Shelf Love: Romance Novel Discourse

Latest Episodes:

Normal People: Hopeful Post-Love Millennials Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Normal People by Sally Rooney (and the Hulu adaptation) is a love story that may or may not be a romance novel, a story that might be hopeful even if it’s bleak, but who could say if it represents all millennials, who live in a post-love, post-Tumblr society? Shelf Love’s Youth Culture Media Correspondent Dame Jodie Slaughter helps me decipher what Normal People has to say about love, romance, marriage, and millennials, all through our lens as romance novel readers.

Thanks to the contributors to this episode:

Instagram friends: @charlotteevaah @boysandmonsters @dbabyfilarski

Discussed:

Normal People by Sally Rooney & Hulu adaptation

Shelf Love:

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Guest: Dame Jodie Slaughter, Shelf Love’s Youth Culture Media Correspondent

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Advanced Nerdery:

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? ROMANCE AND INTIMACY IN AN AGE OF HOOKING UP by David Shumway
- Chapter in The Routledge Companion to Romantic Love Edited by Ann Brooks
Narrative Impact: Social and Cognitive Foundations
- Edited by Melanie C. Green, Jeffrey J. Strange, Timothy C. Brock

Shelf Love:

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Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Unreal But Not Untrue Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Is true love real or fiction? Is romantic love in fiction unreal but not untrue? How do romance novels play with fiction and reality, and how do some other disciplines explore similar questions in their own fields? Guest: Dr. Eric Selinger

Romancelandia Holiday Fairies 2021: bit.ly/romancelandia

Shelf Love:

Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLove

Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Links

JPRStudies.org
Routledge Companion to Romantic Love edited by Ann Brooks
Deakin University’s Concepts in Popular Genre Fiction Conference

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

I Am Having an Emotion Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

This episode is about feelings, and Murderbot, and romance novels, and hope, and anger, and powerlessness, the year 2020....and 2021.

Romancelandia Holiday Fairies 2021: bit.ly/romancelandia

Shelf Love:

Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLove

Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Change of Heart Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Seven souls gave romance novels a try as a result of the Bridgerton adaptation and bravely came to speak with me about what they thought of romance readers before, what it took for them to pick up a romance, and how or if they've had a change of heart about the genre and what it means to be a romance reader.

Shelf Love:

Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLove

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Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Check out the rest of the research:

Podcast version: Episode 096 about the Romance Reader Stereotype

YouTube version with slides

Thank you so much to Ellie, Emma, Lucy, Jake, Emily, Amanda and Sujey for taking the time to speak with me.

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Hate To Love You Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

Stories from Shelf Love listeners who have reexamined romantic stories that they used to love and found that their relationship has gone from unconditional love to questioning the value of their relationship. Outlander. The Cosby Show. Harry Potter. Gilmore Girls. We hate to love you!

Shelf Love:

Join the Conversation on Discord: https://www.patreon.com/ShelfLove

Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Thanks to the contributors to this episode:

The Smut Report
EL Jones
Katherine Grant
DK Jones
Jennifer RNN
Terrible Lotus
DL White
Dr. Maria DeBlassie
Dr. Sri Upadhyay

Discussed:

Wil Wheaton: separating art from problematic artist (via Dr. Maria DeBlassie):

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.upworthy.com/amp/wil-wheaton-shares-how-to-separate-art-from-problematic-artist-2655365986

Johannauary: https://soundcloud.com/user-282269790/episode-72-yours-to-keep-johannauary-1-defy-not-the-heart-by-johanna-lindsey

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Gone With the Wind, Lord of Scoundrels, and Variations on the Theme of Growth Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Maria DeBlassie joins me to discuss engaging with banned media, and dealing with the discomfort and joy of growth. Is Gone With the Wind watchable with context? What happens when I force myself to watch it and realize how far into the present its influence reaches? And, I finally read Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase and see what the fuss is about: but am I allowed to enjoy it?

Content notes: this episode discusses racism and intimate partner violence.

Co-Host on this episode: Dr. Maria DeBlassie

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Previous Shelf Love episodes:

Shelf Love:

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Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Discussed:

Gone with the Wind (book and movie)
Gone with the Wind, Banned Books Week & Uncomfortable Histories
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
6 Simple Lifelong Steps to Joyful Problematization, Infographic
Jodi Picoult's Essay on NPR: Ready For Romance: Reading Gone With The Wind

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

The Bachelor (Tell Me About) Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

Is it real love or fantasy TV? I hope you're here for the right reasons: to learn how The Bachelor franchise produces a fantasy of romantic love. We cover the lingo (Rose Ceremony, Fantasy Suite, Frankenbiting), the scandals, the couples, and all of the commercially-viable aesthetically romantic gestures that construct "romantic love" on The Bachelor.

Tell Me About is a series that introduces me and you to new genres and sub genres of romantic stories across media. Podcast host and Bachelor Nation Expert Jhen (The Blachelorettes, Monogamish, Stacked) joins me to discuss romantic love, what audiences expect from the love stories on The Bachelor, and how these stories make her feel.

Discussed: The Bachelor

This episode is available on YouTube, with video, graphic additions, etc. Watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK149ByQtpo

Guest: Jhen

Jhen is an expert on The Bachelor, the co-host of The Blachelorettes podcast, as well as host of Monogamish Podcast and co-host of Stacked.

Jhen: @haveyoumetjhen
The Blachelorettes: @blachelorettes
Monogamish: @monogamishpod
Stacked: @stackedshow

Shelf Love:

Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

"Desirable" Bodies, Choice, and Neoliberalism: The Fictional Romantic Marketplace Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

How do romantic narratives explore or influence our ideas of which bodies are "desirable"? Dr. Christina Fattore will introduce us to neoliberalism, and we'll discuss how the ideological focus on individual agency influences our ideas of which bodies are most desirable to acquire in romantic partners and how individuals must produce desirable bodies to create "value" in a romantic marketplace.

CW: discussion of diet culture, body size, etc.

Guest: Dr. Fattore, associate professor of political science and romance reader and writer.

Discussed: Neoliberalism, "desirable" bodies, romantic partners according to dominant cultural ideologies

Guest: Dr. Christina Fattore

Associate professor of political science at West Virginia University as well as an avid romance reader. Currently working on a project on romancelandia and political participation, which was featured in the Washington Post.

Website: https://christinafattore.org/

Find on Twitter: @cfattorewvu

Shelf Love:

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Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Mentioned:

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

The Bold and the Beautiful (Tell Me About) Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

I now pronounce you man and...horse? Kissing mannequins, will Taylor stay dead this time, is Sheila Carter the best Supervillain, and favorite Super Couples (seemingly always love triangles?): when I asked Dr. Jodi McAlister to Tell Me About The Bold and the Beautiful, I had no idea how wild the ride would be!

Tell Me About is a series that introduces me and you to new genres and sub genres of romantic stories across media. Novelist, academic, and Soap Superfan Dr. Jodi McAlister share how soap opera's structure explores romantic love, what audiences expect from the love stories, and how these stories make her feel.

Discussed: The Bold and the Beautiful (Soap Opera)

This episode is available on YouTube, with video, graphic additions, etc. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2VE2fiQQM&t=988s

Guest: Dr. Jodi McAlister

Dr Jodi McAlister is a Lecturer of Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University in Melbourne. She is also an author, and her new rom-coms Here For The Right Reasons and Can I Steal You For A Second? will be out in 2022.

Jodi's website: http://jodimcalister.com.au/
Find her on Twitter: @jodimca
Instagram: @jodimcalister
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JodiMcA
Valentine series: https://www.penguin.com.au/brand/valentine

Shelf Love:

Sign up for the email newsletter list | Website | Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Mentioned:

I Now Pronounce You Man and...Horse?

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

How To Catch A Man on the Love Train Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Journalist E. Jean Carroll hopped a ride on the Love Train with dozens of romance authors in 1983, hoping to discover "how to catch a man." But did she actually discover who women* in America were fantasizing about being? Steve Ammidown, archivist and historian of the romance genre, joins me to discuss Where the Heart Roams, a 1987 documentary about romance authors, culture clashes, silk sheets and lavender sachets, men with a lot of flash (there aren't many), and many conflicting theories about how to catch a man.

Appearances by: Vivian Stephens, Janet Dailey, Barbara Cartland, and many more!

*middle class white cis heterosexual women...

Discussed: Where the Heart Roams (1987) documentary by George Csicsery

Available on Vimeo

Guest: Steve Ammidown

Steve Ammidown is an archivist and historian of the romance genre. In 2019, he was the Cathie Linz Librarian Of The Year.

He currently writes about romance history on his blog, romancehistory.com.

Find him on Twitter: @stegan

Shelf Love: