Who Says Men Can’t Write Romance?Men have been writing romance longer than women. For example, William Shakespeare’s timeless, romantic play, Romeo and Juliet has been played, replayed, imitated and rewritten, countless times. Other Shakespeare plays: “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Twelfth Night”, to name a few, have strong romantic themes. Miguel de Cervantes, sixteenth century Spanish author, wrote of the chaste love of Don Quixote for his Ducinea.
Women in those days were forbidden from writing under their
own names and later on, a few brave, talented women wrote under the pseudonyms
of George Eliot and George Sand. Hey, this article is about men!
Men continued to write great literature with romantic
elements like, Sons and Lovers and Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller, From Here to Eternity by James Jones and
Tender is the Night by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, to mention only a few.
And that, you may say, is that for men in romance. And I say
WRONG, Cupid-breath. Men are still incredibly romantic today and while some,
like the phenomenally talented Brindle Chase and Nicholas Sparks write
heterosexual romance books, others, like the brilliant Lee Brazil and a
countless number of his friends and colleagues write gay romance books. 
Some men, intrigued by romance but looking for bigger bucks,
have moved away from publishing into the higher-paying realm of screenwriting.
Many of the best romance movies, past and present, have been written by men.
You’ll find men’s hearts take flight in this most visual of media, creating
romantic situations, great dialogue for women and scorching love scenes on
celluloid. From Casablanca written by
Julius Epstein to Ghost, written by
Bruce Joel Rubin. From The Philadelphia Story
by David Ogden Stewart to, Serendipity by Mark Klein, men have been
penning romance for the big screen since movies began.
Many of our favorite classic romantic movies are written by
men…almost any Fred Astaire movie, It
Happened One Night, While You Were
Sleeping (okay, this is my favorite) and Sabrina.
And when it comes to a more present-day movie romance, one
male writer shines through the rest. Richard Curtis, a non-descript man, has
written several of the most popular, most romantic movies in recent history,
including: Notting Hill, Love, Actually and both Bridget Jones Diary movies.
While women lay claim to
soft hearted romantic notions, men buy most of the flowers, fancy chocolates,
expensive jewelry (engagement rings) and kneel in humiliating positions to
claim the hand of their lady fair. Or put their proposal on the big screen at
Yankee Stadium. According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day, as we know it, was created
by poets (men) during the time of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages. And what
of poets? Who are “The Romantic Poets”? All men: William Blake, Lord Byron,
William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, Percy Shelley and John Keats, to name a
few.
What
about romantic music? The most romantic music in the United States, except for
Jazz, came from early Broadway musicals, dominated by men. Composers and
lyricists like: Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe,
Rogers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart, wrote some of the most romantic music
ever.
So
why shouldn’t men take their romantic notions back to the written page, where
it all started? No reason. Men, I hand you a pen and a pad. Please, put your
sexy, romantic notions down on paper. I’m reaching into my purse and getting in
line to buy your sigh-inducing, heat-producing, all-encompassing romantic
books. Write on!
Thanks for having me here, Lee. This one was so much fun to write.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. Great post.
ReplyDeleteA person who claims another is genetically limited in their abilities due to sex, race, whatever...is a reflection of a closed and shallow mind rather than rational thought. There is no excuse for bias and discrimination in any form, on any topic, in any arena.
Thanks, David. Especially when the facts prove them wrong. And I could have written thousands more words on this subject.
DeleteExcellent post, Jean. Very much thought out. And don't forget there are men who have written for Harlequin using a feminine pen name!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that, Pat! Thanks for that addition. LOL. Such a shame they couldn't be themselves.
DeleteWill do. Starting novel number five. ;)
ReplyDeletePosted on FB that even Stephen King wrote romance under a woman's name. I don't know how good it was, but he did it. On a side note, didn't the whole notion of Chivalry and romantic love come from poets and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales? Men, men, men. So, the question is not why aren't they writing it, it's why don't we give them the props today?
ReplyDeleteDon't know. You're right, they started all this romance stuff. And aren't we glad they did?
DeleteI have shelves crammed with romantic novels written by men that have left me weepy and exhilarated afterwards. On a smaller scale, I work as a floral designer, and some of the notes men have written to their sweethearts make my heart skip a beat. Most definately, men can write romance. :)
ReplyDeleteFloral designer, what a wonderful profession! I'll bet you do see some romantic men!! They do buy most of the flowers, too, I'll bet. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteOf course men can write romance, just as women can write hard-boiled action/suspense. Writing is done with the brain not with the genitals. It would be very awkward and smudgy if it was otherwise.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Well said, Alex!
DeleteOne of my favorite authors is Josh Lanyon. He can make me feel like I'm there, a part of the love between two men (even though I'm a woman) better than a lot of female authors can.
ReplyDeleteGreat he can do that. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteOh same here, I loved Josh's Adrien English series and Cards on the Table, he writes excellent romance novels. I don't think that men cannot write romance but it depends on the author how a book turns out.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Thanks for commenting, Lyra.
DeleteI had heard that men couldn't write romance and that is so not true! I think men are definitely capable of feeling and writing deep emotions! I am not saying all men would care to even think about romance but some do!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Not all men would but many men can. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteYeah! Bust another ridiculous gender-assumption
ReplyDeleteYou bet! Thanks for the comment.
Deleteso true!! loved it!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cathy.
DeleteGood commentary on these inspiring men of romance. I wish I could write and produce the romance these men felt. I'm failing in my current story but hope to turn it around.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do, too. Pablo. They can be inspiration to you.
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