem?
Meghan, that sounds very much like my mom’s “career” plan in the 70s. Unfortunately for her, she had to work because my dad was made redundant a few times when I was a kid (bad economy, not bad worker). But yes, love seems pretty universal. Maybe it’s just our expectations of what marriage means for our lives that have changed. I never expected that getting married would equal quitting my job. In fact, that’s not even an option most of my friends have when they have children.
I have to know that it is older going in but I enjoy them.
I pick up older books pretty often and really enjoy reading them although most the ones I pick are historicals
I have read a number of Betty Neels books. I enjoyed them at the time, but would not want to read them now.
I have some copies of Very Early books that Barbara Cartland wrote, in 1929 and 1942. Both were contemporaries at their times. The 1929 one involves a kidnapping, “date rape,” wife swapping, and adultery among a group of young “swingers.” Huh.
The 1942 one has a Trophy Wife of an Important Man who is a closet homosexual, and the wartime surgeon with whom she has an affair, and then runs away to live with him. They still resonate with me now, going on 80 years later.
I have my stash of older books and pull one out when I am in the mood. They are a window on the general mood and mindset of the time and should be taken that way.
When you look at todays Contemporaries as a whole, it does say something about our current culture. Couples having sex with each other when they barely know them. How many books have you read where they are going hot and heavy by chapter 2 or 3. Babies all over the place. Women being abandoned, often having babies the fathers don’t know about. How many “secret baby” books have you read? Women wanting careers and not letting anything get in the way. I’m not so sure I want to be rem
Kat, I’m so glad you found your husband in the thick fog. LOL. I’ve lived in Dublin and in the UK, near the Irish Sea, so I know all about the scary gardens when the thick fog came rolling in. I’ve only read a few handful of contempary romances, though, they were from the 20th century. From what I’ve read in your review, back in 1978, authors seem more conservative about writing certain love/sex scenes–more discretion than today. Authors who write Horror Novels, hasn’t changed much. They still have a way to imprint those horrific, frightening bloody scenes in ones mind.
Sorry for the late reply, been out of town on business.
I am not a big contemp reader, but I feel like they are dated books. But maybe down the road people will pick up our contemporary romances and read them like historicals.
I enjoy reading books written decades ago. I love Harlequin books, especially Harlequin Presents, and it’s fun to read about things that were happening in those years. (the 80’s, 90’s). Brings back some great memories.