Bah. My kingdom for a / …
Deconstructing Heathcliff - Evolution of The Contemporary Romance Novel
I am so very bad at this. But it’s fun anyway.
I Am Woman, Hear Me Moan
Her Bosom, Heaving but Bra-less
His Quivering Manhood/Her Powerful Womanhood (aren’t slashes big in Women’s Studies? 
)
Romance Ain’t Dead (But the Patriarchy May Be)
Even though I’m not a fan of the colon, my favorite so far is:
Her Bosom Still Heaves: Why Girl Power Didn’t Kill Romance After All by NoPrentiousCodename
My degree is in Media and Communications. My topic is much closer to an English thesis topic though, and I’m lucky I got away with it. I did a strict Media Comm research article last year and in a couple of months I was dead bored of it. This year the topic just keeps interesting me more and more. A lot of my friends are tired of their topics, but I’m still happily researching away. 
None of my ultimate favourites are listed in the top 10 either. In another thread, Shirley Ujest got me onto Laura Kinsale (another author whose work I would love to analyse) although I wasn’t a big fan of Flowers From the Storm, which always seems to rate quite well.
Once again, thanks for the suggestions so far - my thesis supervisor hasn’t gotten back to me yet but I’ll definitely let you guys know what she thinks. For everyone that has expressed interest, the bulk of the thesis (my findings) are still in skeleton form but I’d love to discuss the books (or romance archetypes in general). Please feel free to email me at kaye.chenATgmail.com (obviously AT = @)
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I’ve influenced someone…into reading a romance novel…dear Og…I don’t know if I am proud or ashamed… Being that I am trying to wean myself off the genre and read smurter and more accepted books with something called Depth and Less Predictability.And because of this damn thread and Links, I have fallen off the wagon. Getting off of a Heroin/Coffee addiction would be easier.
Romancing the bone: the seductive subversion of phallocentrism.
Aw shucks folks, I’m speachless. In other news… how YOU doin’? 
Other possibilities (in bits and pieces):
’Twas Booty That Killed The Beast
Throbin’ Womyn (with apologies to Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank, and Gideon)
Erotic Power Exchange
How The Modern Romance Heroin Reached Her Peak
The Power And The Passion
I just realized that some of the suggestions so far in this thread might make for good chapter titles or section headers. I, for one, wouln’t mind a lick if you did so. In other words, feel free to use them, but you owe me a lick if you do…
I kid. I kid. What I really mean is feel free to use them for free.
Upon preview, let me add: Heh, Romancing the bone….
Ooh, I will definitely give that some thought! I’ve been struggling for chapter headings. As an aside, I was thinking of chapter headings earling - I had a killer quote from one of the books to begin one of my chapters:
“When are you going to figure out that God might have made two sexes for a reason? You can’t have it both ways. Either a man’s a man, or he’s not. You can’t take somebody whose nature is to be a warrior and then expect him – at your command – to curl up on the couch, spill his guts, and, in general, start acting like a pussy.”
I wanted the chapter to reflect these two male constructs - the “warrior” and the “pussy”, because it really encapsulated what I wanted to argue. And then my boyfriend suggested The Pussy Warrior, which really, really sounded like a bad porn title! 
Oh, I was an addict long before you! But I had never read Laura Kinsale before you recommended her, and now I find myself combing over her backlist (my favourites are For My Lady’s Heart and Shadowheart - and My Sweet Folly is on its way to me as I type.)
[soapbox]
Something that quite annoys me is how, when someone asks what my thesis is about, I’m embarrassed telling them. Actually, “annoys” is the wrong word - it’s like I’m embarrassed, and I know that I’m embarrassed, and I keep thinking to myself “you shouldn’t be embarrassed”, but I still am, you know? It seems stupid, especially when romance novels make up over 50% of all paperback fiction sold, and are pretty much the backbone of the publishing industry. All the women who have come out of the romance closet have been articulate, intelligent, socially-adjusted women and yet there’s still this stigma attached to romance novels that you don’t see with, say, crime novels or even romantic movies.
[/soapbox]
Yeah, because admitting to reading Sci-Fi novels has no stigma attached whatsoever.
Sarcasm aside… point taken :).
Well I finally got a chance to talk to my thesis supervisor - she loved lots of the titles, but thought the best (and most relevant) one was by Duke: From Puppets of the Patriarchy to Forthright Feminists: Changing Archetypes in the Modern Romance Novel
Duke, if you can email me at kaye.chenATgmail.com with your PayPal address I’ll send you your $5. Once again, guys, thanks for all of your help!
2 weeks left before the thesis is due …
NO! NO! Clearly the winner is the priceless:
Come on, we’re talking pure genius here.
:::::*Tweet! *:::::::::::::::::
FOUL!
**Duke ** is like a professional college student and…uh…the rest of us…ahhh…aren’t.
It’s not fair. He’s a pro.
We are all hacks.
[whine]We didn’t stand a chance! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh! [/whine]
Thanks, Duke, you’ve set my therapy back years. Years, I tell ya!
Thanks SandyHook :).
Congrats to Duke. Enjoy your time with Mr. Lincoln. (Or 5 Mr. Washingtons).
It’s YOUR Paper and don’t let anybody tell you different! Listen to the advice you see here but do what the fuck YOU want to do!
Jake
Fark! Well, I mean… 
I’ll tell you what: since I am (was, really) a “professional college student,” as Shirley Ujest says, I will offer this: give the $5 to the charity of your choice instead. I’ll feel better about that, and you’ll feel better too. I will send you my e-mail address, though–now that I’ve named your essay, I’d like to read it too!
All right! Now not only have I given Boyo Jim his SDMB name, but I have named Kayeby’s thesis!
Taking a look at your chosen title, Kayeby, could you be stating your case a little too strongly? That is, are you certain that the characters are now forthright feminists? Even if your eventual conclusion is that female characters in romances are now forthright feminists, it might be jumping the gun (begging the question?) to have that in your title. If you need to make it vaguer, I suggest changing it from this:
From Puppets of the Patriarchy to Forthright Feminists: Changing Archetypes in the Modern Romance Novel
to something more like this:
Puppets of the Patriachy or Forthright Feminists? Evolving Archetypes in the Modern Romance Novel.
(On a side note, I guess that you are a Melbourne Uni Arts student. I was, and will be again next year. Good luck!)
The Romance Novel in the 21st Century: Grist for the Mills or Boon for Postmodernism?