ABSTRACT
Narrative form almost seems universal with its beginning, middle, and end despite the fact that it is the product of particular historical circumstances. Story is a particular type of narrative featuring characters, events, and the resolutions of conflicts. Narrative form in romance fiction is more complex than that of most folk tales. In addition to one main narrative pattern, this romance fiction also contains two variations, which together describe all the heroine’s actions in the novels. The chapter describes characters that seem on the surface to be almost stereotypical. This is far from the case. The novels contain tensions within these characters and within the femininity they represent. As heroines themselves move towards positions that were formerly occupied only by the other girl, they become reclassified in the eyes of parents, especially fathers, as wayward and “out of control.” The heroine is the lone Cinderella sitting in a corner, dreaming of her prince.
