The dominance of popular romance in the US fiction market suggests that
its trends and themes may reflect the politics of a significant
proportion of the US population. Pursuing Happiness explores some of the
choices, beliefs and assumptions which shape the politics of US romance
novels. In particular, it focuses on what romances reveal about American
attitudes towards work, the West, race, gender, community cohesion,
ancestral "roots" and a historical connection (or lack of it) to the
land. "Pursuing Happiness explores the ways that popular American
romance novels engage such matters as US gender roles, attitudes toward
disability, the myth of the frontier, individualism and community, and
racial violence and discrimination. A thoughtful study with a
refreshingly topical focus." - Professor William Gleason, Princeton
University. "An insightful and entertaining look at the inherent, often
invisible, politics that underlie America's most popular genre of
fiction."- Isobel Carr, romance author