ABSTRACT
Besides summarizing features of continuity and change that emerge through this book’s explorations, Chapter 7 suggests future scholarly directions and concludes with reflections linking the literary courtship novel legacy to the popular culture phenomenon of contemporary romance fiction. Scholars are encouraged to build upon material presented in this book by studying fictional portrayals of couples from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and those with non-normative sexual orientations, by focusing on post-colonial expansions of the romance tradition, and by addressing courtship plot deconstructions within radical modernist works. Literary scholars can also enrich contemporary conversations on the “Me Too” movement and gender identity, by exploring how protectiveness, danger, and current norms pertaining to femininity and masculinity impact couples’ lives within recent fictional works.
