Tall, Dark and Handsome: The Themes, Symbols and Imagery at the Romance Genre's Heart PART 2

Tall, Dark and Handsome:
The Themes, Symbols and Imagery at the Romance Genre's Heart
PART 2/SUITE 101
by Suzette L. Mako

(Continued from last time)

"Tall, dark, and handsome." In those few words (which, by the way, are rarely - if ever - used in Romance unless with tongue firmly in cheek), this description draws forth images of the Alpha male (sexually and socially dominant) and melds them with challenging mythic symbols of negative forces to be overcome. The independent and virginal heroine of Romance is her own shorthand: she is the archetypal Maiden on the journey to maturity and the hero's Alpha female complement.

These two move from wary regard through sometimes grudging respect on their way to a mutual admiration and affection that deepens into love and commitment. Neither is lessened or compromised by the relationship; in fact, both emerge better people because of the experiences and emotions they share.

They share ideals as well, which is sometimes as much a surprise to the uninitiate critical reader of Romance as it is to the Romance hero himself. It seems that such critics, not unlike our hero, find it unsettling to confront a heroine - a female! - for whom honor and integrity are of as much value as they are to any man. She is imbued with courage and determination, is fiercely loyal, and possesses a deep-seated sense of justice (tempered with mercy).

The critic who cannot accept such a heroine or who thinks her an imitation male or hero, must be ignorant of a woman's power at the deepest of levels. This is the sort of reader who insists that women be relegated to a very few sexual stereotypes: Timorous Virgin, Amazon Queen, Frustrated Spinster, Good Wife, and so on. Here must be one who is not only unaware but who is adamant in remaining so. How sad that such a person will miss a facet of the symbolic everywoman, who if embraced will give the reader the same loyalty as she offers her hero.

What the Romance heroine offers her mate is really nothing so simple as mere loyalty. While loyalty connotes staying by a partner come what may, she offers fidelity. The word faithful, describing this sort of commitment, comes from the Latin word for faithful. And what is faith but the soul recognition and adherence to truth? The Romance heroine's gift to her hero is symbolic of not just companionship, but a sort of redemption born of love.