I have posted before about medieval romance and epic, the two main fictional forms of literature in the Middle Ages, written in the vernacular rather than Latin from the eleventh or twelfth century on. These were not always distinct categories, but in general an epic focused primarily on knightly deeds and often ended with a lot of dead bodies, whereas a romance focused more on interpersonal relationships and generally had a happy ending.
There could be plenty of variation. Stories of King Arthur, for example, could be epic, great struggles against the foe, or a romance, because of the focus on personal betrayal and adultery, which while involving love and other interpersonal relationships did not lead to a happy ending.
Today romance has become more formulaic. Many have commented that Hallmark Channel original movies, for example, all have the same basic plot. Young woman from a big city/small town moves to a small town/big city for a Reason. The Reason is what makes the different ones different from each other (such as they are). Around Christmas, the Reason is always Christmas-themed.
In the small town/big city, our heroine runs into an old flame/a new handsome guy. Sparks fly! After a few bumpy bits, they are happy together, at least for now if not necessarily Ever After. Time for the closing credits!
Writers of romance books follow pretty much the same formula. They add originality through the back story of the characters (the TV movies don't have much time for that), have interesting settings (maybe the heroine is from a sheep farm in Montana and moves to a pineapple farm in Hawaii), and may put in such variations as having the heroine be divorced or a widow or more mature. The bumpy bits can be more complicated, though from the time the heroine and hero meet (or reconnect), even though they aren't yet sure they will end up together (the reader is sure), you won't catch them smooching anyone else.
Contemporary romance, such stories set in the modern era, is the single biggest-selling genre of books in the US. Some readers just gobble them up, reading maybe one a day. (They tend to be on the short side, and it's not as if you have to read slowly to follow all the plot twists.) These stories do especially well through Kindle Unlimited, where readers can borrow and read an unlimited number of Amazon's ebooks a month for only about $12, which is great for voracious readers who will probably not want to read a particular book a second time.
Medieval romance was neither so formulaic nor so focused on the heroine. One very popular romance was "Guillaume de Dole, ou le Roman de la Rose." Here the hero, the (fictional) King Conrad, is the chief focus.
The story begins with a swirl of love-making, in which he fully partakes. But then he hears of the beautiful Lénore and her brother, Guillaume, a great tournament fighter. He invites Guillaume to fight on his side in the tournament and decides to marry Lénore, even though he's never met her.
Here come the bumpy bits! Those at court are unhappy and slander Lénore, ending the king's plans. Now she finally becomes the center of the story and figures out a ruse to trick the slanderers and win the king's heart. All ends happily.
I've rewritten this story for modern readers, calling it The Sign of the Rose. (For sale on Amazon and other on-line retailers, ebook or paperback.)
Now I had to add quite a bit to the original story, starting with having the king meet Lénore before he falls in love with her, rather than just doing so from second-hand accounts. Because the original "Guillaume de Dole" is quite short, I added several subplots, including a possible other suitor for Lénore, and Guillaume's activities at the royal court as more than a tournament fighter. I also worked in more motivation for the slanderers and expanded the details of the happy ending.
So it doesn't match the modern romance-formula. As a result, I think those who love reading romance have never really taken it up (it's only ranked 6 thousand and something on Amazon among ebooks of historical romance). Those who like my wizard stories haven't been sure what to make of a story remarkably short on wizards. But I like it just fine.
One thing I think "Guillaume de Dole" illustrates is that medieval romance was intended for a male readership as well as a female one. Modern romances are overwhelmingly bought and read by women, and the authors also are usually women (or men writing under a female pen name). After all, finding the right person through all the bumpy bits has never been an issue only for women.
© C. Dale Brittain 2025
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