Art of romance... The late Barbara Cartland. Photograph: Justin Williams/PA
As a teenager my guilty pleasure was reading Barbara Cartland novels. At Arty, the magazine of which I'm editor, we've been putting together a new issue centred around the concept of romance, and I was suddenly reminded of this juvenile passion and the simplicity of the ouvre: Barbara Cartland books all have the same "no sex until we're married" plot, involving a delicate, innocent but spirited young woman melting into the strong arms of a dashing, dark-haired Marquis.
"God! How frightened I have been!" he said, after a long interval. "Frightened of losing you and never finding you again. I love you, Leona! I will teach you to love me. I will look after you, you will let me take you away to peace and security, away from all that has frightened you." (The Smuggled Heart - Barbara Cartland)
This is, of course, clichéd tosh. Cartland wasn't much bothered by originality (see the Little Britain parody) and was heavily influenced by Georgette Heyer. Despite this her writing satisfied some kind of dreamy longing that the teenage me had - and she sold a lot of books so I suspect numerous others had it too.
All right-minded people might know that romance is ridiculous, marriages don't last and there really isn't a happily ever after. But we still love to love. The last few decades, however, have been all about eliminating embarrassing, "lowbrow" emotion and sentimentality from everything held in high esteem. It is all about cool neutrals, minimalism and conceptual art. This uber cool may look good but is ultimately a glossy media lie: we don't really live like this.
The antidote is Emo, the messy new movement where the kids believe in sensitivity and emotion. They have realised that we need to connect with our emotions in order to transcend the everyday depression of human cruelty and mundane drudgery. Cartland's stories plunder this need to escape and present us with the ultimate prize, a Prince Charming (or a Cinderella). Karen Kilimnik at The Serpentine Gallery also provides hope that, at last, romance is being allowed to permeate the cool façade of the contemporary art world.
We could take the view that nature cruelly tempts us into coupling by dangling the "happy ever after" carrot in front of us. However, the trappings of romance, the hearts, flowers and flouncey white dresses are all our own fault and invention. We are captivated by something that may appear fleetingly, if at all, but doesn't last. The idea of romance draws us in and catapults us into a kind of dreamlike state where we become a participant even if it is only in our heads; this can be, and often is, a very pleasurable and under-rated activity.
"She had very large eyes in a heart-shaped face and her hair under her plain, unfashionable bonnet was the colour of ripening corn. Her eyes surprisingly were not blue but, unless he was mistaken, the grey of a wintry sea." (Love for Sale - Barbara Cartland)
Yes, I know it is ridiculous but... oh to have a heart-shaped face and eyes the colour of a wintry sea!
~ Arty 22 - Romance is out now and contains contributions from artists such as Stella Vine, Annabel Dover and Susan Aldworth. It costs £3 and is available from selected gallery bookshops and by mail order. See www.artymagazine.com for details.
