ABSTRACT
In the twenty-first-century romance novels, the heroes and heroines still remain the main protagonists. However, they do not monopolise the romance story. Other characters and lesser masculinities have always existed in the romance stories and formed sub-stories, enriching the hero or heroine’s past and familial or work environment. They sometimes are the trigger for the two protagonists to meet and approach each other. This chapter discusses the “lesser” masculinities often encountered in popular romance novels and their different functions in the unfolding of the romance plot. More specifically, it investigates the important roles they play in the progression of the romantic development between the hero and heroine, as an overview of past experiences, a justification for the protagonists’ actions, and a foil for the romance hero.
