Love through the Ages: Redefining Romance in Sex Education, Wanderlust and Grace and Frankie

Romance fiction inevitably reveals much of the romantic values and traditions of its time, reflecting cultural and societal changes that promoted changes in romance literature. Despite the many changes and interpretations romance fiction has seen, the idea persists that romantic comedies promote fantasies rather than reflect real life. However, a genre must draw from related cultural phenomena in order to persist. As our romantic values and our experiences change, so do the ways these stories are told. Romantic comedy engages with our discourse on romance and relationships and though they may be packaged differently today, they are essentially what they have always been: stories about relationships, about intimacy, about the human experience of connecting, intimately, with another. Modern works such as Sex Education, Wanderlust and Grace and Frankie demonstrate how the genre of romantic comedy has redefined itself. These television shows reveal an awareness of the genre’s...Show moreRomance fiction inevitably reveals much of the romantic values and traditions of its time, reflecting cultural and societal changes that promoted changes in romance literature. Despite the many changes and interpretations romance fiction has seen, the idea persists that romantic comedies promote fantasies rather than reflect real life. However, a genre must draw from related cultural phenomena in order to persist. As our romantic values and our experiences change, so do the ways these stories are told. Romantic comedy engages with our discourse on romance and relationships and though they may be packaged differently today, they are essentially what they have always been: stories about relationships, about intimacy, about the human experience of connecting, intimately, with another. Modern works such as Sex Education, Wanderlust and Grace and Frankie demonstrate how the genre of romantic comedy has redefined itself. These television shows reveal an awareness of the genre’s conventions, the scepticism, the struggle and yet the wish persists to believe in the happily-ever after.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Love through the Ages: Redefining Romance in Sex Education, Wanderlust and Grace and Frankie