Member Narges Zarei has completed her thesis on “Postmodern Manifestation of Romance in Updike’s Marry Me: A Romance: Dissociation from Conventional Romance,” in which she concludes that “not only does Updike relate his novel to the eight essential characteristics of a romance novel, but he also employs the other three minor features in Marry Me. He deconstructs some of these essential elements to depart his romance novel from conventional ones in order to make it a postmodern romance. Updike sticks to elements of conventional romance novels namely society defined, the meeting, the attraction, the declaration, point of ritual death, wedding, dance, or fete, scapegoat exiled, and the bad converted. Nevertheless, Updike dissociates from conventional romance novels in terms of the barrier, the recognition, and the betrothal.”

Here is her full thesis: zarei-marry-me. She would be pleased if people who read it might post comments.