Gender and Popular Romance in the Philippines PDF

GENDER, GENRE, AND POPULAR ROMANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES G E 1 1 0 7 P H I L I P P I N E P O P C U LT U R E 1 INTRODUCTION From the Precious Hearts Romance series that dominated Philippine publishing in the 90s, to the contemporary Filipino romances in Wattpad and Amazon books, the romance genre i...

GENDER, GENRE, AND POPULAR ROMANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES G E 1 1 0 7 P H I L I P P I N E P O P C U LT U R E 1 INTRODUCTION From the Precious Hearts Romance series that dominated Philippine publishing in the 90s, to the contemporary Filipino romances in Wattpad and Amazon books, the romance genre in the Philippines has certainly come a long way. BUT WHAT IS POPULAR ROMANCE? Regis (2003) in A Natural History of the Romance Novel defi nes romance as a “work of prose fi ction that tells the story of the courtship and betrothal of one or more protagonists,” a defi nition she amended so that it could “include m/m, f/f, and ménage romance novels”  On the other hand, the Romance Writers WHAT IS of America’s defi nition of the romance novel focuses on two elements: “a POPULAR central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.” ROMANCE? Romances need not have a wholly happy ending, just an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic” one. BUT WHY STUDY ROMANCE? THE ROMANCE GENRE BY THE In 2019, a report by global e-commerce platform Picodi said NUMBERS that 69% of people in the Philippines bought at least one book in the past year. Of the 54% that buy books in stores, majority (74%) are women. When it comes to genres, Filipinos prove their love for love True enough, romance’s economic impact and popularity makes it an interesting subject of study (and criticism) for many people. BUT WHAT MAKES THIS GENRE SO POPULAR TO READERS?  In the 1960s, publishing houses began to take interest in female readers because these publishing houses made available for book distribution two outlets almost always visited on a regular basis by women: the local drugstore and the food supermarket. The early success of such novels, then, is a function of the actual but nonetheless effective concentration of women in these places, brought about by the restrictions placed on them within society (Radway, 1984). THE ROLE OF ADVERTISING AND GENDER STEREOTYPING IN POPULARIZING ROMANCE IN THE 60S  Indeed, the “visibility” of the genre in cashier counters and the new-found audience of women meant a surge in demand for the romance genre (Gelder, 2004). POPULARITY Thus, POPUL AR ROMANCE OWES ITS ‘POPUL ARITY’ TO ITS VISIBILITY. IS VISIBLITY Such visibility is so ‘clear’ in the romance genre as it relies on its “predictability” as a category or formulaic literature (Radway, 1984).  Thus, the romance genre became known (and criticized) for its devotion to formula or ROMANCE conventions. AS Category or formulaic literature has been defined most often by its reliance on a recipe that dictates the essential ingredients to be included FORMULA in each new version of the form (Radway, 1984, p. 29) This formula manifest itself in cliches and stereotypes that abound in romance novels.  But think about this… DISCUSSION IS FORMULA SUCH A BAD POINT: THING?  All texts have structures that are common to specific genres. Each genre follows a distinct structure. Science fiction has a structure and so would fantasy novels like The Lord of the Rings. Romance is no exception. ROMANTIC CONVENTIONS Indeed, audiences have expectations regarding romantic conventions.  Therefore, while “…romance generally does work around formula, it is still a highly varied genre with a range of subgeneric identities (Gelder, 2004). ROMANTIC CONVENTIONS The endings may well be much the same overall, but how they arrive there – and with what kind of main characters – can be entirely up for grabs.  So despite the formulaic nature of romance, romance fi ction is quite adaptable – it can locate itself anywhere, at any time. ROMANTIC It can also thrive upon a breaking CONVENTIONS “rules” and formula even if most of the time it requires them to follow one in order to be what it is – since no genre can exist without rules of behavior (Gelder, 2004, p. 49).  Readers are looking for familiarity and THE difference at the same time and the only way to achieve this is for authors to assert their STRUCTUR individual writing styles within the conventions of the genre (Goris, 2012). E OF Over the years, the structure of the romance ROMANCE novel may have remained the same but at the NOVELS same time, it has also evolved to reflect various cultural and social changes.  Three scholars from three different decades show the evolution of the structure of the romance genre: THE 1 Janice Radway’s Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature (1984, p. 134) STRUCTUR highlights thirteen (13) essential narrative elements that make up an ideal romance. E OF 2 Pamela Regis’ (2003) work entitled A Natural History ROMANCE of Romance detailed the eight elements that make any story a romance novel. NOVELS 3 Goris (in Sellinger & Frantz, 2012) outlines the basic plot conventions and ideal protagonists of romance novels based on her survey of romance writing books.  CONVENTIONS OF WESTERN ROMANCE NOVELS Radway (1984) Regis (2003) Goris (2012) (1) The heroine’s social identity is (1) the initial state of society in which (1) the meeting of the hero and the destroyed; heroine or hero must court; heroine. (2) the heroine reacts antagonistically (2) the meeting between heroine and (2) second phase is their mutual to an aristocratic male; hero; attraction. (3) the aristocratic male responds 3) the barrier to the union of heroine (3) third phase is the conflict, both ambiguously to the female; and hero is introduced internal and external. (4) The heroine interprets the hero’s (4) the attraction between the heroine (4) “crisis or outburst of the conflict”. behavior as evidence of a purely and hero; sexual interest in her. (5) the heroine interprets the hero’s (5) the declaration of love between (5) the moment wherein the behavior with anger or coldness; heroine and hero; relationship is seemingly doomed 6) the hero retaliates by punishing the (6) Barriers seems insurmountable 6) the happily ever after. heroine;  CONVENTIONS OF WESTERN ROMANCE NOVELS Radway (1984) Regis (2003) Goris (2012) (7) the heroine and hero are (7) the recognition by heroine and physically and/or emotionally hero of the means to overcome the separated; barrier; and finally, (8) the hero treats the heroine (8) the engagement tenderly; (9) the heroine responds warmly to the hero’s act of tenderness; (10) the heroine interprets the hero’s ambiguous behavior as the product of previous hurt; (11) the hero proposes/openly declares his love for/demonstrates his unwavering commitment to the heroine with a supreme act of tenderness; (12) the heroine responds sexually and emotionally; and finally, (13) the heroine’s identity is restored. Are these conventions familiar to you? What stories can you think of that fit these conventions? LET’S PAUSE AND WATCH Click on this link and watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=top+5+fi lipino+romanc e+movies  From the video you just watched, do POPULAR you see some similarities and differences between western ROMANCE IN romance and Filipino romance? THE If so, what are some of their similarities? What are some of their PHILIPPINES differences?  THE ROMANCE NOVEL IN THE PHILIPPINES They’ve been called pocketbooks, romance novels, formulaic trash, literature for the semi-literate — whatever you think of them, romance novels in the Philippines are a force to be reckoned with (Jimenez, 2013).  In the Philippines, the romance industry was once dominated by the Precious Pages Corporation, owner and publisher of the very popular Precious Hearts THE Romances. ROMANCE The question of quality is practically irrelevant given the number of titles (30 NOVEL IN a month) and financial value (P50,000,000 in the year 2000) of THE Precious Hearts Romances. PHILIPPINES They may not meet the highest artistic standards, but the fact remains that these books are being bought and read by millions of Filipinos.  In a study by Chiongson (2017) entitled (Re)inventing the Filipino romance: conventions THE and innovations in the novels of Martha Cecilia and Elise Estrella, the works of two Filipino FILIPINO romance authors who write for Precious Hearts ROMANCE were studied. These works were written within a 20-year gap, revealing changes in the genre from a Filipino perspective.  S e g u n d o M a t i a s , h e a d o f Pre c i o u s H e a r t s Pa g e s C o r p o r a t i o n , c o n t e n d s t h a t Fi l i p i n o s l o o k f o r ro m a n c e s t o r i e s w h e re “ t h e m e n a re r i c h , s ex u a l p ro m i s c u i t y a n d h o m o s ex u a l s a re t a b o o , a n d t h e s t o r y a l w a y s e n d s h a p p i l y a ft e r 1 2 8 p a g e s ” At t h e s a m e t i m e , Fi l i p i n o s d o n o t l i ke i m m o r a l i t y i n t h e i r s t o r i e s. C e r t a i n “ m o r a l i t y c o d e s ” a re n e v e r c ro s s e d i n t h e n o v e l s , s a y s M a t i a s. E x t r a - m a r i t a l a ff a i r s a n d “ b e d - h o p p i n g ” a re s t i l l f ro w n e d u p o n b y s o m e i n t h e P h i l i p p i n e s ( ‘ Romance rules Philippine literary charts’, 2011). So, what is the structure of Filipino romance novels?  Cecilia Estrella (1) female protagonist has a life changing event (1) external conflict or situation that will lead that leads her to male protagonist male protagonist into meeting the female protagonist; attraction is instant and mutual (2) female protagonist meets hero in less-than- ideal circumstances, but attraction is instant and (2) complications and conflict arise mutual. (3) female protagonist initiates first move to (3) by an act of fate or destiny, male and female overcome initial complication protagonists spend time together; female (4) male protagonist has freedom and protagonist succumbs to male protagonist’s assurance to confess his feelings charms (5) courtship (4) complications or conflict arises (5) temporary separation (6) female protagonist tries to win over the male protagonist, but male protagonist responds coldly. (7) male protagonist realizes his mistake and tries to win over the female protagonist; (8) marriage proposal While these writers do not speak for the entire genre in the Philippines, this tells us that the romance industry in the country still promotes the conventions that readers prefer. The genre is still centered on the build-up of a relationship that must end in either marriage or commitment.  Looking at the structure of Philippine romance novels, are those conventions still used? Do modern romance writers from the Philippines innovate? Or do they still follow the same structure?  One of the most common criticisms leveled at romance novels is their repetitive structure. These repetitive structures become conventions, creating GENDER IN stereotypes. The danger of stereotypes, according to Nigerian ROMANCE writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, is not that they are untrue but rather they are incomplete. NOVELS Central to most romance novels is the love story between the characters. In traditional romances that feature a love story between a male and female character, stereotypical gender representations often abound.  A gender stereotype is a generalized view or preconception about attributes or characteristics, or the roles that are or ought to be possessed by/or performed by women and men. A gender stereotype is harmful when it limits women’s and men’s capacity to develop their personal abilities, pursue their professional careers and make choices about their lives.  Recall some of the recent stories or movies that EXAMINING you have read or watched that feature a relationship between a man and a woman. GENDER How did the authors or filmmakers represent the ROLES IN male and female characters? How do these individuals contribute to the construction of gender ROMANCE roles in society?  LET’S PAUSE AND WATCH The worldwide hit Fifty Shades of Grey invited controversy because of its themes and the representations of its characters. What do you think of the portrayal of the characters in the story? How is the woman portrayed? How is the man portrayed? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=SfZWFDs0LxA How do you think romance novels (or movies) contribute to the construction of gender roles? Are these gender roles fair? References J i m e n e z , F. ( 2 0 1 3 , Fe b r u a r y 1 4 ). B e s t i l l , m y p re c i o u s h e a r t s. I n R a p p l e r. Re t r i e v e d f ro m w w w. r a p p l e r. c o m / l i f e - a n d - s t y l e / 2 1 8 0 7 - b e - s t i l l - m y- p re c i o u s - h e a r t s P h i l i p p i n e s a m o n g c o u n t r i e s t h a t b u y b o o k s m o s t o f t e n – P i c o d i r e p o r t. ( 2 0 1 9 ). Re t r i e v e d f ro m h t t p s : / / w w w. r a p p l e r. c o m / l i f e - a n d - s t y l e / l i t e r a t u re / fi l i p i n o s - b u y- a t - l e a s t - o n e - b o o k - p i c o d i - s u rvey Ra d w a y , J. ( 1 9 8 4 ). R e a d i n g t h e r o m a n c e : w o m e n , p a t r i a r c h y, a n d p o p u l a r l i t e r a t u r e. U S A: T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a ro l i n a Pre s s. Re g i s , P. ( 2 0 0 3 ). A N a t u r a l H i s t o r y o f t h e R o m a n c e N o v e l [ K i n d l e E d i t i o n ]. 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