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The Institutional Matrix of Romance

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Romance novels have played a large role in today’s society, ranging from the influence of Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice" to the overwhelming popularity of E.L. James’ "Fifty Shades of Grey" series. Due to the fascination with the perfect romance, there have been copious amounts of debate over what caused the sudden climb in popularity within the heated genre over the years and what has helped maintain the success. One of the most common theories attributed for this debacle is the growing trend of feminism within the last several years, but esteemed author Janice A. Radway disputes this in her essay “The Institutional Matrix of Romance." Radway claims that while the rise in romance novel reading does correlate with the rise of feminism, the primary cause of growth in readership is due to new marketing strategies and demographics. Throughout the years, the publishing industry has drastically changed. Companies began playing around with specific demographics and marketing strategies, as well as the development of new technology like the rotary magazine press and synthetic glue. In the essay Radway details all of these factors. She breaks down the history of publishing changes and developments over the years and relates this to the romance genre specifically and how it has affected it. By doing this, Radway displays for the audience a factual representation of the changes giving her a better argument overall. Within the essay, Radway describes the rise of feminism in the 1960’s with the effervescent American youth rebelling against intervention in Vietnam. She explains that during the 1960’s, women began protesting and a, “gradually increasing number of feminists vociferously challenged female oppression” (514.) Women began purchasing novels “whose plots centered on developing love relationships between wealthy handsome men and ‘spunky’ but vulnerable women” (514) as a way to cope with the muffled sound of w

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