The Wrong Mr. Darcy, written by Evelyn Lozada, brings about common themes seen in the typical romance novel. Lozada gives the reader of any romantic novel exactly what they are looking for, making it the ideal book to get your hands on if you’re into the romance genre. According to Jane Gallop, “Those things which conform to our expectations are things which resemble what we have read before, things where we have learned what to expect. English teachers call this similarity “genre,” (“The Ethics of Reading: Close Encounters” pages 10-11). I kept this quote in my mind as I read Lozada’s book, thinking of all the important pieces that go into writing a great romance novel. First and foremost, to be considered a romance novel, the story has to include a central love story. Second, the romance is usually one that struggles. The two individuals find their chemistry to be there, but fight against some odds to be together. Whether this be jobs, distance, or interests that keep them apart, they must, by the end of the novel, find a way around the said obstacle, and ‘fall in love.’
These two central ideas to the romance genre occur continuously throughout the plot. A central love story is first introduced to the reader on page 22 of Lozada’s book; “Their eyes locked. Hara, caught spying on him, felt a blush sizzle up her neck to the top of her head. But his eyes… she had never seen anything like them,” (Lozada 22). Hara and Derek meet for the first time and immediately a spark between them ignites. This is a very typical occurrence in the genre of romance. This part of the book also made me think back to another reading, “The Ethics of Reading: Close Encounters,” written by Kaja Silverman. Hara attributes, for the first time, Derek Darcy to that of a lion; “His laser-focused gaze was reminiscent of that of a lion, noble and intense, possibly ready to attack,” (Lozada 22). This later falls into the category of semic codes, “The semic code represents the major device for thematizing persons, objects, or places. It operates by grouping a number of signifiers around either a proper name or another signifier which functions temporarily as if it were a proper name” (Silverman 251). Hara describes Derek Darcy as a lion for the second time on page 46 of Lozada’s book, “Once again, she thought of a lion as he moved, silent and lithe,” (Lozada 46).
In order to be considered part of the semic code, the characterization of one of the characters must occur multiple times. This is a code that is heavily used throughout the book. She describes another character in the book, O’Donnell, as, “the goddamn old man stronger than he looked, probably from hours of golfing and weird sex marathons,” (Lozada 256). Hara also mentions the pagan orgy paintings depicted in O’Donnell’s house a number of times. These occur throughout the book, but specifically on pages 26 and 215, through the perspective of Hara and then Derek.
Going back to my original point regarding the elements of a romance novel, the second requirement is fulfilled. The central romance is usually rocky for one reason or another, and by the end, the two must defy odds to be together. We see that Hara and Derek are insistent on keeping their feelings for each other under wraps for the majority of the book. Both having inner monologues as to why the other would not be a good match for them. For example, Derek explains that he doesn’t trust her because she is a reporter. He holds onto this reason even though he finds himself very attracted to her. Hara decides immediately that he is a pompous asshole and pushes her feelings for him aside even though she has feelings for him as well.
The two ultimately decide, after a scary encounter with death, that they cannot live without each other. They realise that they have survived a situation that only the two of them would ever be able to understand and fulfill the last piece of the romance genre requirements; hurdle the obstacles keeping them apart, and end up together. This book was loaded with elements specific to the romance genre and followed the specific pattern that most romance books stick to. Lozada’s novel also touched on the semic code often, relying on it to further characterize the characters and develop the plot further.
(Title of blog post attributed to the creative mind of Scott MacLean)
All You Read is Love 
Angela I liked what you said about Derek and the semic code. I noticed the semic code was very apparent throughout the novel and definitely influenced my perceptions of the characters. I liked how Lozada described Madeline in a way that made it obvious she was the cold, calculating, mean girl. “Madeline had the odd habit of fluctuating between a professional tone one minute to a baby voice the next”; “the assistant cooed into the phone with a high-pitched giggle—yet her face remained stony”; “apparently getting her way by adapting different personas” (Lozada 20). All of these descriptions are located when we first encounter Madeline, immediately giving us the impression that she’s fake and manipulative. She treats others as beneath her several times in the book, and wields more power than the typical assistant. The semic code helps define her character as one of the main villains in the book.
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