Sophie’s been pondering heroes and why readers do and don’t like them

As regular readers of this blog will know, I recently started thinking about the hero’s moral compass in romantic fiction. It’s a huge subject, of course, and I feel I’m only scratching the surface so far. But I thought you might be interested in some thoughts that have cropped up along the journey.

I started with Georgette Heyer’s Regency and Georgian novels. I admit this is partly because of the huge popularity of its remote twenty-first century spin-off, the Netflix phenomenon, Bridgerton.

The drama’s colour-blind casting and gorgeous palate of costume and settings has to be a big part of it. But audiences have engaged hugely with the romantic pairings in each episode. The age range of the primarily female audience has been put at 18-64. (Heyer’s own stories are still selling well, at the start of her 2nd century in print.)

Even if we acknowlege that Bridgerton of Netflix is pretty much fantasy with historical detail for decoration, why?

Is it just because it’s pretty? Because there’s something about a man in a high collar and waistcoat? (When the coats come off, those fabulous shirts with the billowing sleeves are seriously alluring, too.)

Because the actors playing the heroes are generally gorgeous, talented and ride a horse well? Not to mention carrying off a rakish riposte with verve and elan? Continue reading →