POV Community Engagement & Education Discussion GuiDe A Film by Julie Moggan www.pbs.org/pov
Letter from the filmmaker LonDon, March 2012 at the age of 30, i broke up with the man who d been my boyfriend since i was 17. The romance of my teenage years was over, and i was left with some big questions about love. shortly afterward, i came across an article stating that every four seconds a romance novel published by harlequin or its British counterpart, Mills & Boon, is sold. i thought Mills & Boon was a dying institution, with a readership made up solely of elderly British ladies. in fact, the company was hugely successful all over the world, exporting to 109 countries across six continents. i was clearly not the only one preoccupied with questions of love. i purchased my first romance novel, Bedded by the Greek Billionaire, and so began a two and a half year journey into the wonderful world of harlequin and Mills & Boon. i met with readers, writers and editorial staff in the united Kingdom, united states, Japan and india. Looking closely at people s deep affection for harlequin and Mills & Boon the world over became a way to address universal questions about the meaning of true love. in Tokyo, i attended reader tea parties and met with women who d dedicated whole rooms of their homes to romance novel collections. in Delhi, i visited libraries full of Mills & Boon books dating back to the 1950s and met men who fondly reminisced about using the books as love making manuals in their younger days. i brunched with male cover models in new York and traveled to san Francisco to join 2,000 delegates at a romance writers convention. Filmmaker Julie Moggan Photo courtesy of Bram Belloni in the end, i chose to tell the stories of just a handful of the characters i d met on my travels: three readers, their real life romeos, one romance writer and a cover model. i came to realize that the film i wanted to make was not really about the harlequin franchise or the marketing of desire. What i wanted to explore, through the nucleus of the romance novel phenomenon, was the gap between our dreams of how we d like our lives to be and the reality of how they actually are. shirley and Phil, hiroko and seiich, shumita, roger and stephen stood out to me as warm, honest, and hugely likeable individuals, all yearning for something more in their lives. Their struggles to bridge the gap between romantic fantasy and everyday reality (and the generosity with which they shared these struggles on camera) offered a rich canvas on which to explore the universal quest of love. My hope is that the finished film will take audiences beyond some of the negative clichés associated with the romance genre, allowing them whether fans of the novels or not to recognize aspects of themselves and their own experiences in the lives of the subjects. Julie Moggan Filmmaker, 2
table of contents credits 3 Introduction 4 Potential Partners 4 Key Issues 5 Using This Guide 5 Background Information 5 Overview of the Romance Genre 5 The Romance Book Buyer 6 Romance Genres and Subgenres 6 About Mills & Boon and Harlequin 7 General Discussion Questions 7 Discussion Prompts 8 Taking Action 9 Resources 10 How to Buy the Film Writer Faith Rogow, PhD Insighters Educational Consulting Guide Producers and background research, PoV eliza Licht Vice President, Community Engagement & Education, POV Jamie Dobie Coordinator, Community Engagement & Education, POV design: Rafael Jiménez eyeball copy editor: Natalie Danford thanks to those who reviewed this guide: Julie Moggan Director, Rachel Wexler Producer, Lynne Blinkenberg Director of Community Engagement, Wisconsin Public Television introduction every four seconds a romance novel published by harlequin or its British counterpart, Mills & Boon, is sold somewhere in the world. Julie Moggan s takes this global phenomenon seriously, even as it provides an amusing and touching glimpse into the lives of five romance devotees. ironies abound in the contrasts between the real lives of the books readers and the fantasy world to which they escape. at its core, explores a universal human struggle to reconcile inner fantasy with the tragicomic truths of real-life relationships. it reminds viewers that everyone must ultimately find their dreams in the real world. 3
PotentiaL Partners key issues is well suited for use in a variety of settings and is especially recommended for use with: your local Pbs station, bookstore or library Groups focused on any of the issues listed in the key issues section high school students faith-based organizations and institutions cultural, art and historical organizations, institutions and museums civic, fraternal and community groups academic departments and student groups at colleges, universities and high schools is an excellent tool for outreach and will be of special interest to people looking to explore the following topics: books creative writing english/language arts escapist literature fantasy feminism Gender roles harlequin/mills & boon publishers Literature Love Popular culture Psychology Pulp fiction romance romance novels sensuality Women s studies using this Guide This guide is an invitation to dialogue. it is based on a belief in the power of human connection, designed for people who want to use to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. and be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult. For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit www.pbs.org/pov/outreach 4
background information overview of the romance Genre in 2012, the romance genre took the largest share of the consumer book market worldwide, 12.9% ($1.358 billion), beating out religion/inspirational ($759 million), mystery ($682 million), science fiction/fantasy ($559 million) and classic literary fiction ($445 million). according to the popular genre magazine rt Book reviews (formerly known as romantic Times), the average romance reader today spends about $100 monthly reading anywhere from 10 to 40 books a month. readers, critics and academics argue over the roots of the romance genre, though many credit Jane austen as the genre s originator. others trace the modern romance genre back to Middle english romances of the mid-14th century or the stories of King arthur, of charlemagne and roland or of alexander the Great. The romance industry as it exists today began in england, but communities of romance readers and writers exist all over the world, from Bangladesh to south africa to Mexico. in A Natural History of the Romance Novel, Pamela regis outlines the eight narrative conventions that make a romance a romance: society defined, the meeting, the barrier, the attraction, the declaration, the point of ritual death, the recognition and the betrothal. according to the romance Writers of america, two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. sources: ogas, ogi. The online World of Female Desire. The Wall street Journal, april 30, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/sb10001424052748704463804576291181 510459902.html the romance book buyer a 2011 romance book consumer survey sponsored by the romance Writers of america showed the following: romance book buyers divide largely along gender lines: 91% of romance book buyers are women, and only 9% are men. The majority of u.s. romance book buyers fall into the 30 to 54 age group. The weighted mean annual income of a romance book buyer who buys only print books is $58,000, but romance e-book buyers have a mean annual income of $70,000. More than half of the respondents reported living with a spouse or significant other. The top factor when deciding to buy a romance is the story (46%); next is the author (23%). half of the romance book buyers surveyed reported purchasing at least one new romance per month. The remainder purchased one every two to three months (22%) or less frequently. Geographic distribution of romance readers in the united states can be broken down as follows: northeast: 17% Midwest: 26% south: 38% West: 19% source: romance Writers of america. http://www.rwa.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_statistics romance Writers of america. http://www.rwa.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_statistics Tschorn, adam. Bodice-rippers unite. The Los Angeles Times, april 9, 2011. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/09/entertainment/la-et-romanceconvention-20110409 5
background information romance Genres and subgenres according to the romance Writers of america, there are two formats for romance fiction: series or category romances: books issued under a common imprint/series name that are numbered sequentially and released at regular intervals, usually monthly, with the same number of releases each time. These books are most commonly published by harlequin s silhouette imprint. single-title romances: longer romances released individually and not as part of a numbered series. single-title romances may be released in hardcover, trade paperback or mass-market paperback formats. While all romances have central love stories and emotionally satisfying endings, they may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time and have varying levels of sensuality. romance fiction can be broken down further into various subgenres, based on setting and plot elements. These subgenres include: contemporary romance novels that focus primarily on romantic relationships and typically set after 1945. historical romance novels set in any time period prior to 1945 and taking place in any location. inspirational romance novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are a major part of the romantic relationship. novels with strong romantic elements a work of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries. Paranormal romance novels in which the future, a fantasy world or paranormal happenings are an integral part of the plot. regency romance novels in which the majority of the story is set in the regency period of the British empire. romantic suspense romance novels in which suspense, mystery or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot. young adult romance novels with a strong romantic theme geared toward young adult readers. source: romance Writers of america. http://www.rwa.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_statistics about mills & boon and harlequin every four seconds a harlequin or Mills & Boon romance novel is sold. Gerald Mills and charles Boon founded Mills & Boon Limited in 1908. Mills & Boon is now part of harlequin enterprises, a global company that sells more than 130 million books worldwide each year. These novels are published in 26 different languages and sold in 109 countries. The company has a global base of 1,300 authors. Mills & Boon is one of the top ten adult fiction publishers in the united Kingdom. Mills & Boon sells 10 million books each year in the united Kingdom; 7 million of those are romance novels. u.k. monthly Mills & Boon readership is more than 1.3 million. Mills & Boon series books are released in two shipping cycles each month (the first and third Friday of the month) and have a one-month shelf life. approximately 70 titles are published every month in the united Kingdom, including more than 50 brand-new series titles. in the past 50 years, Mills & Boon characters have had 10,325 weddings, 29,500 kisses and 35,250 hugs. Mills & Boon is an entry in the oxford english Dictionary given the definition a (type of) popular romantic novel. source: Mills & Boon. http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/facts.asp 6
GeneraL discussion Questions One way to get a discussion going is to pose a general question such as: if you could ask anyone in the film a single question, who would you ask and what would you ask him or her? if a friend asked you what this film was about, what would you say? describe a moment or scene in the film that spoke truth to you. What was it about that scene that was especially compelling? What did you learn from this film? What insights did it provide? discussion PromPts the appeal The film opens with this line: every four seconds, a harlequin romance is sold somewhere in the world. in your view, what is the appeal of these books? What do you learn from the film about why these books are so popular? What do you do for escape or pleasure? how does your enjoyment of that activity compare with the reasons given by the women in the film for their love of romance novels? here are some of those reasons: There was a lot missing in my life and that s why i enjoyed reading the books, says shirley. The books are filled with excitement no down time. everyone wants passion. if a partner doesn t provide it, it s sought somewhere else. hiroko s husband, seiich, says, My wife often asks me to say nice words to her like in the novels. But i can t really say these words, so i think it s okay that she reads to compensate for what i can t give her. Why do you think he has trouble talking like the men in the novels and why do some women like the language of the novels so much? stephen says, We re all yearning for love. in your view, do harlequin books satisfy that yearning? the Genre What is the distinction between fantasies involving romance and other fantasy worlds with popular appeal (e.g., online games or star Trek conventions)? What is the function of fantasy in our lives? The film includes lots of racy passages from harlequin romances. What is the difference between romance novels sold in mainstream retail outlets and pornography, which is available only in adult retail outlets? in the film, we find out that author Gill sanderson is, in fact, a middle-aged single man named roger. Did that surprise you? Does it matter who actually writes the books? roger says, Women are more interested in relationships and in talking about relationships than men. Women like to be told things, over and over again. in your experience, is this true? how do the designs and marketing of romance novels reflect and reinforce this belief about women? roger explains the romance formula, saying that in every book, readers have learned something about themselves and about love. What types of things do you think they learn? What are the primary messages of harlequin romances? how do the values embedded in those messages compare to the values you would hope to convey to young people? the effects shirley s husband, Phil, says, oh, she likes reading, but it s a harmless pastime. Do you agree? are harlequin romances simply inconsequential fantasies? hiroko says, after i d been reading them a long time, i wanted to experience my harlequin dream world in reality. What role did the novels play in influencing the real-life decisions of the women in the film? What actions did they take to bring their fantasies to life? reflecting on her failed marriage, shumita asks, What happened to all the promises these books made to me? at what point does healthy fantasy cross over into setting up false expectations for real life? What role do books play in shaping people s ideas and behaviors? romance novelist roger says, The heroes have got to be alpha-men. They ve got to be fit, good-looking, they can t be 7
discussion PromPts fat. could you have a red-headed hero? never done one, never will. Why would it be a problem to have a red-headed hero (especially for a British author)? More generally, what assumptions about men, women and acceptable gender roles does this worldview reflect? is it a worldview that you share? What would the world be like if real life were like a harlequin novel? Who would the winners and losers be? Who would have the best chance at achieving success and happiness and who would have little chance? hiroko struggles with the cost of her dance lessons. What percentage of your income would you spend on making a fantasy come true, and what do you think you would gain from it? Love and romance roger says, We celebrate, in every Mills & Boon book, the power of love. and it is the emotion, i think, which governs most people s lives. is that true for you? What roles do romance and sex play in your life? What cultural or religious messages shape your beliefs about those roles? stephen talks about twin flames and soul mates. Do you believe in soul mates? What is the source of that belief? how does it compare to marriage and sexual partnerships in other time periods and cultures? Why do you think the notion of soul mates might be particularly popular in this culture and time period? in the books, great value is placed on physical appearance. Yet the handsome model who literally represents the quintessential romance novel hero is divorced and single. What does that say about the connection between good looks and successful relationships? Do you notice any correlations between the characteristics of typical romance novel heroes and the characteristics of the men the film s women choose to marry? how about between the actions of romance novel heroes and the way that these men treat their wives? Where do the people in the film seek advice on finding the passion they are looking for? Who do you look to for advice on love and relationships? hiroko dresses up for her dance teacher and says that when she met him it was love at first sight because he has the look of the heroes in the harlequin novels. in reality, she has no relationship with him; she creates a fantasy around him. how do people differentiate between fantasies they would like to see happen and fantasies that they enjoy but want to keep as fantasies? sanjay says there is no chance he and shumita will get back together because she s a militant feminist. What do you think he means by that and why would it preclude continuing their marriage? Part of the romance novel formula is a happy ending. What would your happy ending look like? What could you do to get there? additional media literacy questions are available at: www.pbs.org/pov/educators/media-literacy.php taking action analyze covers of romance novels. What are their messages? What stereotypes do they reinforce? Who is the target audience and how do you know? talk about what you learned from seeing the photo shoot in the film and discuss the ways in which media shape the content of our fantasies. convene a book club. read and discuss a romance novel. then watch and discuss the film. follow that by reading and discussing another romance novel and note any differences in the post-viewing reading experience. using stephen s board as an example, create your own vision board. share it with people who can help transform your visions into reality. 8
resources FILM-RELATED WEB SITES romance novels HARLEquIn www.harlequin.com The official website of the world s largest publisher of romance novels includes author blogs and reader forums. For the British division, Mills & Boon, visit www.millsandboon.co.uk. ROMAnTIc novelists ASSOcIATIOn http://www.rna-uk.org/ The website of this writers organization (which roger mentions in the film) includes information about activities promoting the genre, as well as a blog where you can find out more about romance novel authors and their work. ROMAncE WRITERS OF AMERIcA http://www.rwa.org/ This organization s website is dedicated to advancing the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy. concerns Journal of family Planning and reproductive HealtH care http://jfprhc.bmj.com/content/37/3/179.full in this 2011 blog post, psychologist susan Quilliam critiques the lessons that romance novels deliver about sex. Interact with at PBS.org www.pbs.org/pov/guiltypleasures PoV's Webby award-winning website offers a broad range of exclusive online content to enhance the broadcast of Guilty Pleasures Watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast (July 13, 2012 to aug. 12, 2012), download this discussion guide, lesson plans and other viewing resources, view photos from the film, and interact with the filmmaker through video interviews and an online Q&a soon after the documentary airs on PoV. What s Your POV? Share your thoughts about by posting a comment at www.pbs.org/pov/guiltypleasures/ Journal of international Women s studies http://www.bridgew.edu/soas/jiws/nov06/romancenovels.pdf in this traditional academic article, Gender, romance novels and Plastic sexuality in the united states: a Focus on Female college students, published in 2006, huei-hsia Wu analyzes differences in young male and female romance novel readers. PsycHology today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lovesevolver/201007/how-much-do-romance-novels-reflectwomens-desires in a post on the magazine s website entitled how Much Do romance novels reflect Women s Desires? Maryanne Fisher offers a quick take on romance novel characters as role models. 9
ResouRces To order for home use, go to shoppbs.org. To order for educational use, go to shoppbs.org/teachers. Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and beginning its 25th season on PBS in 2012, the award-winning POV series is the longestrunning showcase on American television to feature the work of today s best independent documentary filmmakers. Airing June through September with primetime specials during the year, POV has brought more than 300 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV s Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today s most pressing social issues. Visit www.pbs.org/pov. POV Digital www.pbs.org/pov POV s award-winning website extends the life of our films online with interactive features, interviews, updates, video and educational content, as well as listings for television broadcasts, community screenings and films available online. The POV Blog is a gathering place for documentary fans and filmmakers to discuss their favorite films and get the latest news. POV Community Engagement and Education www.pbs.org/pov/outreach POV develops and implements national Community Engagement & Education campaigns. Our team works with educators, community-based organizations and local public television stations to present free screenings of POV films and to develop and distribute accompanying educational resource materials nationwide. Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the desjardins/blachman Fund, and public television viewers. Funding for POV's Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG. American Documentary, Inc. www.amdoc.org American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying, and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream-media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic-engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online, and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation. You can follow us on Twitter @POVengage for the latest news from POV Community Engagement & Education. Front cover: Phil & Shirley Photo courtesy of Julie Moggan 25th Anniversary Partner: 25th Anniversary Partner: Media Sponsor: The See it On PBS logo is a trademark of the Public Broadcasting Service and is used with permission. All rights reserved.