Like us, our heroine has evolved over time. Gone are the days of the waif who has been orphaned and needs a knight in shining armour to come and rescue her and her crumbling family estate. Or the sweet, innocent virgin sold by her father, to the man that will save the family fortune.
When I first started reading Mills & Boons a lot were based in England and were centered around the landed, genteel hero and heroine. A lot of the times the heroine was young, barely 20 and sometimes the hero was as old as 40. For me being the young woman that I was that seemed soooo old - now I'm that age, it's not old at all! But I struggled with the huge age gap between the characters, of course it didn't dampen my passion for romance novels, far from it!
Nowadays most of our heroines are mid 20's and have careers. They're independent women who are making their own way in the world. Some even take on the hero in the boardroom.
I like the evolution that I've seen over the years. The age difference is not so noticeable now. These days I'm older than the characters in the book *sigh* even though I don't feel it!
There are a lot of stories now, more I guess in paranormal, where the heroine is kick-ass and needs no one.
As we have progressed in our way of life, so have our heroines. But they still need that man who will make them act all starry eyed every now and then.
What do you think about today's heroines?
4 comments:
I love how heroines have changed, and I think they reflect the diversity of modern women. My favourite type of heroine, though, is the quirky one.
I'm in the planning stages of my next book at the moment, and have detailed character sketches, but I was dismayed to realise I don't really like my heroine. She's perfect for the story, well developed and interesting, but if I met her, I wouldn't want to be her friend. I'm hoping the hero's love will soften her!
The heroine is the main character in popular romance fiction and we have to identify with her for the story to work.
Like Nicole I enjoy the modern heroine but I don't like her to be too brassy or out there. For she she becomes unbelievable.
I like heroines who have imperfections. They should have a mix of attractive features and ones that normally aren't associated with classical beauty. But I'm over the whole 'voluptuous curves' thing when describing a heroine who is overweight.
I like heroines who have lived in the world and have the scars to prove it.
And like the heroes they have to suffer for love.
I love the progress heroines and female writers have made over the last few hundred years.
From women writing under male names to a heroine who was too helpless to care about... I love the new breed so much better.
There is nothing more frustrating that reading a romance novel and not caring if they end up "happily ever after" because he is a control freak and she is a doormat.
I love a strong heroine that can keep up with her equally strong hero in both intelligence and in charisma.
Ultimately, they have to have characteristics that I would admire in a real person or I am not going to read hundreds of pages about them.
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