| The Grand-Mere of Romance Fiction May 2006 issue by Ann Durand copyright 2006 |
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
| click here to order from Double Dragon Publishing |
Click here to order
from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
Click here to order
from Fictionwise
from Fictionwise
Find out about Ann's latest book: FLIGHT OF THE GRYPHON A SCI FI ROMANCE |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| HEART BEAT ARTICLES by ANN DURAND MAY 2006 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
In my article last month, I touched on the recent history of romance fiction
and the influences that have led us through and away from the 20th century.
This month, I’d like to identify the turning point in history where romance
fiction transformed from the telling of events to the intimate characterization
that marks the genre today. For example, in other centuries, the troubadours
may have sung something like this to gathering crowds:
Brandishing shield and sharpened spear
Lancelot saved his beloved Guinevere
He rode like the wind on his trusty steed
Urging his horse to greater speed
He beat the wicked flames of fire
And swept his mistress off the pyre!
Contemporary authors, however, are likely to write the same story through
the eyes or the head of one of the characters, which might sound more like
this:
“Guinevere felt a twinge in her gut as Lancelot approached, a steely look
anchored in his eyes. The executioner lifted his torch as Lancelot lifted his
spear. She heard a whistle, a thud, and the executioner was keeling over,
the burning torch dropping idly onto the pyre. Within seconds, small flames
were licking her shoes. She looked down and screamed as the stench of
melting leather drifted up. She pulled against the bindings that pinned her to
the stake when, suddenly, her hands fell free. How? The bindings were cut!
Lancelot lifted her easily, flinging her over his shoulder like a sack of
feathers. She breathed in the familiar scent of him, the musky male scent of
him, and knew they would escape.”
At some point in western history, the inner dialogue and thoughts of the hero
and heroine, as in this example, hit the printed page. The stuff that makes
both characters tick—their motivations, secret desires and even their
baggage—marked a new treatment for writing romance fiction.
Did this transformation happen at a specific time or period in history?
Yes, it did. In France during the 1600s, characterization found its way into
fiction writing. And it was the romance genre that revolutionized the industry.
One woman, in particular, helped to move this front into mainstream
romance fiction almost single handedly. Through the animated dialogue in
her salon, a salon where some of the most intellectual men and women of
the day convened, Madeleine de Scudery steadfastly forwarded her ideals.
Men and women met on a footing of equality, and freely exchanged thoughts
about intellect and feelings. Her novels, rooted in self-revelatory
explorations, reflected these conversations and enjoyed widespread
popularity. Her style became the enduring fashion among writers. Nearly
150 years later, a French philosopher, Victor Cousin, dubbed her “the
creator of the psychological romance.”
Born in the south of France in 1607, she endured poverty as a child, though
her father belonged to the old and noble house of Provence. By the time she
was seven years old, her father had died, and she came under the
guardianship of an uncle, who treated her to a thorough and carefully
planned education. Steeped in all the accomplishments of the age, she
became widely known as an intellect. Salons, or coteries where people
sought greater learning through conversation and letters, were popular in
France at the time. Her salon, though smaller than most, was easily one of
the most influential. Known as much for her encyclopedic memory and vivid
imagination as for her gentle charm, the talents of Madam de Scudery must
have been prodigious, because her appearance certainly was not. Her face,
overly thin and streaked with a long nose, caused no one to remark upon
her physical beauty, except, perhaps, for her pleasing eyes. Yet, in light of
her grace and wit, she had many lifelong admirers.
But Madeleine never married. She wrote, “I know that there are many
estimable men who merit all my esteem and who can retain a part of my
friendship, but as soon as I regard them as husbands, I regard them as
masters, and so apt to become tyrants that I must hate them from that
moment; and I thank the gods for giving me an inclination very much averse
to marriage.” Hardly the considerations one might expect from an author of
romance. Yet, this was a different time and place—a time when marriage
truly did chain a woman to a man’s will. By staying single, she was free to
explore original thought and express her ideas in her novels.
Though she wrote a number of romance books, she was best known for the
novel Artamène ou Le Grand Cyrus. Cutting-edge ideas found their way into
this volume, which is a story about Sapho, modeled after the Greek
Sappho. Dialogue about the nature of love, writing and the education of
women saturated the text, much as it permeated her salon. Considered by
many to be heretical, her writing came under much scrutiny and
disparagement. However, this did not diminish the tide of support from her
readers, and even as a single woman without property, her writing kept her
financially solvent until her death in 1701. She was ninety-four years old.
She gave a new thrust to literature, infusing it with the sentiment of her
characters. Other romance authors, such as Mme. De La Fayette and Mme
de Sevigne, later refined the exaggerated sentiment and excised
superfluous dialogue, offering a more subtle rendition. The new treatment
has transformed over time, but the stabilizing art of characterization
remained at the heart of the romance fiction.
I feel indebted to the courageous spirit of Madeleine de Scudery. Her
willingness to be different, to depart from the order of the day and speak her
own truth, set a new tone for literature in general and romance in particular.
All of us that write or read romance, whether we are aware of it or not,
experience the influence of this grandmother, or Grand-Mere, of romance
fiction.
For those interested in learning more about Madeleine de Scudery, you can
read this excellent article on The Women of the French Salons any Amelia
Gere Mason at http://www.worldwideschool.
org/library/books/lit/historical/TheWomenoftheFrenchSalons/toc.html
and the influences that have led us through and away from the 20th century.
This month, I’d like to identify the turning point in history where romance
fiction transformed from the telling of events to the intimate characterization
that marks the genre today. For example, in other centuries, the troubadours
may have sung something like this to gathering crowds:
Brandishing shield and sharpened spear
Lancelot saved his beloved Guinevere
He rode like the wind on his trusty steed
Urging his horse to greater speed
He beat the wicked flames of fire
And swept his mistress off the pyre!
Contemporary authors, however, are likely to write the same story through
the eyes or the head of one of the characters, which might sound more like
this:
“Guinevere felt a twinge in her gut as Lancelot approached, a steely look
anchored in his eyes. The executioner lifted his torch as Lancelot lifted his
spear. She heard a whistle, a thud, and the executioner was keeling over,
the burning torch dropping idly onto the pyre. Within seconds, small flames
were licking her shoes. She looked down and screamed as the stench of
melting leather drifted up. She pulled against the bindings that pinned her to
the stake when, suddenly, her hands fell free. How? The bindings were cut!
Lancelot lifted her easily, flinging her over his shoulder like a sack of
feathers. She breathed in the familiar scent of him, the musky male scent of
him, and knew they would escape.”
At some point in western history, the inner dialogue and thoughts of the hero
and heroine, as in this example, hit the printed page. The stuff that makes
both characters tick—their motivations, secret desires and even their
baggage—marked a new treatment for writing romance fiction.
Did this transformation happen at a specific time or period in history?
Yes, it did. In France during the 1600s, characterization found its way into
fiction writing. And it was the romance genre that revolutionized the industry.
One woman, in particular, helped to move this front into mainstream
romance fiction almost single handedly. Through the animated dialogue in
her salon, a salon where some of the most intellectual men and women of
the day convened, Madeleine de Scudery steadfastly forwarded her ideals.
Men and women met on a footing of equality, and freely exchanged thoughts
about intellect and feelings. Her novels, rooted in self-revelatory
explorations, reflected these conversations and enjoyed widespread
popularity. Her style became the enduring fashion among writers. Nearly
150 years later, a French philosopher, Victor Cousin, dubbed her “the
creator of the psychological romance.”
Born in the south of France in 1607, she endured poverty as a child, though
her father belonged to the old and noble house of Provence. By the time she
was seven years old, her father had died, and she came under the
guardianship of an uncle, who treated her to a thorough and carefully
planned education. Steeped in all the accomplishments of the age, she
became widely known as an intellect. Salons, or coteries where people
sought greater learning through conversation and letters, were popular in
France at the time. Her salon, though smaller than most, was easily one of
the most influential. Known as much for her encyclopedic memory and vivid
imagination as for her gentle charm, the talents of Madam de Scudery must
have been prodigious, because her appearance certainly was not. Her face,
overly thin and streaked with a long nose, caused no one to remark upon
her physical beauty, except, perhaps, for her pleasing eyes. Yet, in light of
her grace and wit, she had many lifelong admirers.
But Madeleine never married. She wrote, “I know that there are many
estimable men who merit all my esteem and who can retain a part of my
friendship, but as soon as I regard them as husbands, I regard them as
masters, and so apt to become tyrants that I must hate them from that
moment; and I thank the gods for giving me an inclination very much averse
to marriage.” Hardly the considerations one might expect from an author of
romance. Yet, this was a different time and place—a time when marriage
truly did chain a woman to a man’s will. By staying single, she was free to
explore original thought and express her ideas in her novels.
Though she wrote a number of romance books, she was best known for the
novel Artamène ou Le Grand Cyrus. Cutting-edge ideas found their way into
this volume, which is a story about Sapho, modeled after the Greek
Sappho. Dialogue about the nature of love, writing and the education of
women saturated the text, much as it permeated her salon. Considered by
many to be heretical, her writing came under much scrutiny and
disparagement. However, this did not diminish the tide of support from her
readers, and even as a single woman without property, her writing kept her
financially solvent until her death in 1701. She was ninety-four years old.
She gave a new thrust to literature, infusing it with the sentiment of her
characters. Other romance authors, such as Mme. De La Fayette and Mme
de Sevigne, later refined the exaggerated sentiment and excised
superfluous dialogue, offering a more subtle rendition. The new treatment
has transformed over time, but the stabilizing art of characterization
remained at the heart of the romance fiction.
I feel indebted to the courageous spirit of Madeleine de Scudery. Her
willingness to be different, to depart from the order of the day and speak her
own truth, set a new tone for literature in general and romance in particular.
All of us that write or read romance, whether we are aware of it or not,
experience the influence of this grandmother, or Grand-Mere, of romance
fiction.
For those interested in learning more about Madeleine de Scudery, you can
read this excellent article on The Women of the French Salons any Amelia
Gere Mason at http://www.worldwideschool.
org/library/books/lit/historical/TheWomenoftheFrenchSalons/toc.html