Romance

"Romance is a fictitious narrative in prose or verse, the interest of which turns upon incidents either marvelous or uncommon" (Encyclopedia Americana 646d). Romance is a medieval tale based on legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural (Keepler 962). A new interest in the medieval romance had an ifluence in the naming of the nineteenth century, Romanticism (Drabble 842). Romance is a narrative that focuses on what happens in the plot (Frye, Northrop, et. al 403).The medieval Latin word,"romanice", is it's derivitive (Drabble 841). Romance is also a medieval tale that is based on legend, chilvaric love and adventure, or the supernatural. It can sometimes be called a love story (Keepler 962). Romance, in linguistics, can be developed from the Romance Languages (Benet 870).

As a literary genere, Romance is a long poem or tale, orig. written in the Romance dialect derived from any of the languages Vulgar Latin: excitement, love of the kind found in such literature. According to Putnam in some works of Romance is "full of supernatural deeds of valor,implausible, and complicated adventures, duels, and enchantments." (1676) A romantic story must focus on a love relationship between two people and it must have an emotionally satisfying and optomistic ending. Romance is based on love and love has a very deep, basic meaning. Love is a strong affection or liking for someone or something. "Love was important enough to the Greeks and Romans that they has gods of love, Eros and Cupid."(349) An example of romance or love used in literature is "My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee give recompense. Thy love is such I can no way repay; The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray."

There are two types of romance, which we call aristocratic and the popular. They call on the same themes and proptities but differ in scale. The aristocratic romance makes clear its descent from the epic; it is a large-scale work interweaving many narrative threads. The popular romance is focused on simplicity and concentration, as in the ballad. It sets out to tell a story. (Gillian 6)

Works Cited

Keepler, Kathleen. "Romance." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. New York,1995.

Drabble, Margaret. "Romance Languages." The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 5th ed.New York,1985.

Benet, William. "Romance." The Reader's Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. New York,1965.

Frye, Northrop,et. al. "Romance." The Harper Handbook to Literature.1997

Mack "et al." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.5th ed. New York. 1949

Bain,Beaty,and Hunter. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. New York,1973.

The Southwestern Company. Student Handbook. Vol.2.

Beer, Gillian. The Romance. Great Britain, 1970.