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Quaker Romances: The Corpus

In order to select my primary sources, I have followed three criteria. First, as already stated, I have selected romances whose main characters (both the hero and the heroine, or at least one of them) are Quakers and in which Quakerism plays an important role. As will be seen, many of the Quaker romances I have selected are Christian (also referred to as inspirational) and mostly adhere to the features of this subgenre. Others, however, are secular and may be more liberal in their treatment of sexual issues. I have nonetheless decided to include the latter in my corpus as well, even if this comprehensive approach may complicate my analysis of Quaker romances to some extent. My decision is based on the fact that it is often difficult to draw the line between Christian and secular romances when both have Quakerism featuring prominently in their plots. The publishing house responsible for the novels’ publication—whether Evangelical, Quaker or secular—and the authors’ religious backgrounds will determine which point the novels occupy in the continuum; still, there is a fluidity that is difficult to contain, and, for that reason, my analysis will incorporate romances with Quaker protagonists regardless of whether their portrayal of a Christian sect is drawn with a religious goal in mind or a secular one.