Encyclopedia of Romance Fiction

December 1, 2018

In her 2012 Romance Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (2d ed.), largely directed at fellow librarians and readers' advisors, LJ romance columnist Ramsdell (librarian emerita, California State Univ., East Bay) examined the history and appeal of romance fiction, readers' advisory, collection development, and types of romance fiction and core authors. Now, in this A-Z encyclopedia, she's gathered 48 subject specialists (many of them librarians but also literary scholars, and publishers, editors, authors, and others), who contribute short essays on 125 aspects of romance fiction. While other reference books provide biographical information on many more individual romance writers and their works, Ramsdell focuses on types (from alternative reality to women's fiction and YA), important authors (from Jane Austen and Elinor Glyn to Mary Stewart and Janet Dailey), common themes and literary devices (the Cinderella plot pattern, language in romance), and romance publishing and awards, beginning with a full list of entries. VERDICT Librarians, literary and popular culture students and scholars, and genre devotees will appreciate this well-written, well-edited volume of diverse recommendations.--Marcia G. Welsh, Dartmouth Coll. Lib., Hanover, NH

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018
Defenders of romance fiction often cite its economic success as validation. Recently, its artistic and social values have found champions in the media and, increasingly, academia. Finally, there is a cohesive resource for budding romance scholars. Ramsdell's (Romance Fiction, 2012) comprehensive encyclopedia reads like a labor of love (ha!). Librarians (including several Booklist reviewers), scholars, and industry professionals contributed signed articles on topics like major subgenres, iconic authors and works, the publishing business and self-publishing, and major tropes, like the secret baby. What makes this single volume stand out is the range of scholarly issues (feminism, cultural issues) addressed in accessible language with clearly cited sources. Problematic aspects of the genre, such as rape and consent, are also addressed. There are delights, like Kathryn Falk's essay on founding the sadly defunct Romantic Times. In the appendix covering a suggested core list of titles, an array of subgenres is covered, and multicultural romances are listed separately. This will be a welcome addition to any reference collection, but it is essential to those that serve students of literature and women's studies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)