Junior Chloe Smith ’26 was one of 10 students granted a 2024 Summer Research Fellowship at Westminster College. Smith, an honors student and English major from Brookville, Pa., spent her summer months researching “Contrasting Quality in Contemporary Romance Novels: A Study of Tropes, Sex Scenes, and Social Media Influence” with the help of her mentor, Dr. Kristianne Kalata, professor of English. Smith is the academics affairs chairperson for the Student Government Association and the philanthropy chair for Phi Mu at Westminster. She also works as an orientation leader and peer tutor on campus.  

Why did you apply for the summer research fellowship?
I applied for the Drinko Summer Research Fellowship because I wanted to research a topic and genre that I would not have had the opportunity to study in class at Westminster. The fellowship also provided me with the chance to immerse myself in a topic that I hope to continue researching for my honors thesis as part of the Honors Program at Westminster.

Can you briefly describe your project?
My project, “Contrasting Quality in Contemporary Romance Novels: A Study of Tropes, Sex Scenes, and Social Media,” seeks to establish what makes a high-quality contemporary romance novel and a low-quality contemporary romance novel and why poorly written romances sell so well. Researching “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry as a high-quality novel and “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover as a low-quality romance novel, I am studying the use of tropes/archetypes, subplots and sexual content through reader-oriented and feminist literary criticism. My research also considers social media and how platforms like TikTok are affecting the book publishing industry.

What have you learned from your collaboration with Dr. Kalata? What kinds of insight and support did she contribute to your project?
Dr. Kalata passed much of her expertise in women’s writing, narratology and reader-response theory, allowing me to deepen my understanding of critical literary theories that needed to be applied to the texts I was studying. Dr. Kalata was also able to recommend critical and journal articles that greatly contributed to my project in a variety of ways. Perhaps most significantly, Dr. Kalata has been able to help me look ahead for ways we can expand this research in the future and develop my project into a fantastic honors thesis.

What aspects of research have been your favorite and/or most challenging?
My favorite aspect of my research has been studying and reading romance scholar Janice Radway's book, “Reading the Romance,” which explores the history of romance novels and delves into reader-response theory. The most challenging aspect of my research was finding reliable, critical sources to use for my paper, the culmination of my project. My research uses two contemporary romance novels, published in 2016 and 2022, so there is just a lack of critical work for these pieces, and as a result, I have had to turn to more blog- and review-oriented sources. It is exciting to be one of the first people to write a critical piece on these novels and to hopefully help others see that romance is a genre that deserves a place in the academic literary arena, as it has often been seen as less important and overlooked. My work as a student researcher has undoubtedly shaped my future student and career success by igniting my curiosity and fueling my passion for reading and romance novels.

What is your favorite thing about being a Westminster student?
My favorite part about being a Westminster student is the sense of community and how easy it is to get involved on campus. I am so grateful to have such amazing friends, mentors and professors at Westminster who truly make campus feel like home. I have had so many opportunities to immerse myself in student life at Westminster. From joining a sorority to being part of the Student Government Association and everything else I do in between, I have been able to experience life at Westminster through a variety of lenses!

What are your future plans?
My future plans are to either pursue a doctorate degree in English and become a professor or to pursue a career in editing, publishing or social media.

Sponsored by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research, Summer Research Fellowships at Westminster College allow students to conduct hands-on research and creative projects under the guidance of our experienced faculty mentors.

For more information about Westminster’s English major, please visit www.westminster.edu/english.

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