Students read up on romance in unique English course

Sophomore couple Peter Ware Dunn and Cady Fox gaze into the Mason Pond last summer. Mason recently added a romance novel class that has proven to be popular and informative. (Daniel McEnrue) 

The glow from the computer screen illuminated Jessica Matthews’ face. She was skeptical. This was crazy.

Matthews, an American literature Ph.D., was posting in an online forum—on romance novels. This was unlike anything she had seen before. She was surprised that women of all ages were using the online forum to critique the novels. After the feedback from Matthews’ presentation at the Modern Language Association conference, she knew what she had to do. She created a course called “Why Women Read Romance Novels.”

“One of the purposes of this class is to legitimize the genre. You don’t have so many people read a genre if it’s trash,” said Matthews, an assistant director of English composition at George Mason University.

It took Matthews a year to persuade her department that the course was a justifiable literature course to be taught at Mason. Finally, it appeared in the Spring 2011 course listing on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at noon. The course filled in three days.

“I was looking for a class to fill my schedule,” said freshman Luke Milligan. “I [was] scrolling [down the listings] and then I saw ‘Why Women Read Romance.’ I was actually put on the waitlist.”

Milligan doesn’t let the fact that he is among the only three men in the class bother him. He is one of the most active students in the class.

“I think it’s kind of cool there are lots of girls in the class that know I’m not just there to hit on [them], I participate in class and go there for the class, and they respect that,” said Mulligan.

Matthews wants to learn more about the romance novel reader because the genre is often written with the audience in mind.

“In the course description it says that not only are we going to analyze the book, we’re going to analyze ourselves as readers of romance because it’s, for many women, an addiction,” said Matthews.

This so-called addiction appeals to many women at Mason, especially those who are avid readers of the genre.

“I like romance [novels], I’m a sucker for any romance [novel]. I’ve been called a hopeless romantic,” said sophomore Erin Shappell.

Many students in the class who hadn’t read romance novels before the class are surprised to learn that there is a particular formula to romance novels that includes certain elements.

“I’m starting to respect them more,” said senior Lindsay Gray. “I [used to] laugh at all the covers with the meathead guys. I took [the class] because I’m an English major and I wanted an English class that was just a little different.”

Through Matthews’ research, she has noticed various trends, in and out of the classroom. One of those trends deals with technology, which has changed the face of the genre.

“The cover of a romance novel is so easily ridiculed, but the e-book market [has] made it possible for women to read romance in public without exposing themselves as actually reading that kind of book because you can’t see the cover,” she said. “That injection of technology into the romance novel market is really fascinating.”

Matthews is slated to teach the class again in the Fall 2011 semester. She still has questions she wants answered. She would like a larger male audience to conduct research on how the male reader reacts to the genre. However, she is surprised at how some of the women have reacted.

“I [asked] my class how many of the women expected or hoped that one day they would be in a married relationship and I barely got half to say that,” said Matthews. “Now that’s not to say that they weren’t looking for a long-term, committed relationship, but the idea of being married, not so much. Had I asked that question 30 years ago, I would’ve gotten a much different answer.”

Matthews posts video clips of the book’s film adaptations on Blackboard so her students have easy access to the material. For one assignment, she introduced a discussion board so students who don’t talk in class have a chance to participate comfortably. She is not afraid to change the course schedule to make sure the students get the most out of the class.

Feedback for the class has been positive. A number of students currently enrolled in the class have talked to their friends about it. Some advisors are suggesting it. Matthews shows no signs of stopping.

“I’m still learning, I guess, but it’s very interesting,” said Matthews.

*Front page photo credit: shutterhacks