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Part 1 of Suzette's series for the "Moonlight Madness" event is available here.
by Suzette L. Mako (continued from last time...) Just as with feminine archetypes, the Romance hero - who, in his most basic archetypal role, represents the mythic Gatekeeper or Guardian of Mysteries - is tinged with numerous other role models. These roles both complement and contrast the aforementioned feminine roles of Maiden, Amazon, Mother and Priestess. It is in the attaining of balance between these types that the story finds its tension, its conflict and its eventual resolution. For example, the Maiden is complemented in masculine terms by a hero who exemplifies the role of the Quester. Typically a Beta male bent on achieving some goal through whatever trials befall him, he is a spiritual hero. Paranormal heroes such as angels and ghosts, or even vampires, are questing heroes, trying to resolve their spiritual states or issues to attain personal realization. The Amazon is matched by the Warrior. Alpha Male and Alpha Female, these two powerful types are incendiary together but magnificent in their triumphant bonding. The tale of a fiery heroine who flouts society to be in the arms of her pirate lover is a typical Amazon/Warrior Romance. When that same heroine gently cradles her injured buccaneer, tenderly nursing him back to vitality, she evinces the qualities of the archetypal Mother. The corresponding Father role is rarely applied to Romance heroes until they have bonded with the heroine and are comfortable with displaying the gentle, nurturing qualities of fatherhood. More common are glimpses of this nurturing side of the hero in moments frequently unseen by the heroine - as when he cares for a child or animal, or even the heroine herself. These are the moments that generate the reader's faith in the existence of these traits in an otherwise harsh and unyielding male creature. They give the reader the hope in the hero's basic humanity. Foils for the Priestess/Sorceress in the female role might be the Priest/Wizard. Both of these character types are strongly motivated by spiritual needs, but augment the pure or elemental spirituality of the neophyte Maiden or Quester with knowledge. The Wizard hero is erudite, a man of self-realization and power. The woman who seeks him seeks a comparable power within herself. Rarely, however, are pairings in Romance so basic. Through the course of any one story, the heroine can be Maiden, Amazon, Mother and more. The hero can move from Wizard to Warrior while on his own quest. The excitement of the tale is in the ever-changing balance between these two metamorphosing characters.
The copyright of the article Facets of the Feminine Psyche: The Romance's Psychological Landscapes, PART 2 in Romance Genre is owned by Suzette L. Mako. Permission to republish Facets of the Feminine Psyche: The Romance's Psychological Landscapes, PART 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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