Amish romance is a literary
subgenre of
Christian fiction
A Christian novel is a Christian literary novel which features Christian media genre conventions.
The tradition of Christian fiction
Christian novels are works of imaginative literature drawing on Christian themes, theology, and social norms. T ...
featuring
Amish
The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churche ...
characters, but written and read mostly by
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual exper ...
Christian women. An industry term for Amish romance novels is "bonnet rippers" because most feature a woman in a
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
* Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
**Feat ...
on the cover, and "bonnet ripper" is a play on the term "bodice ripper" from classic
romance novels.
History
The genre has proven lucrative for publishers,
many of which are
Christian publishers, such as
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers is a publisher that publishes Christian fiction and non-fiction books. Bethany House Publishers was bought in 2003 by Baker Publishing Group.
Bethany House publishes both historical and contemporary fiction. Historical ...
,
Thomas Nelson, and
Zondervan.
[ The first commercially successful Amish romance novel, according to writer Valerie Weaver-Zercher, was Beverly Lewis' ''The Shunning'', published in 1997 by Bethany House.]e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
s were self-published
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...
between 2010 and 2013.[ The three most successful authors of Amish romance - Beverly Lewis, Cindy Woodsmall, and Wanda Brunstetter - have sold over 24 million books.]young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
Amish romance titles have been published as well.[ According to a September 2013 '' Library Journal'' survey, Amish fiction is the most commonly carried subgenre of Christian fiction in public libraries, although the survey did not distinguish between Amish romance and other Amish-themed literature.]
Themes
Most works of Amish romance have protagonists with socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
values, especially chastity
Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when ma ...
, who engage in romance in ways which are socially and religiously acceptable in their communities.[ Similar works may also feature other religious minorities, such as Mennonites, Shakers, or Puritans. Unlike many mainstream romance novels, Amish romance novels do not rely on the portrayal of sex and most other forms of physical intimacy.][ Valerie Weaver-Zercher states, "Despite the suggestion by some that the appeal of Amish fiction must lie in the arousal of coverings coming off, or suspenders being suspended — hence the coy industry term 'bonnet rippers' — most Amish novels are as different from '' Fifty Shades of Grey'' as a cape dress is from a spiked collar."][
]
Reception
Reactions to works of Amish romance among the Amish themselves range from baffled (by things like deadly buggy accident themes) to repulsed (by evangelical notions of personal relationships with Jesus Christ which are inconsistent with the Amish view of salvation).[
Some argue that the non-Amish authors fail to understand Amish theology and how it differs in key areas from mainstream Christianity. They thus present characters who may appear Amish but who maintain an evangelical Christian worldview. For example, a character might proclaim an assurance of salvation, rather than a "living hope" of such as the Amish do. Amish specific beliefs such as non-violence, non participation in government, and an unwillingness to proselytize may be glossed over or not mentioned. Evangelical themes, such as sexual purity, are substituted.
]
See also
* Mennonite literature
* Romance novel
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Popular Amish romance novels
at Goodreads
{{Romance novel
Romance genres
Literary genres
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
Christian literary genres