Pamela Regis argues that the romance novel, the most popular but least respected of literary genres, does not enslave women but celebrates their freedom and joy. Regis provides critics with an expanded vocabulary for discussing a genre that is both classic and contemporary, sexy and entertaining. Preface: The Most Popular, Least Respected Literary Genre xi PART I. CRITICS AND THE ROMANCE NOVEL 1. The Romance Novel and Women's Bondage 3 2. In Defense of the Romance Novel 9 PART II. THE ROMANCE NOVEL DEFINED 3. The Definition 19 4. The Definition Expanded 27 5. The Genre's Limits 47 PART III. THE ROMANCE NOVEL, 1740-1908 6. Writing the Romance Novel's History 53 7. The First Best Seller: Pamela, 1740 63 8. The Best Romance Novel Ever Written: Pride and Prejudice, 1813 75 9. Freedom and Rochester: Jane Eyre, 1847 85 10. The Romance Form in the Victorian Multiplot Novel: Framley Parsonage, 1861 93 11. The Ideal Romance Novel: A Room with a View, 1908 99 PART IV. THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY ROMANCE NOVEL 12. The Popular Romance Novel in the Twentieth Century 107 13. Civil Contracts: Georgette Heyer 125 14. Courtship and Suspense: Mary Stewart 143 15. Harlequin, Silhouette, and the Americanization of the Popular Romance Novel: Janet Dailey 155 16. Dangerous Men: Jayne Ann Krentz 169 17. One Man, One Woman: Nora Roberts 183 Conclusion 205 Works Cited 209 Index 219 Acknowledgments 225