ABSTRACT
Chick Lit and Prose Romance Although we now equate the term romance with its popular incarnation, often referred to as the Harlequin romance after its chief publisher, chick lit's ties are stronger to the original prose romance, particularly in terms of accusations regarding its literary merit. Romance is a term that has been used at different times to refer to a variety of fictional works involving some combination of the following: high adventure, thwarted love, mysterious circumstances, arduous quests, and improbable triumphs. The term romance derives from the French and was first used exclusively to refer to medieval romances (sometimes called "chivalric romances") written in French and composed in verse . These narratives were concerned with knightly adventure, courtly love, and chivalric ideals, often set at the court of King Arthur. Later the term was used to refer to any medieval romance, whether in verse or prose, and regardless of country of origin.
