Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mate selection in popular women’s fiction

  • Published:
Human Nature Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A study of twenty-five popular women’s novels and six famous romantic stories has led to the conclusion that such novels and stories are tales of mate selection and mating commitment. Pérusse’s (1994) predictions with respect to mate choice are confirmed by the activities of male and female protagonists in the novels (binomial test,p<.01 in all cases). Males choose mates on the basis of sexual exclusivity and fertility. Females choose mates on the basis of economic factors and parenting potential. As well, male and female characters differ in terms of their display of functional emotions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allison, H. 1995Undercover Lover. Harlequin Romance #3386. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrew, S. 1995Serena. Harlequin Regency. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous 1989Nick Carter #247: Day of the Assassin. New York: Conde Nast (Avon Books).

  • Anonymous 1992Don Pendleton’s Executioner Featuring Mack Bolan: #164 Death Trail. Toronto: Golden Eagle/Worldwide Books.

  • Audley, P. 1983Canada’s Cultural Industries. Toronto: James Lorimer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austen, J. 1933Pride and Prejudice (originally published in 1813). InThe Complete Novels of Jane Austen. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird, J. 1994Nothing Changes Love. Harlequin Presents #1757. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balogh, M. 1995Heartless. New York: Berkley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronte, C. 1973Jane Eyre (originally published in 1847). London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvin, J. 1995Miss Henderson’s Secret. New York: Signet Regency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, J. 1995 Evolution and Literary Theory.Human Nature 6:119–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, M. 1995Peacekeeper. Harlequin Superromance #655. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlton, A. 1995Hot November. Harlequin Presents #1777. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coughlin, P. 1995Mail Order Cowboy. Silhouette Special Edition #919. New York: Silhouette.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darcy, E. 1995Climax of Passion. Harlequin Presents #1771. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, C. 1991Long Rider #17: Town Tamer. New York: Diamond Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. 1995 Sexual Conflict in the Epics.Human Nature 6:135–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gangestad, S. W. 1993 Sexual Attractiveness and Physical Attractiveness: Implications for Mating Dynamics.Human Nature 4:205–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, C. 1995A Brief Encounter. Harlequin Romance #3360. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, K. S. 1991The Courtship Novel, 1740–1820: A Feminized Genre. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, D. 1995Never a Bride. Harlequin Presents #1775. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyer, G. 1976These Old Shades (originally published in 1926). New York: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1992Regency Buck (originally published in 1935). New York: Nal-Dutton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinde, R. A. 1989 Ethological Relationships Approaches.Annals of Child Development 6:251–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, P. 1995Yesterday’s Echoes. Harlequin Presents #1774. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krentz, J. A. 1991Silver Linings. New York: Pocket Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layton, E. 1995A True Lady. New York: Pocket Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M. 1995Scandals and Secrets. Harlequin Presents #1778. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, Jane B., and Hillard Kaplan 1992 Human Mating and Family Formation Strategies: The Effects of Variability among Males in Quality and the Allocation of Mating Effort and Parental Investment. InHuman Origins, Toshisada Nishida, William C. McGrew, Peter Marler, Martin Pickford, and Frans B. M. DeWaal, eds. Pp. 21–33.Topics in Primatology, Vol. 1. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lino, M. 1995 The Economics of Single Parenthood: Past Research and Future Directions.Marriage and Family Review 20:99–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, G. 1995Debt of Honor. Harlequin Regency. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, R. 1994Tiger Eyes. Harlequin Presents #1755. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrit, J. 1995A Man and a Million. Silhouette Special Edition #988. New York: Silhouette.

    Google Scholar 

  • Metzger, B. 1995Father Christmas. New York: Fawcett Regency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, E. 1992One Snowy Night. Bensalem, Pennsylvania: Cameo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noble, J. K., Jr. 1980 Books. InWho Owns the Media, Benjamin M. Compaine, ed. Pp. 251–292. New York: Harmon Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oldfield, E. 1995Love’s Prisoner. Harlequin Presents #1773. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérusse, D. 1994 Mate Choice in Modern Societies: Testing Evolutionary Hypotheses with Behavioral Data.Human Nature 5:255–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plutchik, R. 1980Emotion: A Psychoevolutionary Synthesis. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, E. 1995Straw on the Wind. Harlequin Presents #1768. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, M. 1995Slave to Love. Harlequin Presents #1776. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, S. 1962Clarissa (originally published in 1748), George Sherburn, ed. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1971Pamela (originally published in 1740). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rimmer, C. 1994For the Baby’s Sake. Silhouette Special Edition #925. New York: Silhouette.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, C. 1995Lovers and Strangers. Harlequin Temptation #549. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, J. 1995The Secret Sister. Harlequin Romance #3385. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, James, ed. 1975 Jane Austen’s Letter to J. S. Clarke, April 1816. Reproduced inThe Oxford Book of Literary Anecdotes. London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, C. L. 1900Samuel Richardson. Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press (pages 30–33).

    Google Scholar 

  • Waverly, S. 1995The Best Man. Harlequin Romance #3380. Toronto: Harlequin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whissell, C. 1994 Objective Analysis of Text, I: A Comparison of Adventure and Romance Novels.Perceptual and Motor Skills 79:1567–1570.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1996a Predicting the Size and Direction of Sex Differences in Measures of Emotion and Personality.Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs 122:253–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1996b The Romantic Formula in Women’s Formula Fiction.Arachne, in press.

  • Whissell, C., and G. Chellew 1994 The Position of Sex-typical Words in Two-dimensional Emotion Space.Psychological Reports 74:3–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, P. T. 1973Emotion in Man and Animal: Its Nature and Dynamic Basis (originally published in 1943). Huntington, New York: Krieger.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, Laurentian University, Ramsey Lake Road, P3E 2C6, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

    Cynthia Whissell

Authors
  1. Cynthia Whissell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cynthia Whissell.

Additional information

Cynthia Whissell is a professor of Psychology and Human Development at Laurentian University. She has taught at graduate and undergraduate levels for more than twenty-five years. The majority of her recent publications have been in the area of emotion and language.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Whissell, C. Mate selection in popular women’s fiction. Human Nature 7, 427–447 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02732902

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02732902

Key words

Search

Navigation