LILIA PARK

Ever since the peak of the mass market publishing model, romance has been understood as a formulaic genre. Dan Sinykin notes, “When conglomeration reordered literature in the 1970s, it not only annihilated the literary blockbuster but also intervened in the internecine genre wars, lending its overwhelming force to formula” (60). In an effort to prioritize profits over uniqueness of craft, large publishing conglomerations necessarily began producing repetitive, predictable genre novels which catered to built-in audiences (Sinykin 59). One genre that especially benefited from this model is the romance novel, which still today remains notoriously formulaic, despite the general dwindling of the mass-market strategy (Sinykin 70). It would seem that this unwavering quality of romantic genre fiction continues to appeal to its audience, evidenced by the observable enthusiasm of trope reading (Polk). Thus, it is unsurprising that publishing houses continue to utilize elements of the mass-market model for their romance books.

However, it is notable that the so-called “romance formula” has seemingly persisted for so many generations. Ann Ardis observes elements even in works as early as that of E.M. Hull’s “desert romance” The Sheik, which was published in 1919, which are highly comparable to the familiar patterns in contemporary work (288). But as much as romance genre fiction has remained true to its form, it has also been revised with time. The “formula” of romance novels often reflects ideas of its target audience’s fantasy, allowing space for readers to escape from reality and explore their personal desires (Radway 58). Thus, I argue that, entering the contemporary space, the predictable elements of mass-market romance have both persisted and evolved to accommodate new ideas of the “woman’s fantasy.” In this essay, I analyze popular contemporary romance novel Happy Place by Emily Henry as a primary example of the variations to the long-loved mass-market formula as they reflect new and old qualities of the female fantasy.

CONTEXT

Happy Place has been recognized as one of the most popular novels of its genre, making both the New York Times Bestseller List when it was released in 2023 and the best sellers list for paperbacks in 2024 (Weiter). The story follows the protagonist Harriet, who attends a getaway trip with her best friends and their partners. Harriet must pretend that she is still engaged to her ex-fiancé, Wyn, to avoid ruining the trip. Thus, the novel follows two common contemporary romance tropes, exes-to-lovers and fake-dating, which make the ending predictable; Harriet and Wyn inevitably reconcile their differences and, unable to ignore their intense chemistry, get back together.

The title of the novel, Happy Place, refers to Harriet’s anxiety-calming habit of “going to her happy place” to escape the stresses of reality (Henry 4). One could argue that this habit is uncannily reminiscent of the habits of romance readers who, according to research, turn to genre fiction for “escape and relaxation” (Radway 58). A ‘happy place’ represents an idealized version of reality. In romance fiction, this manifests in three key factors: the female protagonist, the love interest, and the moral of the plot.

THE SUCCESSFUL WOMAN

One persistent hallmark of the romance genre is its admirable female protagonist. Romance novels often feature a female protagonist who displays a kind of societal rejection. For instance, Ann Ardis notes this kind of rebellion in the works of E.M. Hull; she identifies similarities between The Sheik protagonist Diana and the so-called “New Women,” who “reject compulsory heterosexuality, marriage as a vocation for women, and confinement in the domestic sphere” (Ardis 291). Despite patriarchal expectations of complacent, dutiful wives, Hull’s character pursues a passionate romantic relationship in a quiet but significant breakaway from tradition.

However, as both expectations and views of success have evolved, the ways in which this societal rejection manifests in literature have also expectedly changed. Henry’s protagonist enacts a similar rebellion to Hull’s which prioritizes female agency over conformity, but it is a different kind of conformity that plagues Harriet. Happy Place outlines societal ideals through the three main female characters. Sabrina and Cleo, Harriet’s closest friends, both pursue a career that is typically understood to be a traditional path towards success; Sabrina is a lawyer and Cleo owns her own farm. Harriet herself is preparing to become a doctor, and she acknowledges the prestige that comes with the career. When asked why she chose brain surgery, she responds, “Maybe I thought it sounded the most impressive. Now I can constantly respond to things with Well, it’s not brain surgery” (Henry 74). Later, it becomes clear that Harriet feels pressure to pursue a well-respected career path at the expense of her own happiness, especially from her parents. “The irony of it all strikes me then: working so hard to earn their [her parent’s] love and pride, and it’s brought me no closer to them” (Henry 375). In the end, Harriet chooses to withdraw from medical school in favor of the less-traditional career path of pottery, which she is “not good” at, but makes her happy (Henry 376). In doing so, Harriet exercises her agency by rejecting societal expectations in favor of her own happiness. Although the circumstances are clearly different from those in The Shiek, an emphasis on choice is clear between the two works. This, then, is the aspect of the supposed female fantasy that has remained constant: an ability for the protagonist the choose her own path and definition of success, regardless of societal expectations.

THE BOOK BOYFRIEND

Another essential characteristic of romance novels is an alluring love interest. Although these love interests (or “heroes”) are often underdeveloped manifestations of the stereotypical “ideal man,” what qualifies a male character as ideal has not always remained constant. For instance, Hull’s hero is described as “a cruel Arab prince who abducts and rapes [the heroine]” (Ardis 288). The scandalous and masochistic nature of Hull’s novel had the effect of “legitimation of female sexual desire,” which Ardis argues served to propel “New Woman” ideals, contrasted with compulsive matrimony expectations in which marriage is treated as a woman’s vocation (288, 291). However, this type of violence has since fallen out of popularity in the general market; a 1980s study reveals a clear shift in the most desirable traits of a love interest. As feminist values have progressed throughout time, views on sexual violence also seem to have shifted. Radway observes in her 1983 study that the participants “will not tolerate any story in which the heroine is seriously abused by men” (63). This change is likely reflective of new perspectives in which decadent violence is no longer seen as the ideal comforting fantasy. Instead, the participants favored “a man who is spectacularly masculine, but at the same time capable of remarkable empathy and tenderness” (Radway 64). The study’s findings imply that contemporary romance readers seek a more peaceful, restorative narrative, with a heroine who is ‘treated as they themselves would most like to be loved” (Radway 60). Rather than a freedom from vocative marriage, these readers seek a fantasy that reflects comfort and safety in everyday life.

Wyn, the proclaimed love interest of Happy Place, perfectly aligns with Radway’s description of the ideal romance hero. He is described as a down-to-earth character, often juxtaposed to his rich and preppy best friend Prath. When they first meet, Harriet says to Wyn, “You don’t look like a Wyndham Connor,” stating someone with such as pompous name should have a “Navy-blue jacket with gold buttons. Captain’s hat. A big white beard and a huge cigar?” (Henry 32). Wyn’s decided not-pretentiousness is essential for creating the “empathetic” and “tender” hero Radway’s study describes. When meeting Harriet’s parents, she narrates, “Under the table, Wyn’s hand finds mine, and he laces our fingers together. He drags the pad of his thumb over the callus where I burnt my index finger with Sabrina and Cleo on our first trip to the cottage. I got you” (Henry 238). Still, Wyn’s character displays many of the gendered expectations of masculinity and heteronormativity, as someone with the physically laborious job of building furniture, which makes him an easy object of fantasy for the targeted, heteronormative female reader. Although the expectations of heteronormativity might have shifted slightly since the days of Hull, this essential factor of the male love interest has generally persisted in the contemporary romance space, perhaps reflecting the ever-present gender roles in American society. The things that have changed with time—such as the lessening of violence—indicate the changing ideals of the female audience.

THE PERFECT PLOT

The final persistently-relevant aspect of the romance genre is its well-executed plot. In terms of conflict between the protagonist and love interest, Radway writes, “The final outcome of the story turns upon a fundamental process of reinterpretation, whereby [there heroine] suddenly and clearly sees that the behavior she feared was actually the product of deeply felt passion and a previous hurt” (65). The plot must fall in such a way that allows both the hero and the heroine to be excused for any wrongdoings or misunderstandings throughout the story, while also not sacrificing the necessary chemistry between the two characters. This allows the protagonist to forgive the love interest for any perceived wrongdoings without sacrificing her previously held standards.

Happy Place again aligns with Radway’s description of the ideal popular romance novel in its plot. Harriet and Wyn have broken up at the start of the book, and Harriet believes Wyn has slighted her by ending their relationship. She thinks, “He promised he would always love me. It can’t be real” (Henry 279). However, through continual communication and proximity, Harriet discovers that Wyn had good intentions all along, and only hurt her because of his own insecurities and sadness after his father had passed away; Wyn admits, “I felt like I was failing him, and my mom, and you. I wanted you to be happy, Harriet” (Henry 286). Thus, in the end, Wyn is blameless for his actions because of his good intentions and is easily forgiven. The difference, however, is that Happy Place includes a plotline separate from the conflict between the two lovers. In addition to resolving the issues surrounding her breakup, Harriet also learns a lesson about herself; after much self-reflection, Harriet decides that she had mistakenly prioritized her career (which she had chosen to please her parents) over “happiness, love, and safety” (Henry 312). This factor adds a new layer to the perfect plot by emphasizing once again female agency and self-prioritization, key elements of the target romance reader’s supposed fantasy.

CONCLUSION

In a meta-symbolic way, Harriet’s mantra of priorities—“happiness, love, and safety”—ring familiar to the study Radway conducted in the 1980s (Henry 312). Thus, the “happy place” Harriet continually reaches for as an escape from the daunting reality is the same pull that readers typically gravitate towards when picking up a mass-market romance novel. That is to say, romance genre fiction is the target reader’s “happy place,” which is significant because of its reflections in publication patterns and successes. Through the protagonist, the love interest, and the plot, romance novels indicate the values of women (or at least, what authors and publishers believe to be the values of women). Ultimately, romance genre fiction remains, and will likely continue to be, a formulaic and repetitive genre. But this does not warrant its dismissal, as it can serve to reflect the societal perspectives about its readership.

Works Cited

Ardis, Ann. “E. M. Hull, Mass Market Romance and the New Woman Novel in the Early Twentieth Century.” Women’s Writing, vol. 3, no. 3, Oct. 1996, pp. 287–96. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/0969908960030307.

Polk, Shelbi. “A Deep Dive into Our Favorite Romance Novel Tropes.” Shondaland, 1 Apr. 2024, www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a60345430/a-deep-dive-into-our-favorite-romance-novel-tropes/.

Radway, Janice A. “Women Read the Romance: The Interaction of Text and Context.” Feminist Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, 1983, pp. 53–78. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3177683.

Sinykin, Dan. Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature. Columbia University Press, 2023.

Weiter, Taylor. “‘Happy Place’: Cincinnati Native Emily Henry’s Book to Become a Netflix Series.” WCPO 9 Cincinnati, WCPO 9 Cincinnati, 26 June 2024, www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/happy-place-cincinnati-native-emily-henrys-book-to-become-a-netflix-series.