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JournalofReligionandPopularCulture

Volume21(2):Summer2009

“LoveintheClouds”:BarbaraCartland’sReligiousRomances

RobertW.Rix

UniversityofCopenhagenNjalsgade130

DK-2300CopenhagenK

Abstract

BarbaraCartlandhasbecomeabywordforpulpfiction,theepitomeofpopularculturelacking

progressivepurposeanddeepermeaning.ItiswellknownthatCartlandwrotesentimental

romances,buttheextenttowhichthesewerewrittenagainstthebackdropofaspiritualframeworkwiththeintentofpropagatinga“religionoflove”islittlerealized.Thisarticlediscusseshow

Cartlandrepresentsromanticloveasameanstoaccessingan“absolutereality”transcending

ordinaryexperience.Focusingonhernovel LoveintheCloudsasacasestudy,Iwillexaminehow

Cartlandusedthepopularromancegenreasaplatformforaspiritualawakeningofherreaders.Herideasandinfluenceswillbecontextualizedwithinthetraditionofreligiousromancewriting.

[1]BarbaraCartland(1901–2000),DameofHatfield,soldoveronebillioncopiesworldwideofher

723booktitles,whichhavebeentranslatedinto36languages.The“QueenofRomance,”assheis

stillreferredto,earnedaplaceintheGuinnessBookofRecordsasoneofthetop-sellingauthorsof

alltime.Intheyearsbeforeherdeath,Cartland’soutputwasregularlyovertwentybooksayear.In

additiontothis,nolessthan160novelsleftunpublishedarecurrentlybeingmadeavailabletothe

publicinaseriesentitledthePinkCollection.1Therelativelysparsecriticismavailableon

Cartland’sproductionhasfocussedmainlyonthe politicalunconsciousitpropagates.Ithasbeen

argued,forexample,thathernovelsprescribetraditionalgenderrolesforsuccessfulmatrimonyand

persuadewomentostriveforacceptancewithintheboundsofpatriarchalsociety. 2Thepresent

articledoesnotsetouttochallengethis;insteaditwillshifttheattentiontowhatCartlandherself

sawas“falseconsciousness”andthemeanstoexpungeit.WhenCartlandandreligionare

mentioned,itisusuallywithafocusonheroutspokennessforabstinencebeforemarriage(atotem

inherwriting).Certainly,Cartland’sromancesarepiousandexpressatraditionalistversionof

Christianity.Iwill,however,introduceanotherperspectiveonthereligiousdimensioninherbooks





byexamininghowtheyalsospeakwithmysticalandtranscendentalaccentsofromanceasameans

tospiritualenlightenment.Tofocustheanalysis,her239thnovel, LoveintheClouds(1979),is

chosenasacase-study.Ifthisappearstobepickedsomewhatatrandom,itwillsoonbecomeclear

thatittypifiesCartland’sproductioninseveralrespects.Inthesecondpartofthearticle,the

findingsoftheanalysiswillberelatedtotheliteraryhistoryofreligiousromance,aswellasto

currenttrendsinthebookmarket.Cartlandcanbeseenasthemostsuccessfulexampleofhow

religiouscommitmentadaptsitselftothedemandsofpopularculture.

[2]OneofCartland’sbiographersaptlydescribedherasa“crusaderinpink”(Cloud1979),in

referencetothemarketingofherself,onthedust-jacketofherbooks,dressedinlavishpinkchiffon

ballgownsandherquesttowinoverthepublictohermessageoflove.Infact,Cartlandaimed,at

alltimes,toeducateherreadersintoabetterunderstandingofloveastheultimaterealizationof

humanexistence.Basedonthenotionof utileetdulce,orwhatshecalled“entertainmentswitha

message,”shewantedtoachievethisthroughthemediumofaffordablestraight-to-paperback

romances.Inhermanynovels,Cartlandpromotedwhatshereferredtoasa“religionoflove,”a

conceptsheexplainedasatheo-philosophicalconceptinhermanynon-fictionalbooks.Themyth

thatCartlandcultivatedinhernovelswasthatwearesavedfromourmaterial-physicalprisonby

love.Ifthispurposehasgenerallybeenoverlookedbycritics,statementsfromherlargefanbase

showthatthiswasnotignored.3

[3]Cartlandmadeherdebutin1923withthenovel Jigsaw,asocietythrillerwithamoderatesplash

ofnaughtiness.Bythe1930s,however,shebeganincorporatingaspiritualdimensioninherfiction.

AkeynotioninCartland’sromanticuniverseistheideaofthe“LifeForce.”Thisisdescribedinher

firstbook-lengthaccountofherphilosophy,thepsycho-religiousstudy TouchtheStars:AClueto

Happiness(1935).Cartlandhereexplains“LifeForce”asthatwhichupholdsthehumanspiritand

bringsmenandwomentoarealizationoftheirinnerselves.The“LifeForce”infusesromanticlove





withdivinityandbringstheindividualintounitywithahigherprinciple.Sheexpandedand

elaboratedherideasinanumberofmind-body-and-spiritbooksand“inspirational”autobiographies,

suchas Love,LifeandSex(1957), ISearchforRainbows(1969), ISeektheMiraculous(1977),

BookofLoveandLovers(1978)and EtiquetteforLoveandRomance(1984).Thecontentsofthese

booksareevidenceofCartland’sinterestinreligiousexploration,rangingfromyogicphilosophy,

“focussedenergy,”transcendentalism,paranormalphenomenaandtheoccult.Inthe

autobiographical ISeektheMiraculous,sheclarifiedthatheraimwastodescribeanexperienceof

lovespirituallymorepowerfulthanphysicaldesire.Withthenotionof“LifeForce”asherbedrock,

Cartlandclaimedtowritespiritualizedromanceswhichprovidedasenseoforderanddestinyto

chaoticexistence.Shebelievedthatthosewho“giveoutlovebecomeonewiththewholeliving,

breathingforceoftheuniverseandGod”(qtd.inEckstein-Soule1997,77).But,despiteher

flirtationswiththisvarietyofreligiousandspiritualtraditions,includingthesupernatural,

Cartland’sromancesarefirmlyplacedwithinareligiousframework,towhichshebelievedtheother

philosophieswerecompatible.ForCartland,theChristianvaluesandromanticlovewere

intrinsicallyconnected.Forexample,theheroinesinherbooksareoftenfoundtakingtimeoutfor

prayerwhenfacedwitheventsofgreatimportancetotheirpersonallives.Thisconnectionalso

founditswayintoinherbookofprayer TheLightofLove:AThoughtforEveryDay(1979).

[4]ThetitlesofmanyCartlandbooksvividlyportraytheideaofloveaspartofanascendancetoa

divinerealmofconsciousness.Examplesarelegionandinclude LoversinParadise(1978), Journey

toParadise(1979)and RidingtotheMoon(1983).Ascendancewasalsothefoundationstonein

Cartland’sdiscussionsofromanceasaphenomenon.In TowardstheStars(Cartland1975,239),

loveisdescribedas“anecstasysowonderful,sogloriousandsospiritualthatitwasnotofthis

world.”Anothersuchexampleis LoveintheClouds.Ontheverylastpageofthisnovel,theheroine

hasdiscoveredalovethatis“bothhumananddivine”;itis“thecelestiallovethatbothmenandthe





godsthemselvessought”(Cartland1979,160;henceforth, LC ).Cartland’snovelsconsistently

representloveastranscendinghistoricalselfhoodandactingasacatalystfortheemergenceintoa

stateofpureconsciousness.Wefindthelovers’rapturesdescribedastranscendentstatesofbeing.

Attheendofonenovel,theyaredescribedashaving“touchedthedivine”(Cartland1978,187),or

wemayfindtheheroinespeakingtoherlover:“Ilove…youandeverythingyoudo…willbe

perfectand…alsodivine”(Cartland1982,135).Intheseraptures,theheroineissuspendedfrom

theworldoftemporalityandbecomesattunedtotheeternalrhythmsofthecosmos.Again,inthe

conclusionto LoveandLinda,loveisfiguredasamysticalunificationwiththecosmos:“itwasasif

hegavemeallthemostwonderful,beautifulthingsintheworld—thesun,themoon,thestars,the

sea,theflowers.TheywereallthereandIwaspartofthem”(Cartland1976,211).Theloversare

divestedoftheirtemporalbodiesandassumetherolesoftheuniversalmaleandfemale.For

example,in DollarsfortheDuke,theloversarecarried“onthewavesofecstasyintothestarlitsky,

andtheyknewthatnothingmatteredexceptthatasmanandwomantheywereonenowandthrough

alleternity”(Cartland1982,1:127).

[5]AnimportantplankinCartland’sromancesistheideathatmenandwomenwillbespiritually

reborntoamoreauthenticselfthroughlove.Fortheheroines,findingloveisamomentous,life-

changingevent.AttheendofCartland’s LoveandLinda,forexample,theeponymousheroine

acknowledges:“IknownowthatloveisdivineandcomesfromGodandwhileit’sthemost

thrilling,rapturoussensationonecouldeverimagine,italsomakesmewanttobegood”(Cartland

1976,220).Thehero’schangeisanevenmoreessentialrequirementfortheplot.Themale

characters(oftenwomanizers)undergoamoralreformationoftheirformerwickedways,astheyare

savedbylove.Withoutthelightoftrue,divineandholylove,themaleispreytotheworkingsof

Satan.Theconversionthatthemaleprotagonistmustgothroughiscouchedinalanguagerichwith

religioussymbolism.Thisisreflectedinthetitlesofseveralnovels: AHalofortheDevil(1974),





DevilinLove(1975), LuciferandtheAngel(1980),TheDevilDefeated (1986), LoveStrikesaDevil

(1992)etc.Inthesecased,thereisaplayonthecommonuseoftheword“devil”forarascal,butthe

allegoryofloveasacastingoutdemonsandabandoningalifeoftemptationisneverlostoutof

sight.

[6]InaninterviewwithTheGuardiannewspaper’s“Women’sPage”in1977,Cartlandexpounded

thepersonalviewthatmennotonlyhavesuperiorbodiesbutthattheyarealsointellectually

superior.Evenmoresignificantly,thelifestylesofmeninevitablygivethemmore“experience.”In

comparison,womanisguidedbyemotion;herinstinctsremainingdormantuntilawakenedbythe

man’s“experience.”Incourtship,thebalanceisredressed,becausetherethemaleisinferiorin

mattersoftheheart.Heiscontrolledbythephysicalanddrivenbylust:“allmenarecavemenand

philanderersatheart”(qtd.inBrunt1984,140–1).Onlythemysteriouspurityofwomancan

transformhimintoadoptingabetterlife,whichisinharmonywiththeLifeForce.

[7]Aspiritualawakeningforboththemaleandthefemaleprotagonistisalsothedénouement in

Cartland’s LoveintheClouds.Sincethisnovelwillserveasacasestudy,abriefsummarymaybe

inorder.ThenovelbeginsinlateVictorianEnglandof1895.ThedistinguishedSanskritprofessor

BernardWardellsuffersaheartattackandispreventedfromtravellingtoNepaltosearchforan

ancientSanskrittext.Thisisthe Lotus Manuscript ,saidtobe“fullofbeautiful,inspiringthoughts,

whichcouldstimulateandraisethemindsofthosewhounderstoodthemtowardsthestars”( LC 22).

ThismanuscriptwasreputedlywrittenbyoneofBuddha’sdisciples,containingundisclosed

materialontheBuddha.Theprofessorisinfinancialstraitsanddesperatelyneedsthemoneythat

theacquisitionofthesacredmanuscriptwillearnhim.Therefore,hereluctantlysendshisdaughter,

Chandra,inhisplace.InIndia,Chandrameetsupwithherfather’soldconnectionLordFrome,a

notoriouswomanhater.AlthoughLordFromeisinitiallyscepticalofChandra’sabilitiesasa

scholar,heneverthelessagreestoaccompanyher.Theirtravelsleadthemtoamonasteryinthe





Nepalesemountains.Whiletheyaresearchingthroughthelibrarythere,alamainterruptsthemand

leadsthemtoasecretroom,wheretheyaregivenpermissiontoseethe LotusManuscript .

Unfortunately,theyarenotallowedtoreaditnortakeitwiththem,since—thelamaexplainsto

them—theworldisnotreadyyettoreceivethedivinetruthsitcontains.However,theydodiscover

another,albeitminor,manuscript,entitledTheSongof theCelestialSou1.Thismanuscriptalso

promisesfinancialgaintoChandra’sfather.Evenso,thearduousjourneyanditsultimatefailure

helpbringChandraandLordFromeclosertogether;asinallofCartland’snovels,theplotgradually

buildstoitspredeterminedresolution:LordFromeproposingmarriage.

[8]Cartland’sresearchintoOrientalspiritualityisapparentintheplotof LoveintheClouds.The

fictional LotusManuscript callstomindthe LotusSutra,oneofthemostinfluentialBuddhisttexts

fromEastAsia.TheextensiveMahayanascripture,writteninSanskrit,wasrecognizedforcenturies

ascontainingthesummitoftheBuddhaShakyamuni’steachingaboutsupremeenlightenmentand

theuniversalsalvationofalllivingbeings.Theequallyfictional SongoftheCelestialSoulrecalls

SirEdwinArnold’sEnglishtranslationofthemuchadmiredHinduspiritualtextthe BhagavadGita,

whichwaspublishedasTheSongCelestialin1895—theyearinwhich LoveintheCloudstakes

place.

[9]Asalientfeatureof LoveintheCloudsistheconvergenceofitstwomainnarrativelines:the

searchforthesacred LotusManuscript andtheprotagonist’sdiscoveryoflove.Shouldthereader

misstheconnection,itisbluntlypointedoutthatChandra’sromanceis“directlylinkedtothe

wonderoftheLotusManuscript”( LC 143).Theinabilitytofinallyprocurethemanuscriptis

compensatedforbythespirituallovethatshefindswithLordFrome.Towardstheendofthenovel,

Chandragaspsincelebrationofacompletedquest:“Thisislove…loveasIalwaysknewitwould

beifIcouldeverfindit”( LC 143).ForLordFrome,thesimilaritybetweenthesacredSanskrittexts

andthemysteryofloveismadeevenmoreexplicit.ALamatellshimthat,thoughhecannottake





[11]IthasalreadybeennotedthatmanyofCartland’splotswerecastinthemoldofChristian

conversionnarratives.Theheroine’sforemostquestistowinovertheherofromastateof

corruptiontoalifeoflove.Themalewhorefusestoseethemysticaltruthofloveisnegatingthe

divine.OftenthemaleprotagonistinCartland’sfictionhasformerlybeenapredatorinrelationships

devoidofanyspiritualdimension.LordFromeisnoexception.Heisthetypologyofalostsoul,

broughttoenlightenmentbytheheroine’sspiritualqualities.Forexample,hetellsChandrathathe

usedtowritelovelettersin“theByronisticvein…thatwereimmaturelypassionate”( LC 148).The

definitionofabad andessentiallyimmoralheroisimportantfortheplot.RogerSaleshasargued

thatallCartland’ssuburbanaristocratsaremodelledontheByronicmyth,andthatitisacondition

ofthenovelsthattheymustrejecttheirpredatoryandunspiritedamorousness(Sales1999,166–83).

In LoveintheClouds,LordFrome’s“conversion”isanalogizedwiththediscoveryofreligious

truth.OnceromanticallyinvolvedwithChandra,heisabletospeakinavoiceakintothebeautiful

verseoftheSanskritmanuscript.Inthefinalresolutionofthenovel,wearetoldthat“everything

thatwaspoeticandidealisticinhisnaturehadcometothesurface,andheexpressedhimselfin

wordsthatattimesseemedlikeTheSongoftheCelestialSoul”( LC 154).Thelovers’final

unificationisillustratedinthemetaphorofthepoetplayinghislyre:Chandra“hadonlytolookat

him[LordFrome]tofeelthateverynerveinherbodyvibratedtohimlikeamusicalinstrument( LC

152).Cartlandoftenusedmusicastheauthenticmeansofcommunicationofalovesublime,for

example:“Thentherewasonlythemusicoftheangelsandtheblindinglightofeternallove”

(Cartland1994,469).

[12]SinceCartlandconsistentlyallocatesaspecializedcategoryoflanguagetoexpresslove,itis

usefultobrieflyfocusonthestylisticpropertiesofhertexts.Cartlandsignalstoherreadersthatthe

climaxofromanceisreachedthroughswitchingfromnovelisticprosestyletoafiguralmodeof

language.Indescribingheightenedmomentsoflove,oftentriggeredbyakiss,aprofoundly





metaphoriclanguagereplacesstraightforwardsignification.Wefindalanguagebrimmingwith

similesandmetaphoriccomparisons(“like,”“asif”and“asthough”),makingitpossibletocompare

theworldlyrealmwithonebelievedtoexistbeyondmaterialandtemporalboundaries.Arelated

characteristicofCartland’swritingistherecurrentdescriptionofanupwardmovementindicating

spiritualtranscendence.Forinstance,akisscarriesChandra“tothetopofthesnow-covered

mountainsandwe…lefttheworld…behind”( LC 153).InLoveforSale,thefemaleprotagonist

receivesakissthat“carriedherupintothestarsthatwerenowshiningintheskyoutside”(Cartland

1980,161).InthelastlinesofTowardstheStars,theheroine:“surrenderedherselftotheecstasy

andraptureofloveandhecarriedhertowardthestars”(Cartland1975,167).Thisisoftenrelatedto

anexperienceofcosmicunity;in MusicfromtheHeart ,theheroinefeelsasiftheherois“carrying

heruptothestarlitsky…wheretherewasonlythelovewhichcamefromthelifepulsatingwithin

them”(1982:2,155).Typographically,Cartland’secstaticlovescenesaremarkedbyanextensive

useofdotspunctuatingthelines,asitcanbeseenfromtheseexamples.Thisindicatesthathuman

languagecannolongersuffice.TheloveChandrafeelsin LoveintheCloudsisdescribedasa“wild

rapturethatwasinexpressible”( LC 143),andshecanonlyspeak“incoherently,”because

“happinessmadeithardtospeak”( LC 160).Thisrepresentationofloveresonateswiththenotionof

religious“transport”ascharacterizedby“incommunicableness,”aphenomenonwhichWilliam

Jamesdefinedas“thekeynoteofallmysticism”(James1902).

[14]Theintensemomentsofromantictransporttranscendtemporalandspatialorder.Hence,these

passagesoftenfailtointegratewiththenovelisticprose.Thewayinwhichtheymaysimultaneously

breakwiththeotherwisenarrativeformofthenovelandstandoutagainsttheworldofphysical

lawsandmortalitycanbeseeninthefollowingexample:

Thenhewaskissingheragain…untilshefeltasthoughtheywere…highinthe

skyenvelopedwiththelightoflove…





......

Itwasaverylongday’sjourneywhenLordFromeandChandrarodethroughthe

valleywheremalariawasprevalent( LC 151;dotsandparagraphbreakinthe

original).

Thisisajarringtransition.Thesuspensionofthephysicallawsgoverninghumanscontrastsstarkly

withtheNepalesevalleyfilledwithailingmortalbodies,signallingthefundamentaldifference

betweentwomodesofexistence.ItmayremindusoftheaccountinMatthew17whereJesusand

threedisciplescomeofftheMountainofTransfigurationandstraightdowntothevalleywherethey

aremetwithallsortsofdiseases.Tofurtherhighlightthis,Cartlandreversesthemetaphorical

geography,fromupwardstodownwardsmovement.Nonetheless,theintegrationofthedivineinthe

physicalworldistheforegoneconclusioninCartland’sbooks.Thediscoveryoftranscendentallove

ismeanttoopenupthedoorsofperceptiontoanewdimensionofthemundaneworld.Hence,

towardstheendof LoveintheClouds,Chandracancelebratethat“theflowers[arenow]more

beautiful,theorchidsmoreprofuse,”asupersensibiltyshe“hadbeenlackingyesterday”( LC 155).

[15]Onthebackgroundoftheaboveanalysis,Iamnowabletodiscusshowlinksbetweenromance

andmysticismhavebeenexploredinabroadercontext.OneobviousplacetostartiswithGeorge

Bataille,whooftenfocussedonextremestatesofconsciousnessinhiswriting.Pertinenttothe

presentdiscussion,Bataillepointedto“staggeringsimilarities”betweentherhetoricofhigherlove

andmysticism(1977,246–9).HeemphasizedthesensualrhetoricofafemalemysticsuchasTeresa

ofAvila,butotherexamplescanbefoundinthewritingsofJulianofNorwich,Hildegardof

Bingen,MargeryKempeandthelonglineofwomenmysticstowhichtheybelong.InCartland’s

novels,therevelationofahigherexistencethroughlovecan,attimes,beseentomodelitselfonthe

rhetoricusedbyfemalemystics,whodescribeGod’slovepenetratingtheheart.Totakeanexample

from LoveintheClouds:Chandrafeels“thesensationshe[LordFrome]arousedinherrunning





thoughherlikeshaftsofsunlight”( LC 150).Cartlandmayintendnodirectreference,buther

metaphorisrhetoricallyveryclosetoTeresaofAvila’sfamousvisionofamaleangelwithafire-

tippedlancepiercingherheart.5

[16]Cartland’srhetoricneednot,however,relyonscholarlyreadingtoworkforherreaders(rather

onewouldexpectittobedetrimental).ThereasonwhyCartland’sscenesofmysticalunitycanfind

aplacewithinthepopularromancegenreisthattheycanbeseentotapafountofcommon

experience.Inanempiricalstudy,RalphW.HoodandJamesR.Hallexamined“theconsistent

utilizationoferoticandsexualphrasesinbothWesternandEasterntraditionstocharacterizethe

mysticalexperience.”Intervieweesrevealedthatmysticalexperienceswerefrequentlyelicitedin

connectionwithintenseamorousand/oreroticfeelings(HoodandHall1980).Infact,ithasbeen

dulynotedbyseveralcriticsthatrepresentationsofthemysticalareoftenincorporatedintopopular

romancenovels.RosalynnVoaden,forinstance,convincinglycomparedmodernromancefiction

withtheeroticvisionsofmedievalwomenmystics(1995,78).JayDixon,inabookonMills&

Boon(thelong-standingmarketleaderinromancepublishing),examineshowromanticloveis

“oftendescribedusinglanguageevocativeoftheChristianideologyofdivinelove.”Shefurnishes

heranalysiswithexamplesfromearlier,aswellasmorerecentromances(1998,182).Ingeneral,

thecosmiconenessofmanandwoman,asperceivedbythemystic,isnow“afamiliarconceptthat

haswounditswayintopopularromance”(Zetter1999,116).In LoveintheClouds,Chandra

declarestoLordFrome:“youaretheotherpartofme,thepartwhichhasalwaysbeenmissing”( LC

150).Hernovelsenactare-symbolisationoftheunificationthemeoftenfoundinspiritualliterature.

[17]Intheabovediscussion,IhaveemphasizedthemysticalelementsinCartland’sreligious

novels,butitshouldnotbeignoredthattheyatalltimesfallbackontraditionalChristianvalues.

Thereisnosexbeforemarriageandphysicaleroticismisshunned.Inthisrespect,theysharean

ideologyincommonwithwhathasbeentermed“evangelical”or“inspirational”romance.This





segmentofthemarketisgrowing.OneexampleistheToronto-basedHarlequinEnterprises,a

marketleaderinromancepublishingandwomen’sfiction,whichhaspublishedaseriesof

paperbacks,entitled LoveInspired.Thesearebilledas“heartwarmingnovels,”which“feature

inspirationalstorieswithacommitmenttostrongfamilyvaluesandhighmoralstandards.”6

Zondervan,asubsidiaryofHarperCollinsPublishersandoneofthelargestChristianpublishing

companiesintheworld,hashadgreatsuccesswithitsevangelicalromancesintheSerenadeSaga

series.DeseretBook(aUtahcorporationownedbyTheChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaints)

andCovenantCommunications(anindependentMormonpublisher)areexamplesofpublishing

housescateringforspecificdenominationalreadershipswiththeirseriesofromanticnovels.

Cartland’snovelsmaypresentheroineswhoareexplicitlyChristian,andmaybegiventopraying,

buttheChristianityshepresentsinhernovelsisecumenicalandprimarilyintuitive,neveralienating

“freethinking”audiences.

[18]Inarecentstudy,LynnS.Nealexaminedthemarketfor“evangelical”romances.Herresearch

revealedthattheauthorsofthesebooksexplicitlyspokeoftheirrepresentationsofmale-female

relationshipsasanalogoustothe“romance”betweenbelieverandGod(2006,172).Thisisan

approachalsodiscernableinCartland’sbooks,andonethatisreflectedin LoveintheClouds

throughthekeymetaphorofloveasanexegesisofasacredtext.Neal’sstudyalsoshowedthat

readersprizedinspirationalromancesforconfirmingareligiouswayoflifeagainstthegeneral

corruptionandpromiscuityofmodernsociety(Lynn2006,76;cf.Barret2003).Cartlandspokeof

hermissionasthe“restorationofmen’sandwomen’smoreauthenticselves,undistortedbythe

currentsofthepresent(qtd.inBrunt1984,143).ButwhereasmanyofthenewbreedofChristian

romancewritersdealspecificallywithproblemsofbecomingaChristianandobservingformalized

religion,suchthemesarenotcentraltoCartland’snovels.Sheremainedscepticalof

institutionalizedreligion,believingformalworshiphadlostitsmessageinemptyritual(Cloud





1979,66).Faithwasalwaysadeepercommitmentuntroubledbydoctrinalconcerns.Asinthemore

recent“evangelical”novel,Cartland’snovelscontainanimplicitcritiqueofmodernsociety.Many

oftheChristiantraditionalistvaluespropoundedinthenewevangelicalromancestallywith

Cartland’spromotionofVictorian-orEdwardian-periodideologyinhernovels.7

[19]Cartland’sinspirationfromnovelistssuchasJaneAusten,theBrontës,GeorgeEliotandother

olderwritersisevident.Theseauthors,eachintheirownway,showedsignsofthedevelopment

describedbyRobertM.Polhemus,whostudiedhowromancenovelscreatedanewsiteforre-

constitutingcommunityandmoralvalues,alongwithmodesofpsychologicalgratification.Thishad

oncebeentheexclusivedomainofreligioussensibilitybutwascompromisedbyanincreasingly

rationalmodernity.Putmoresimply,traditionalreligioncametobesubstitutedbyagospelof

romanticlove.Theromancenovelmadeheadwayinpopularculturebybecoming“ameansfor

imaginingformsoffaiththatwouldaugmentorsubstitutefororthodoxreligiousvisions”(Polhemus

1990,4).Cartlandtookaspecificinterestinnovels,publishedinthelateVictorianperiodandthe

earlytwentiethcentury,whichhadaspecificmystical-religiousdimension.Intheremainderofthis

article,Iwilldiscussanumberoftheseauthorsinacomparativeperspective.

[19] LoveintheClouds,astoryofasearchforEasternwisdominthemountainousregionsof

Nepal,waspublishedtheyearafterCartlandstartedherLibraryofAncientWisdomseriesin1978.

Inhercapacityaseditor,Cartlandsoughttoestablishacanonofolderromanticnovels,whichspoke

withareligiousandmoralpurpose.TheAncientWisdomseriesbroughtoutotherauthors’storiesof

loveinantiquity,ortheEast.TheseriesincludedanumberofolderworksbyTalbortMundy

(1879–1940)andLilyAdamsBeck(d.1931),towhichCartlandwroteforewords.Boththese

writersaretodayassociatedwiththeriseoftheosophy.AmongBeck’stitlesintheserieswasThe

GardenofVision(orig.publ.1933),whichisaboutanEnglishwomanwhoforsakesthematerialism

ofherhomecountrytoseekthepathtowisdomandspiritualenlightenmentinJapan.Anotherbook





washerromanceTheHouseofFulfilment:TheRomanceofaSoul(orig.1927),whichdealswith

thespeculativeHindumysticismoftheUpanishadsandtheunveilingofthesecretsofimmortality

inasecludedsanctuaryinKashmir.Thissettingandthemebringuscloseto LoveintheClouds.

Indianmythandreligionhaveanobviousattractionfortheromancewriter.Theemphasisoncosmic

unitybetweenmaleandfemaleprinciplesandplacing Kama(desire,affection,love)asoneofthe

four purusarthas,orgoalsoflifehavemadethejuxtapositionofreligionandlovelessdramatic(see

Sternberger1998,90–1).

[20]OtherprominentinfluencesonCartlandwereMarieCorelli(1855–1924),FlorenceBarclay

(1862–1920),ElinorGlyn(1864–1943),and,mostsignificantly,EthelM.Dell(1881–1939).

Despitethesuccessofthesewritersintheirtime,theyareonlycursorilymentionedinPamela

Regis’s(2003)usefulstudyofthehistoryoftheromancegenre .8Thecentralfemalequestin

Corelli’ssupernaturalromances ARomanceofTwoWorlds(1886), Ardath(1889),TheSoulof

Lilith(1892), Ziska:TheProblemoftheWickedSoul(1896),andTheLifeEverlasting(1911)centre

onthespiritualunionwithamasculinecounterpartthroughasortofmysticalrecognition.Thereisa

constanttensionbetweenindependentfemaleself-discoveryandspiritualunionwiththemale

(Federico2000,132).AsinCartland’snovels,formalmarriagemaybealogicalandimportant

conclusion,butthespiritualexperienceofloveisforegrounded.Corelli’sideal,accordingtoher

1901essay“SovranWoman,”isthatmanandwomanare“twohalvesofaperfectwhole”.The

appealtothePlatonicideaofsoulmates,exploredintheSymposium,isobvioushere(Kuehn2006,

228).Aswehaveseen,Cartlandentertainssimilarideasofdivineunityofmanandwomanas

sunderedhalves.

[21]Inbiographiesandinterviews,CartlandspecificallypointedtoEthelM.Dellasamain

influenceonherwriting.AlthoughDellnevervisitedIndia,manyofhernovelstakeplacethere

(Dell1977).Dellsimilarlywrotehighlydramaticlove-storiesunderpinnedbyareligioussensibility.





Wanderer.”Here,theheroinemustpassthroughthe“TheValleyofHumiliation”(chap.21)and

climb“TheMountainSide”(chap.24)toreach“TheMountainTop”(chap.27),leadingto“The

SeventhHeaven”(chap.29),Dell’sromantictranslationofChristianParadise.Withoutquitethe

sameallegoricalheavy-handedness,CartlandoftenrecastthenarrativeoftheChristianquestasa

romanticjourneyinbothgeographicalandspiritualspace,whichwouldtesttheheroandheroine.

[23]CartlandpublishedacondensedversionofDell’s BarsofIron(1916)in1978.Thetitleofthis

bookisexplainedtothereaderbythecitationDellplacesbeforethetext:“Hehathbrokenthegates

ofbrass:Andsmittenthebarsofironinsunder”(Psalm107,KingJamesVersion).Inthelast

chapterofthebook,thehero,Piers(Plowman?),andtheheroine,Jeannie,findthemselves“upon

holyground.”Thisisaheightenedstateofconsciousness,fromwhichJeannie“gazedoutasone

raptindelight,gazingfromamountain-peakuponawiderviewthanearthlyeyescouldcompass.”

SheturnstoPiersanduttersinalowvoiceinwhich“throbbedarapturethatcouldnotbeutteredin

words”:“IsawHeavenopened...”ThisleadsusbacktothesecondcitationwithwhichDellhad

introducedthebook:“Isawheavenopened”(Revelation19:11).Aswehaveseeninouranalysisof

Cartland’sfiction,herromanceswerealsoexplicitlymetaphorizedasdiscoveriesofaspiritual

paradise.Intheintensityofthetranscendentmomentsofunity,theloverscanberemadeasthe

prelapsarianAdamandEve.Forexample,in LoveintheClouds,thetwoloverscanfeelasif“they

ateambrosiaanddranknectarandtheworldinwhichtheysatneareachotherwasagolden,

dreamlikeplaceofunbelievablebeauty”( LC 153).

[24]Cartland’snovelspromotedconservativeChristianvalues.Inthisrespect,theychimewith

morerecentdevelopmentsinthemarketfor“evangelicalromances”.However,Cartlanddiffers

frommanyofthe“evangelical”offeringsonthemarkettodayinherconsistentrepresentationof

romanceasamysticalecstasy.Forthis,shedrewinspirationfromanumberofOriental,

theosophicalandocculttraditions,whichsheexplainedinseveralnon-fictionalbooks.Inherfiction,





thehigherecstaticloveischaracterizedbystylizedpassages,whichruptureandstandoutfromthe

steadyprogressoftheprosenarrative.Cartlandnovelsusedthesametemplateas“secular”

romances,emphasizingthemoralconversionofthecharacters;butthiswaswithinareligious

framework,theresultbeinganewspirituality.Thereisatraditionofusingtheromancenovelasa

vehicleforpreachingreligioussentiment,whichCartlandrevivedasaneditorrepublishing“classic”

examplesfromaroundtheturnofthecentury—herowninfluences.Cartlandexpandedandre-

developedthisform,effectivelydown-marketingitforanevenwideraudience,tofinallysettleona

formulathatcametoformthebasisofherwriting.

[25]Despiteherenormouspopularityworldwide,Cartlandhasbeenleftoutofsurveysand

discussionsofreligiousromance.Itispossiblethathernearlyiconicstatusastheepitomeofclichéd

banalityhasgotinthewayofcriticstakingseriouslythespiritual-religiousdimensionofherwork.

UmbertoEco,inhisdiscussionofpostmodernism’sthreattotheoriginalself,summarizesa

commonconception:“Ithinkofthepostmodernattitudeasthatofamanwholovesavery

cultivatedwomanandknowshecannotsaytoher,‘Iloveyoumadly’becauseheknowsthatshe

knows(andthatsheknowsthatheknows)thatthesewordshavealreadybeenwrittenbyBarbara

Cartland”(Eco1993,227).However,Cartlandneverthoughtitidletoreiteratehermessagethat

lovewasauniqueandoriginalexperience.Sheherselfwouldseethesentence“Iloveyoumadly”as

ameanstoescapetheworldlybanalitywhichEcobelievedthreatenedlifeinthepostmodern

condition.LordFromefindsanescapefromclichédByronicimitation,aswehaveseen,tofinda

lovewhichexpressesitselfasarepetitionofwhatisancient,eternalandauthenticallydivine.

Notes

1Thesearedistributedviaawebsite( www.barbaracartland.com),whichoperatesasabookclub.2 For such an analysis, see, for instance,M.V.Doyle’s study ofCartland’snovels,based onErnestG.Bormann’sfantasythemeanalysis(Doyle1985).





3Inresponsetothenewsofherdeath,Cartland’sromanceswerepraisedbyherreaders,whoexpressed

theirappreciationofthe“spiritualaspectsoflove—theaspectsthatsustainuswhenourbodiesbeginto

fail” (Testimony from anAmericanwoman reader, posted on the BBC Talking Point website, “YourMemoriesofBarbara”:<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/758082.stm>,May26,2000).Tostudy

romances in terms of readers’ response is a traditional approach to the genre, and the statements here

suggestthatthereismuchtobedoneonreaders’responsetothereligiousaspectofCartland’snovels.4Foradiscussionofmysticalexegesisanditsgenderedmetaphors,seeWolfson2005.5Cartlandusesasimilarformulationonp.152.Sheusesthemetaphoragaininthetitleofher1981novel A

ShaftofSunlight .6See<http://www.eharlequin.com>.7Judgingfromherchoiceofsettings,the1920sseemtobethelasthistoricalperiodinwhichheravowedly

conservativeoutlookonlove,sexandmatrimonycouldpassasrealistic.8SomewhatfullertreatmentisgiveninCadogan,1994,seeesp.52–4,77–81.

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