Creating Identity: The Popular Romance Heroine's Journey to Selfhood and Self-Presentation

Romance novels provide a unique space for heroines to explore their identities and desires, rejecting societal labels and remaking themselves on their own terms. Jayashree Kamblé's book "Creating Identity" examines how heroines in ten novels reject societal labels and demand independence and strong, loving relationships, highlighting a genre that has become popular due to the demand from readers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 218 pages
Publication date: 06 June 2023
Publisher: Indiana University Press

While the world often pigeonholes women into reductive and false binaries, such as careerist versus mother, feminine versus fierce, romance novels provide a unique and imaginative space for a heroine to explore her journey towards selfhood. In her book, Creating Identity, Jayashree Kamblé delves into the realm of romance, examining its ability to retain what audiences find desirable while discarding what is not. Kamblé poses a crucial question: who is the romance heroine, and what does she want? To answer this, Kamblé explores how heroines in ten novels reject societal labels and redefine themselves on their own terms, showcasing their agency.

By employing a truly intersectional approach, Kamblé combines gender and sexuality, Marxism, critical race theory, and literary criticism to examine various aspects of heroines' identities, including sexuality, gender, work, citizenship, and race. This book is ideal for readers interested in gender studies and literary criticism, as it highlights a genre where heroines refuse to believe that independence and strong, loving relationships are mutually exclusive. Instead, they demand both, echoing the desires of the readers who have made this genre so popular.

Through her analysis, Kamblé sheds light on the complexities and nuances of heroines' identities, challenging the traditional stereotypes and expectations that have been imposed upon them. She emphasizes the importance of agency and self-determination in shaping a heroine's journey, highlighting the ways in which romance novels offer a space for women to reclaim their power and redefine their roles in society. Creating Identity is a valuable contribution to the field of gender studies and literary criticism, offering a fresh perspective on the romance genre and its potential to challenge societal norms and expectations.

Weight: 346g
Dimension: 151 x 229 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253065704