All I've Taught So Far...

--Eric Selinger

All this talk of a romance canon--"Canon to the left of us! / Canon to the right of us!"--has me thinking, rather wistfully, about just how few romance novels I've actually taught so far.  Since I'm one of the luckiest folks in the business, with plenty of course opportunities, I should have done more, and writing up the list has been a little embarrassing.  Still, for what it's worth, here it is, organized two ways:

• First, a list of the "background" novels I teach (1919-1972), followed by an alphabetical list of romance novelists and novels that I've taught from the 1980s onward.  I haven't put in dates, in the interests of time, but honestly, though, there aren't many from the 1980s.  When I teach chronological courses, I tend to focus the 1980s on romance criticism, and then teach novels that in some way respond to that critical discourse about the genre.  So it's really a list from the 1990s onward, as you'll see if you check them out.
• Second, a list of the same novels and novelists, categorized in some well-known subgenres.  When a novel fits into more than one category, I've put it in both; I've left out categories like "metatextual romance" and "highly allusive romance" and "explicitly feminist romance," although I sometimes think in those terms.  A few times I've put "sort of" after a novel, to indicate that it "sort of" fits into that category, but there's another one in the list where it fits better.

If you're one of my students, and you don't see a book that we read, let me know and I'll add it!  I tried to be complete, but when a book was presented by a student but not read by everyone--or when I supervised an independent study, but didn't teach the book myself--I left it off.

Romance Novels Eric Has Taught (So Far)

Background for the Genre (pre-1980s), More or Less Chronologically Organized

E. M. Hull, The Sheik

Georgette Heyer, Devil’s Cub, The Grand Sophy

Mary Stewart, Madam, Will You Talk

Victoria Holt, Mistress of Mellyn

Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and the Flower

More Recent Books (1980s-present)

Mary Balogh, Slightly Dangerous 

Alex Beecroft, False Colors

Sarah Bird, The Boyfriend School

Gwyneth Bolton, Sweet Sensation 

Suzanne Brockmann, Unsung Hero

Loretta Chase, Lord of Scoundrels, Mr. Impossible

Kresley Cole, A Hunger Like No Other

Jennifer Crusie, Manhunting, Anyone But You, Crazy for You, Welcome to Temptation, Fast Women, Bet Me

Victoria Dahl, Talk Me Down, Start Me Up, Real Men Will

Ann Herendeen, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander

Joey Hill, Natural Law

Emma Holly, Hunting Midnight

Linda Howard, Mr. Perfect

Eloisa James, The Duke is Mine

Beverly Jenkins, Something Like Love, Topaz, Captured

Laura Kinsale, Prince of Midnight, Flowers from the Storm

Karyn Langhorne, A Personal Matter

Beth Patillo, Heavens to Betsy

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Natural Born Charmer

Julia Quinn, The Viscount Who Loved Me

Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love

Nora Roberts, Irish Thoroughbred, Irish Rose, Midnight Bayou, Montana Sky 

Nell Stark, Homecoming

J. R. Ward, Dark Lover

NOVELS BY CATEGORY / SUB-GENRE

African American Romance

Gwyneth Bolton, Sweet Sensation 

Beverly Jenkins, Something Like Love, Topaz, Captured

Karyn Langhorne, A Personal Matter

  

“Blockbuster Historical Romance” (1970s-80s)

Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and the Flower

Category Romance

Nora Roberts, Irish Thoroughbred, Irish Rose

Jennifer Crusie, Manhunting, Anyone But You 

Christian / Inspirational Romance

Beth Patillo, Heavens to Betsy

Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love

Contemporary Romance

Sarah Bird, The Boyfriend School

Gwyneth Bolton, Sweet Sensation 

Suzanne Brockmann, Unsung Hero

Jennifer Crusie, Manhunting, Anyone But You, Crazy for You, Welcome to Temptation, Fast Women, Bet Me

Victoria Dahl, Talk Me Down, Start Me Up, Real Men Will

Joey Hill, Natural Law

Linda Howard, Mr. Perfect

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Natural Born Charmer

Nora Roberts, Irish Thoroughbred, Irish Rose, Midnight Bayou, Montana Sky 

Nell Stark, Homecoming

Erotic Romance

Joey Hill, Natural Law (BDSM, femdom, m/f)

Emma Holly, Hunting Midnight (paranormal)

Gothic Romance

Victoria Holt, Mistress of Mellyn

Nora Roberts, Midnight Bayou (sort of)

Historical Romance

Georgette Heyer, Devil’s Cub, The Grand Sophy

Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and the Flower

Mary Balogh, Slightly Dangerous

Alex Beecroft, False Colors

Loretta Chase, Lord of Scoundrels, Mr. Impossible

Ann Herendeen, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander

Eloisa James, The Duke is Mine

Beverly Jenkins, Something Like Love, Topaz, Captured

Laura Kinsale, Prince of Midnight, Flowers from the Storm

Julia Quinn, The Viscount Who Loved Me

Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love

Interracial Romance

Karyn Langhorne, A Personal Matter (Black / White)

Nell Stark, Homecoming (Asian / White, but it’s not a central plot element)

LGBTQ Romance

Alex Beecroft, False Colors (m/m)

Ann Herendeen, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander (bisexual, m/m/f)

Nell Stark, Homecoming (f/f)

Military Romance

Suzanne Brockmann, Unsung Hero

Paranormal Romance

Kresley Cole, A Hunger Like No Other

Emma Holly, Hunting Midnight

J. R. Ward, Dark Lover

Romantic Suspense

Mary Stewart, Madam, Will You Talk

Linda Howard, Mr. Perfect

Nora Roberts, Midnight Bayou (sort of?)

Joey Hill, Natural Law (sort of)

Sheikh Romance

E. M. Hull, The Sheik