Facets of the Feminine Psyche: The Romance's Psychological Landscapes, PART 2
As stated before, one might discern much of what goes on in a Romance readers' mind in terms of her views of partnerships with men, by considering the types of heroes she finds most appealing. Is he the "typical" Alpha Male hero, physically and socially dominant? Or is he perhaps a Beta type, more intellectual and in touch with emotions and spirit? Through him, what is she seeking to balance, enhance, or complement in her own psyche?
In understanding the hero and through this understanding, identifying with his motivations, the reader gains insights on her own feelings about men, relationships, and those qualities within her that are generally considered masculine - rationality, strength through dominance, dispassion and so forth. She gains a better understanding of the necessary balance between these and the qualities of emotion, the strength of vulnerability, and passion, generally considered the province of women.
This sort of integration is at the heart of the Romance storytelling tradition. Overtly, Romance tells of the integration of hero and heroine into a cohesive union, but there is integration occurring on deeper levels as well. One of the most easily recognized of these internal integrations is experienced by the hero, who learns to accept his anima, his female aspects, melding the Warrior and Father qualities into a man of power, passion and compassion. This hero is a man who has been gentled but not tamed; he loses none of his masculine strength in developing traits most commonly labelled (and derided) as feminine. The Romance heroine also finds an internal fusion of masculine qualities. She faces, accepts and empowers herself through the integration and exploitation of so-called masculine qualities and virtues. Likewise, she is strengthened by facing her animus, her masculine shadow-self, and conquering the demons it represents.
One way in which this form of integration occurs transcends the roles of reader and character. While the story's heroine is experiencing her epiphanies, the reader vicariously lives them, too. As well, the reader is able to project herself into both the heroine's and the hero's characters. In this way, she can be both the seduced and the seducer. By thus identifying with the hero's role, a reader may be able to translate the lessons learned thereby into methods for molding her own romantic partners, so to mold them more near her heart's desire.
The romance novel... "has produced the new male - strong and intensely physical, but possessing
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