Citation

Weston L, Ruggiero J. Sex Roles 1978; 4(5): 647-655.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00287330

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study is a content analysis of 24 randomly selected best-selling "modern Gothic" or "romantic suspense" novels published between 1950 and May 1974. The focus was on the interrelationships between the male and female characters in terms of their sex-role characterization and the attitudes and behavior of the hero towards the heroine and the supporting female actor. The findings indicate that (1) the hero displays more positive attitudes and behavior toward the nontraditional woman (generally the heroine) than towards the traditional one (generally the minor female) and (2) the hero who chooses the less traditional female is usually characterized as traditional.