romance novel heroes

[danae_cassandra]

I have been wondering - why is it in time-travel romances, the heroine is always from the future, the hero always from the past? Katrina offered up that it's likely because that way the reader can identify with the heroine more, but I'm not convinced that's the answer.

Know what I think? I think it's the same reason that the man is always a lord

Comments

Sad?

[purplemoonwoman]

For the following statement to be true, one has to accept that there are certain basic gender dominate behaviors that are naturally occurring in members of each sex in a majority of cases. <-- disclaimer

Re: Sad?

[celtickittenmew]

Okaaaay. So, here's my 2 cents worth:
a) I am reading a book in which the female is the heroine of a **snicker** vampire/werewolf book and neither guy is a bumbling idiot.
b) Said same heroine is not "spunky" she's shy, retiring, sniffly, and weak on the inside- though healthy, average- outside.
c) I like vampire/werewolf books and find that many times the lead females are quiet, shy, and bookish, while the males are quiet, wild, and on the slim side (which is okay to want too. Chicks do dig skinny pale guys!).
Okay! Okay! 5 cents worth! LOL, mew ^ ^

[rubyjuls]

Are you saying that in time travel the woman has to be from the future so it is believable that she can hold her own against the 'stronger' hero?

[danae_cassandra]

Not exactly ... what I'm trying to say is why isn't there woman from the past/man from the future stuff (I did think of one, but that's it). Is it that it's easier to have a romantic hero when you can ascribe all those 'romantic' notions that no independent modern woman would really tolerate in a man to 'oh, he's just a product of his time.' Is it easier to forgive the chauvinism that comprises traditional romance when he's someone from the past?

I'm trying to figure out both why romance novels annoy me - and why I keep reading them.