Mann verändere dich: Die Entwicklung des Helden gegenüber der Heldin in Harlequin-Liebesromanen

Eine interessante Studie hat klassische „Liebesromane“ aus der Harlequin Serie untersucht, insbesondere darauf welche Entwicklung die jeweiligen Charaktere durchmachen:

Previously, we examined the frequency with which words appear in Harlequin romance novel titles to explore women’s evolved mating interests. To complement that study, we now perform an exploratory study in which we compare hero and heroine development, with the goal of understanding what women seek in potential mates, and how they ideally conceptualize men. Heroes are always described in considerable detail (e.g., appearance, resources, and career status), while heroines are rarely described in these terms, or in this depth. These descriptions of men are congruent with the evolutionary psychology literature on women’s mate preferences. We found that heroes undergo noteworthy changes within the books, such that they often start as ‘cads’ who are often rude, independent, and aggressive, but by the end of the book they are loyal, devoted men who are in love with the heroine. In contrast, the heroine undergoes only minimal transformation. This desire for a mate who encompasses both a ‘cad’ and a ‘dad’ mating strategy is beneficial to women, evolutionarily speaking, because cads may have high gene quality and dads may provide high paternal investment.

Quelle: Man change thyself: Hero versus heroine development in Harlequin romance novels

Es geht also darum, wie die Hauptpersonen, also der Held und die Heldin typischerweise in diesen stark auf Frauen ausgerichteten Liebesromanen dargestellt werden, in der Vermutung damit auch zu verstehen, wie Frauen sich „ideale Männer“ vorstellen.

Dabei wird zunächst dargestellt, dass Männer ausführlich beschrieben werden, etwa in Bezug auf ihr Aussehen, ihre Ressourcen und ihren beruflichen Status, während die Frau selbst kaum beschrieben wird. Es werden also bei den Männern klassische Attraktivitätsmerkmale benannt, bei den Frauen aber eine leere Identifikationsfigur für die Leserin dargestellt, in der sich diese wiederfinden kann.

Vergleichbares findet man auch in den „Twilight Romanen“ oder den „Fifty shades of Grey“ Büchern. In beiden Fällen braucht die Frau keine besonderen Qualifikationen oder besondere Vorzüge, es muss kein Grund genannt werden, warum er gerade sie will.

Sie machen demnach auch keine Veränderung durch.

Die Männer hingegen sind am Anfang oft ungehobelt, unabhängig und aggressiv, aber am Ende des Buches sind sie loyale, hingebungsvolle Männer, die in die Heldin verliebt sind. Die Zähmung des Biests. Vom Alphamann zu IHREM Alphamann, der ihr verfallen ist, weil er sie so liebt.

Zur Story:

the plots of these romance novels are noticeably homogeneous. Within the first few pages, the heroine always meets the hero. As will be discussed in further detail, usually he is aloof, rude, or in some way undesirable to her. This perception could stem from the heroine’s misinterpretation of the situation, the hero’s lack of social skills, or simply because the hero is not an overall “nice guy.” Readers know, however, that he will transform within the remaining 180 or so pages (in our experience the typical length of a Harlequin series romance is 180-189 pages). He will become a charming, devout, loving man by the end of the book. The transformation might be caused by the influence of the heroine in that she causes him to see the error in his ways. That is, “her future happiness and his depends on her ability to teach him to love” (Barlow & Krentz, 1992, p.17). Alternatively, he might have been a kind-hearted person all along, but hides this side of his personality (under the cover of being aloof or rude) so as to avoid being taken advantage of or thought of as less masculine. Somewhere in the middle of the book, though, he begins to more openly express these positive traits, or else the heroine inadvertently discovers them. Thus, the transformation might partially be in terms of the heroine’s ability to recognize that the hero has some positive attributes that he did not initially express. However, almost always, the transformative change is focused on the hero, not the heroine.

Und noch einmal in der Übersetzung:

die Handlungen dieser Liebesromane sind auffallend homogen. Auf den ersten Seiten trifft die Heldin immer auf den Helden. Wie noch näher erläutert werden wird, ist er in der Regel unnahbar, unhöflich oder in irgendeiner Weise unerwünscht für sie. Diese Wahrnehmung könnte darauf zurückzuführen sein, dass die Heldin die Situation falsch einschätzt, dass es dem Helden an sozialer Kompetenz mangelt oder dass der Held einfach kein „netter Kerl“ ist. Die Leserinnen und Leser wissen jedoch, dass er sich innerhalb der verbleibenden etwa 180 Seiten verwandeln wird (unserer Erfahrung nach beträgt die typische Länge eines Harlequin-Serienromans 180-189 Seiten). Am Ende des Buches wird er sich in einen charmanten, hingebungsvollen und liebevollen Mann verwandeln. Die Verwandlung könnte durch den Einfluss der Heldin verursacht werden, indem sie ihn dazu bringt, die Fehler in seinem Leben einzusehen. Das heißt, „ihr und sein künftiges Glück hängt von ihrer Fähigkeit ab, ihn zu lieben zu lehren“ (Barlow & Krentz, 1992, S.17). Es kann aber auch sein, dass er von Anfang an ein gutherziger Mensch war, der diese Seite seiner Persönlichkeit (unter dem Deckmantel der Unnahbarkeit oder Unhöflichkeit) verbirgt, um nicht ausgenutzt zu werden oder als weniger männlich zu gelten. Irgendwann in der Mitte des Buches beginnt er jedoch, diese positiven Eigenschaften offener zum Ausdruck zu bringen, oder aber die Heldin entdeckt sie ungewollt. Die Verwandlung kann also teilweise darin bestehen, dass die Heldin erkennt, dass der Held positive Eigenschaften hat, die er anfangs nicht zum Ausdruck gebracht hat. Allerdings konzentriert sich die Veränderung fast immer auf den Helden und nicht auf die Heldin.

Wir haben also gewisse Hindernisse, wir haben aufgrund äußerer Merkmale und Status erst ein gewisses Interesse der Frau an einem Mann, der nicht so richtig passt und ihr auch nicht gleich zeigt, dass er sie mag, sondern der sie eher zurückweist. Aber entweder ihre Liebe/ihr Handeln oder die Umstände führen dazu, dass re sich öffnen kann, dann eben auch Interesse an ihr zeigen kann. Sie bauen ein gutes Verhältnis auf, Vertrauen, eine Verbindung zueinander und können sich dann ganz der Liebe hingeben.

Essentially then, a Harlequin plot can be summarized as follows: boy meets girl, boy has to do something to live up to girl’s expectations, girl falls for boy, and they live happily ever after. This formulaic plot in itself reflects women’s evolved mating interests, in that women are actively selecting a mate of good quality for a long-term relationship. The same plot could be written more explicitly in evolutionary psychological terms, which reads as follows: Female meets potential mate and assesses him with respect to gene quality, earning potential, parental investment, personality characteristics (including kindness, honesty, sociality) and emotional loyalty. Being the one to undertake the majority of parental investment, the female is very selective about her potential mates and decides that he needs to improve in certain aspects before he will be a viable choice. She also needs to determine with some certainty that he is interested in a long-term relationship with her. She must also figure out whether or not he has children with other females whom he will be required to invest in, and if so, she requires assurance that he will still care for her and her children. She also needs proof that he has positive relationships with those around him, such as his family, friends, co-workers, all of which reflects a soundness of character. The male ascertains that the female is not interested in a short-term mating strategy, and she seeks a mate with certain characteristics that he should express if he wants to engage in a sexually exclusive relationship with paternity certainty. In some instances, he engages in intrasexual competition to fend off potential rivals, which thus indicates to the female that he is interested in her, as well as displaying characteristics that might be desirable, such as physical strength. Any necessary competition, though, must not be overly violent, and is rarely initiated by the male so that the perception of his positive personality characteristics (e.g., kindness) remains intact. The female, at some point in their interactions, notices that he has these traits and decides that he is, after all, a viable mate, at which point she expresses her acceptance. The two of them then proceed and initiate a monogamous, committed relationship. As this example of a plot demonstrates, the focus is on the woman choosing a mate, thus placing the heroine within an active role in the mating process.

Und in der Übersetzung:

Eine Harlequin-Geschichte lässt sich im Wesentlichen wie folgt zusammenfassen: Ein Junge trifft ein Mädchen, der Junge muss etwas tun, um die Erwartungen des Mädchens zu erfüllen, das Mädchen verliebt sich in den Jungen, und sie leben glücklich bis an ihr Lebensende. Diese formelhafte Handlung spiegelt an sich schon das Paarungsinteresse der Frauen wider, da sie aktiv einen Partner von guter Qualität für eine langfristige Beziehung auswählen. Dieselbe Handlung könnte noch expliziter in evolutionspsychologischen Begriffen geschrieben werden, und zwar wie folgt: Die Frau lernt einen potenziellen Partner kennen und bewertet ihn im Hinblick auf die Qualität seiner Gene, sein Einkommenspotenzial, seine elterlichen Investitionen, seine Persönlichkeitsmerkmale (einschließlich Freundlichkeit, Ehrlichkeit, Sozialität) und seine emotionale Loyalität. Da das Weibchen den Großteil der elterlichen Investitionen tätigt, ist es sehr wählerisch, was seine potenziellen Partner angeht, und entscheidet, dass er sich in bestimmten Aspekten verbessern muss, bevor er für sie in Frage kommt. Sie muss auch mit einiger Sicherheit feststellen, ob er an einer langfristigen Beziehung mit ihr interessiert ist. Sie muss auch herausfinden, ob er Kinder mit anderen Frauen hat, in die er investieren muss, und wenn ja, braucht sie die Gewissheit, dass er sich weiterhin um sie und ihre Kinder kümmern wird. Sie braucht auch Beweise dafür, dass er positive Beziehungen zu seiner Umgebung hat, wie z. B. zu seiner Familie, seinen Freunden, seinen Mitarbeitern, was alles auf einen gesunden Charakter hindeutet. Das Männchen stellt fest, dass das Weibchen nicht an einer kurzfristigen Paarungsstrategie interessiert ist, und sucht einen Partner mit bestimmten Eigenschaften, die er aufweisen sollte, wenn er eine sexuell exklusive Beziehung mit sicherer Vaterschaft eingehen möchte. In einigen Fällen lässt er sich auf einen intrasexuellen Wettbewerb ein, um potenzielle Konkurrenten abzuwehren, was dem Weibchen signalisiert, dass er an ihr interessiert ist und auch Eigenschaften aufweist, die erwünscht sein könnten, wie etwa körperliche Stärke. Ein notwendiger Wettbewerb darf jedoch nicht übermäßig gewalttätig sein und wird nur selten vom Männchen initiiert, damit die Wahrnehmung seiner positiven Persönlichkeitsmerkmale (z. B. Freundlichkeit) erhalten bleibt. Das Weibchen bemerkt irgendwann im Laufe ihrer Interaktion, dass er diese Eigenschaften hat, und beschließt, dass er als Partner in Frage kommt, woraufhin sie ihre Zustimmung gibt. Die beiden gehen daraufhin eine monogame, feste Beziehung ein. Wie dieses Beispiel zeigt, liegt der Schwerpunkt auf der Wahl des Partners durch die Frau, wodurch die Heldin eine aktive Rolle im Paarungsprozess einnimmt.

Also üblicherweise ganz klassische Geschichten.

Zur Beschreibung des Helden:

The hero in Harlequin romances is always described in detail, right from the start of the book. For example, three pages into the story (which started on page 5):

Eagerly she watched him enter her room again. She liked his tallness and confidence, it made her feel safe…she frowned at the breadth of his shoulders without knowing why.…the grey eyes bored into her, as if trying to read her very soul… (Pargeter, 1984, p. 8-9)

And then three pages later: “

He was dark and handsome, the nurse declared she could fall for him like a ton of bricks, but Jane was wary of his sophistication…some part of her responded to his undoubted masculinity” (Pargeter, 1984, p. 12).

The description of the hero usually begins with his physical attractiveness, which abides with female mate preferences (i.e., he is tall, well-built, strong body, dark eyes, creamy skin, he has a sexy voice, and a clean smell; for a review of evolved mate preferences, see for example Buss, 1994; Ellis, 1992). These descriptions often include personality features, such as confidence (again, preferred trait, e.g., Buss, 1994).

The dark suit and pristine white shirt he wore emphasized his rugged masculine looks. He carried himself with a confidence that insured he would never go unnoticed. Just standing there, he seemed to fill the space. Funny, she’d never thought the large open room particularly small before. (McMahon, 2003, p. 34)

Often, but not in every case, he is wealthy or at least has a very stable income with room for promotion. The descriptions are short, but they effectively convey this information. For example:

“She let her gaze run over him, her heart still acting weird. He was tall and immaculately dressed. The suit looked custom-made and expensive. His dark hair was well cut, his eyes steady and dark…His voice was deep and sexy, and he already had her fantasizing…” (McMahon, 2003, p. 15)

Then later, in the same book:

“So it’ll blow over in a day or two. I mean, who cares if an art director…gets engaged?”“The entire social and financial sector of San Francisco does when her fiancé is Nicholas Bailey of Magellan Hotels.” Molly’s knees went weak… “Impossible. You can’t be the head of Magellan Hotels. They’ve been around for decades and are family owned.” “Founded by my grandfather right after the war. Taken over by me when my father died ten years ago.” (McMahon, 2003, p. 36-37)

Also in keeping with female mate preferences (e.g., Buss, 1994), he is typically “slightly older” although much of the time, the actual age is not mentioned. There are some exceptions, though:

As if sensing Lauren’s gaze, Blake opened his eyes. “How old are you?” he asked unexpectedly. Taken off guard, Lauren replied automatically, “Twenty-four.” “You look younger than that.” He studied her intently…Lauren blushed and sat with her hands clasped in her lap. “How old are you?” She asked impetuously. “Thirty-five.” (Naughton, 1979,p. 56)

Usually, he is sexually experienced, although the reader does not know the extent of the experience. For example, “Nick” has obvious sexual experience and skill although when “Molly” makes mention of this, Nick tells her that she is giving him “more credit than [he] deserves” (McMahon, 2003, p. 77).
He is often someone the heroine knows (family friend, local physician, neighbor, boss). For example, in Showdown (Dale, 1993), “Kit” started living on a ranch when she was 12, when her aunt was a housekeeper. She went on to become the housekeeper herself. “Boone” was 16 at the time and is the grandson of the person who owns the ranch. Thus, they were exposed to each other for several years until Boone left for college. They are reunited when Boone returns to the ranch, worried that his grandfather might be dying. Their past knowledge of each other is highly documented, as Kit compares him to the “Old Boone” in many spots in the book.

Herrliche Beschreibungen der Männer, ihrer Präsenz im Raum und ihrer Maskulinität. Die meisten Frauen werden zustimmen, dass das alles Anzeichen für einen sehr attraktiven Mann sind.

Gender Forscherinnen mögen dabei eher daran denken, dass Männer immer zu viel Raum einnehmen und dass das sexistisch von ihnen ist.

Aus dem Buch „A Billion wicked thoughts“ dazu:

Women want their romance heroes to be like coconuts: hard and tough on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. But the hero’s sweet interior can’t be available to just anyone. Only the heroine gets to crack him open. The hero is granted free reign to be a badass with everyone else, as long as he’s tender and attentive with the heroine

Und zu der Analyse der Heldin:

In contrast to the detailed description of the hero, the heroine is rarely described other than her approximate height, eye and hair color. When she is described, it is never as a gorgeous woman with a winning personality. For example, “she was mousey little Jodie Simpson” (Blake, 2006, p. 8), or “She’d spent years being told by her mother that if only she were taller or not quite so pale she might be pretty” (p. 25). When the heroine is thought of as anything but moderately attractive, it comes as a surprise. For example, “He grinned at her, unrepentant. “You said you needed me…How could I not respond immediately to that kind of plea from a beautiful woman?” He thought she was beautiful? The idea stunned her. Beautiful?” (Goodnight, 2006, p. 182). In all cases, the hero considers her beautiful:

Jodie bit her inner lip, wishing not for the first time that she were a blonde ‘glamazon’ like Lisa. Or a brunette sex kitten like Mandy. Or serenely elegant like her half-sister Louise. Not wan, wispy, little old her. ‘Sorry to disappoint’ she said. “Not at all,” he said, resting contentedly against the back of his chair as his eyes remained locked on hers. “You’re lovely.” (Blake, 2006, p. 25)

Die Heldin ist also gerade keine Schönheit, jedenfalls keine offensichtlich oder jedenfalls glaubt sie nicht schön zu sein, sie ist aber schön für den Helden.

Da können sich sicherlich viele Leserinnen mit identifizieren, selbst wenn sie schön wären würden sie sicherlich einen Mann begrüßen, der sie liebt, auch wenn sie sich selbst nicht schön finden oder andere Frauen schöner.

The lack of provided details enables readers to imagine themselves more easily as the heroine. The descriptions that are included make her seem realistic, at least physically. Thus, readers can vicariously live through the romance, putting themselves in the shoes of the heroine and yet imagining the hero in precise detail. As one reviewer of this article suggested, it could also be a way to reduce any potential of intrasexual competition with the heroine, or to avoid possible contrast effects (e.g., Fisher, 2004; Wade & Abetz, 1997). Furthermore, Modleski (1980) proposes that because the reader knows how the book will work out, she is wiser than the heroine and “does not have to suffer her confusion” (p. 439). In other words, she gets the joy of falling in love without the worry or stress of possible rejection.

Wenn er sich in sie verliebt, und zwar unsterblich, dann ist es sogar gut, wenn er es eben nicht wegen ihres Äußeren macht, sondern weil er gar nicht anders kann, sich auf unerklärliche Weise zu ihr hingezogen fühlt. Schönheit verdirbt diese Vorstellung nur.

The heroine is loyal to her friends and family. For example, “You want me to fight?” she asked. “I’ve spent my whole life fighting. Fighting to protect my mum from confinement, from doing herself harm…” (Blake, 2006, p. 143). Sometimes the heroine lives with a family member she is taking care of; in these instances, it is often a child. In Angels do have Wings (Brooks, 1994) “Angel” takes care of her 12-yearold brother since her parents died due to the deadly fumes of a gas leak. In a different book, “Kristy” upon arriving at her paternal grandfather’s house, a man she’s particular close to, cleans his house immediately (Thompson, 1991). Kristy has “not seen her grandfather in years, but they [have] written to each other faithfully ever since…she was twelve” (p. 9).
She is independent; mate choice is left to her, not her family, although the reader is led to believe her family will approve. Usually, she has only minimal sexual experience (which may reflect women’s awareness of male mate preferences, Buss, 1994), acts coy, and expresses worry about being “easy.” For example, “She is a virgin, having had several boyfriends since the age of 15, but they were all immature” (Brooks, 1994, p. 37). In The Convenient Fiancé (McMahon, 2003), “Molly” has numerous friends, but she has had “few serious boyfriends” (p. 50) and has very little sexual experience and skill, but it is noted that she has been “touched by men before” (p. 58).
The heroine is typically not wealthy, and usually her career ambitions are those that would reflect medium status (e.g., becoming an physician’s assistant, rather than a physician, or a CEO’s assistant, rather than the CEO). More contemporary novels have heroines who are employed and have professional strivings (Rabine, 2001). For example, “Angel” is described as working as a receptionist-assistant for a local doctor’s office (Brooks, 1994). She is determined to return to her studies just as soon as Toby, her 12-year old brother that she is looking after, is old enough. “She had always wanted to work in a hospital in a lab, or if her aptitude went that far, a doctor” (p. 6). In order to get money for school, she worked for 18 months in a pharmacy and won a grant. Her father could barely keep the cottage they lived in supplied with food before him and her mother died in an accident, so there was no money for anything (p. 26). There are some exceptions, but usually the way a heroine’s wealth is described is indirectly. For example, “Kristy” attended university for five years, was given an expensive BMW car (Thompson, 1991, p. 114), wears “designer jeans” (p. 46), has a silk pajama top (p127), and bathes the dog in an expensive, high quality gel (p. 76), thus indicating she is modestly wealthy, at a minimum.

Die Darstellung dieser Heldinnen als Reflexionsfläche für die Leserinnen ist um so interessanter, wenn man den Hang zur „starken unabhängigen Heldin“ in woken Filmen sieht. Dort sind die Männer alle schwach, falsch, der Heldin nicht gewachsen und sie selbst ist schön und stark und die Beste von allen. Ein starker Kontrast zu diesen Romanen.

Und zu dem Verhältnis von Held und Heldin:

The key to the Harlequin romance novel is the inequality between hero and heroine character development. In general, the heroine shows little character development; her personality, values, and goals are relatively, when compared to the hero, quite stable. This said, her attitudes and views towards the hero change. The hero is often the character that shows significant development, or at least is viewed differently by the heroine at the end of the story, as compared to the start to of the book.

The heroine’s changing opinion and perception is the main way in which the transformation of the hero is portrayed. Initially she dismisses him, dislikes, or thinks poorly of him, but by the middle of the book she has developed romantic feelings for him, and by the end, they are to be married. For example, “Chase” was initially seen as cold, heartless and cynical, but by the end of the story, “Kate” learns of his many positive attributes through her pen-pal’s (Chase’s son) letters that are copied from letters Chase wrote to his ex-wife (Kaye, 1989, p. 34). She finds these letters, “really lovely. Witty. Intelligent. Sensitive” (p. 108) and is “intrigued by Chase’s honesty” (p. 112) and loves his “gentleness and tolerance” (p. 149). Upon reflection, she realizes that these are features that he exhibited towards the start, but that she only noticed towards the end of the book. Chase does undergo a change though; initially he is rude and intimidating to those around him, and “comes down hard on just about every employee in the hospital” (p10). One is led to believe that he is similarly abrupt in his personal life. By the end of the book, however, he is no longer domineering and instead treats his subordinates with more respect.
Therefore, the hero undergoes a radical transformation from someone who is not a desirable mate, to someone who would make an exceptional a long-term partner (at least in the eyes of the heroine). In the beginning he is a cad — a rogue-type character unworthy of the heroine’s affections; he may be rude, gruff, aggressive, surly, but always handsome and financially sound. By the middle of the book, something happens, causing a change of heart in heroine. By the end, he has changed to become a sensitive, family-oriented man, who professes his unwavering love for the heroine.
To illustrate this phenomenon, we present the following example; consider that this description is on the third page into the story:

It didn’t take a genius to figure out the man was a criminal.He lifted a dark mocking eyebrow… she questioned his monstrous conduct…he loomed menacingly over her. Amusement only slightly softened the harsh cynical face. He was so arrogant…devastating masculinity. The man was a brute (Allan, 1996, p. 8).

By the end of the book, the hero is in love:

“Adam said, “I felt I owed you that much. I treated you as a passing aberration, a challenge to bed, a cute and sassy pipsqueak ”…he was polite, diffident. He said, “I didn’t believe in love until I met you…you’d better be planning to marry me” (Allan, 1996, p.188).

In another example, “Paul Denyer’s impassive glance searched her bewildered face. His voice was hard and cold, without emotion…[his] eyes glinted cynically” (Pargeter, 1984, p. 10). Then later, after insulting and berating her several times throughout the book, he says:I’ve wanted to marry you for a long time…For both our sakes, Jane, you have to decide if you’ll ever be able to forget how much I doubted you. I made your life hell with my terrible accusations, and I don’t know how you can ever forgive me…I haven’t been able to look at another woman since I met you. (Pargeter, 1984, p. 185-186).
The fact that heroes are often rude at the start of the stories has been previously noted by other scholars. For example, Modelski (1980) reported, “During the first meeting between the hero and heroine, the man’s indifference, contempt, or amusement is emphasized” (p. 439). But at the same time, it is a safe context because the reader knows “the hero will eventually imply or state that he has loved the heroine from the beginning, so the reader can attribute the hero’s hostility…to his inability to admit [his love] ” (p. 439).

Er ist  nicht an ihr interessiert, er muss ja auch erst entdecken, wie toll sie ist. Passt durchaus in gewisse Schemata