Dissertation Abstracts

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Some of the items listed below are freely available online, but most are not. Unfortunately many of the links to the ProQuest Database may not work unless you have a subscription/you have access via a University Library or other subscriber to the Database.

Adams, Kathleen Barzun, 2003. 
Thirty years of change : heroes, heroines, and the popular romance. Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity College.
Avila, Debbie Maria, 2005. 
"The Romance Novel of the 1930s and 1940s in Spain and Portugal: The Cases of Carmen de Icaza and Alice Ogando." U of California Irvine (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 66.7:2572) Abstract and excerpt
Backman, Nelina Esther, 1999. 
"Evangelism Embarrassed: Christian Literature in a post-Christian Culture." Ph.D. dissertation, Brown University, United States -- Rhode Island. Publication No. AAT 9932368. Abstract and excerpt [Includes some discussion of "contemporary evangelical romance fiction."]
Benjamin, Sarah, 1999. 
"The Theory of 'Identity Dissonance': Mass Communication, Romance Fiction, and the Self-Concept." M.A. dissertation, York University (Canada), Canada. Publication No. AAT MQ43370. Abstract and excerpt
Beyer, Jennifer Ann Perry, 2000. 
The romance novel revolution :a study of criticisms and readers. Thesis (M.A.)--Bemidji State University.
Blanding, Cristen, 2005. 
Interracial romance novels and the resolution of racial difference. Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University.
Breeden, Amanda L., 2007. 
Neo romance :gender renegotiation in Harlequin romance novels. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Northern Iowa.
Burley, Stephanie Carol., 2003. 
"Hearts of Darkness: The Racial Politics of Popular Romance." U of Maryland, College Park (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 64.6: 2082) Abstract and excerpt
Chappel, Deborah Kaye, 1992. 
"American Romances: Narratives of Culture and Identity" Duke University, (Dissertation Abstracts International52 (8): 2923A-24A. Abstract and excerpt
Christian, Linda Kathryn. 1984.
"'Becoming a Woman through Romance: Adolescent Novels and the Ideology of Femininity'." U. of Wisconsin, Madison (Dissertation Abstracts International: Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences) 45.5: 1282. Abstract
Coddington, Lynn, 1997. 
"Romance and Power: Writing Romance Novels as a Practice of Critical Literacy." Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, United States -- California. Publication No. AAT 9803158. Abstract and excerpt
Colemnero, Laura Elizabeth, 1999. 
"The social construction of gender as represented in popular fiction, 1990-1997." Ph.D. dissertation, South Dakota State University, Publication No. AAT 9924280. Abstract and excerpt [Includes analysis of Johanna Lindsey's Gentle Rogue.]
Davis, Mary Louise, 1986. 
'Romances and the Modern Ms.: a Study of Contemporary (Line) Romances, 1980-1984.' Ph.D. diss., University of Southern California.(Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A:The Humanities and Social Sciences) 47.11, p. 4108. Abstract
Downey, Kristin, 2005. 
"Irony, Ideology, and Resistance: The Amazing Double Life of Harlequin Presents", McMaster University, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 66.10:3640. Abstract and excerpt.
Elliott, Margaret A., 1996. 
'The Librarian's Stereotyped Image in Romance Novels, 1980-1995: Has the Image Changed?', Master's Research Paper, Kent State University. ERIC Document ED401924. Abstract and PDF
Fera-VanGent, Tania, 2007.
'Popular Romance novels: Seeking out the 'sisterhood'." M.A. diss., Brock University (Canada).
Goade, Sally Ann, 1999. 
"'And With the Land, Our Spirits So Blended': Interrelated Frontier Quests of Self in Contemporary Historical Romance. A Study of Rosanne Bittner's 'Savage Destiny' series", Idaho State U, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 60.4:1132) Abstract and excerpt
Griffin, Linda Coleman, 1999. 
"An Analysis of Meaning Creation through the Integration of Sociology and Literature: A Critical Ethnography of a Romance Reading Group." U of Houston, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 60.4: 1117.) Abstract and excerpt
Harzewski, Stephanie, 2006. 
"The new novel of manners: Chick lit and postfeminist sexual politics ." U of Pennsylvania, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 67.7:2573.) Abstract and excerpt
Henderson, Courtney R.,2007. 
"Ladies and Loners: A Comparative Gender Study of the Romance and Popular Western.' M.A. diss., The University of Texas at Arlington. Abstract and full PDF ["my focal texts for the romance genre are Johanna Lindsey’s Savage Thunder and Joan Johnston’s Frontier Woman."]
Hubbard, Rita Cooper, 1982. 
"Relationship Styles In Popular Romance Fiction: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of Harlequin Romances, 1950-1979." (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 42.12:4973) Abstract
Hughes, Helen Muriel,1988. 
"Changes In Historical Romance, 1890s To The 1980s: The Development Of The Genre From Stanley Weyman To Georgette Heyer And Her Successors." U Of Bradford (United Kingdom), (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 50.11: 3603) Abstract
Hurley, Frances Kay., 1999. 
"In the Words of Girls: The Reading of Adolescent Romance Fiction." Harvard U, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 60.6: 1946) Abstract and excerpt
Jocks, Yvonne Annette, 1988. 
“Adventure and Virtue: Alternating Emphasis in the Popular Romance Tradition.” Master’s thesis, University of Texas at Arlington. [Jocks writes romances under the pseudonym Evelyn Vaughn ]
Johnson, Naomi Ruth, 2007. 
"Consuming Desires: A Feminist Analysis of Bestselling Teen Romance Novels". The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 68.11) Abstract and excerpt
Kebadze, Nino, 2007. 
"Fictions of Surrender: Romance and Exemplarity in Post-War Spanish Women's Narratives. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky, United States -- Kentucky. Publication No. AAT 3263682. Abstract and excerpt ["The second part of this dissertation focuses on three novels by the best-selling authors of novelas rosa --Luisa-María Linares, Concha Linares-Becerra, and Carmen de Icaza."]
Kinard, Amanda Marette, 1999. 
"Forbidden Pleasures: The Romance and Its Readers." Vanderbilt U.,(Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 59.12: 4424) Abstract and excerpt
Kirkland, Catherine, 1984. 
"For The Love Of It: Women Writers And The Popular Romance." U of Pennsylvania, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 46.1:10. Abstract
Lin, Fang-Mei, 1992. 
"Social Change and Romantic Ideology: The Impact of the Publishing Industry, Family Organization, and Gender Roles on the Reception and Interpretation of Romance Fiction in Taiwan, 1960-1990." U of Pennysylvania (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 53.5:1675) Abstract and excerpt
Lohmann, Jennifer, 2006. 
" 'Beauty and the Beast' Themes in Romance Novels." A Master’s Paper for the M.S. in L.S degree. April, 2006. 41 pages. Advisor: Brian Sturm. A Master’s paper submitted to the faculty of the School of Information and Library Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Library Science. [1]
Lutz, Deborah, 2004. 
"The Dangerous Lover and the Erotics of Failure: Nineteenth-century Byronism and the Contemporary Romance. Ph.D. dissertation, City University of New York, United States -- New York. Publication No. AAT 3127895. Abstract and excerpt [Has since been published by Ohio State University Press - see the main bibliography for details.]
McKinley, Tracey Lynn, 2007. 
'The Female Quest: An Analysis of Archetypal Layering in Harlequin Presents.' M.Ed. diss., Queen's University (Canada).
Michel, Anita, 1997. 
Re-reading the (series) romance : toward a typology of recent series romance novels. Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University.
Miguel, Donna De Silva, 2002. 
Love conquers all :the rhetoric, culture, and appeal of the contemporary romance novel, and coming to terms with coming out of the closet. Thesis (M.A.)--New Mexico State University.
Modleski, Tania. 1980. 
"'Popular Feminine Narratives: A Study of Romances, Gothics, and Soap Operas'." Stanford U., (Dissertation Abstracts International: Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences) 41.5: 2104-A. Abstract
Moffitt, Mary Anne Smeltzer, 1990. 
"Understanding Middle-Class Adolescent Leisure: A Cultural Studies Approach to Romance Novel Reading" U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, (Dissertation Abstracts International 51.4: 1035A) Abstract
Naber, Christine Marie, 1995. 
"Rape myths are the theory--romance novels are the practice: The impact of exposure to images of women in popular culture, " U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences,57.4:2950) Abstract
Neal, Lynn S., 2003. 
"Romancing God: Reading Evangelical Romance Novels." Ph.D. dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States -- North Carolina. Publication No. AAT 3086588. Abstract and excerpt [Has since been published by the University of North Carolina Press - see the main bibliography for details.]
Owen, Mairead, 1992. 
"Women's Reading of Popular Romantic Fiction: A Case Study in the Mass Media: A Key to the Ideology of Women." U. of Liverpool, (Dissertation Abstracts International 52.8: 2745A) Abstract
Parameswaran, Radhika E., 1998. 
"Public Images, Private Pleasures: Romance Reading at the Intersection of Gender, Class, and National Identities in Urban India." U of Iowa, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 58.12:4485) Abstract and excerpt
Pearce, Elizabeth Florence, 2004. 
"Reading the Lesbian Romance: Re-imagining Love, Sex, Relationships, and Community." Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Iowa, United States -- Iowa. Publication No. AAT 3139383. Abstract and excerpt ["The core of the research emerged from the face-to-face, phone and e-mail conversations with readers of lesbian romance texts" and one section is "based on an examination of twenty-five lesbian romance novels."]
Rampure, Archana, 2005. 
"Doctors in the Darkness: Reading Race, Gender, and History in the Popular Medical Romance ", U of Toronto, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 66.10:3642) Abstract and excerpt
Smith, William Clay Kinchen, 2002. 
"Revising Captivity Narratives", U of Florida. [2] [This thesis deals with many types of captivity narrative, but there are sections specifically about romances. In the chapter on works from the 1980s, there is a section on romance (341-354), and the chapter concerning the 1990s has a similar section (373-378). Romance authors whose works are discussed include Madeline Baker, Karen A. Bale, Cassie Edwards, Fern Michaels, Nan Ryan and Janelle Taylor.]
Sterk, Helen Mae, 1986. 
"Functioning fictions :the adjustment rhetoric of Silhouette romance novels." U. of Iowa, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 47.7:2372)
Tennenhouse, Tracy Shana, 1996. 
"Female Fantasies in Women's Popular Fiction", U California Santa Barbara, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 57.9:3943) Abstract and excerpt
Therrien, Kathleen Mary, 1998. 
"Trembling at Her Own Response: Resistance and Reconciliation in Mass-Market Romance Novels." (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 58.7: 2659) Abstract and excerpt [Special focus on Julie Garwood, Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz and Susan Wiggs.]
Uddin-Khan, Evelyn Angelina, 1995. 
"Gender, Ethnicity and the Romance Novel," Columbia U, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 56.11:4341) Abstract and Excerpt
Walker, Lynn G., 2000. 
Women reading popular fiction :influences on gender identity. Thesis (M.A.L.S.)--North Central College.
Wirtén, Eva Hemmungs, 1998. 
Global Infatuation: Explorations in Transnational Publishing and Texts: The case of Harlequin Enterprises and Sweden, Section for Sociology of Literature at the Department of Literature, Uppsala University. PDF
Young, Beth Rapp, 1995. 
"But are they any good? Women readers, formula fiction, and the sacralization of the literary canon", U of Southern California, (Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 57.2:893) Abstract and excerpt
Zachik-Smith, Susie, 1993. 
Romance by the book :a morphological analysis of the popular romance. Thesis (M.A.)--California State University, San Bernardino.