Balane, Mary Anne

ENG 198 SP2

To Infinity and Beyond:

The Reverberations of Canonical and Foundational 20th-Century Romance Novels
as seen in Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist
Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist, a young adult novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
published in 2006, features the eponymous characters one-night foray into the adventure called the first
date as they wander through the musical maze of Manhattan. Based on the criteria of central love story
and optimistic and satisfying ending, it is a romance novel and is even marketed as such, albeit under
the blanket of the YA genre. Although it employs some conventions pioneered by the canonical and
prototypical romances, the novel mostly renews and appropriates these elements for the contemporary YA
reader to the point that they are used against tradition. The novel avoids paying homage to the romance
trends of the past, but, as seen in the way it tries to depart from them as if on purpose, is nonetheless
affected by them.
The title itself is a precursor to how the narrative would diverge from the traditions of the
romance novel. Out of the eight canonical and foundational romances we have discussed, half have titles
based on the name of either the hero or heroine, e.g. Pamela and The Sheik. These titles somehow reflect
how these novels focus more on one half of the couple rather than portraying them as equally active
participants; this one-sided love trope is most pronounced in The Sheik wherein Dianes unspoken pining
for Ahmed takes up about half of the book. These novels are also often told only from the female point of
view, which is good since this allows womens voices to be heard, but this also perpetuates the idea that
women care for love more than men. Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist however is told from both Nicks
and Norahs perspectives in alternating chapters. Both of them actively participate in developing
whatevers going on between them. The Flame and the Flower and Pride and Prejudice also have both
the hero and heroine symbolized in their titles but the power dynamics are still more than ever
imbalanced in the former while the stratified society of the latter hinders Elizabeth and Darcy from truly
being on equal footing from the get-go.
Vestiges of the alp-hole still exist but only through Tal, Norahs Evil Ex and the best candidate
for the antagonist in this story. I would describe Tal as a modern version of Cecil Vyse and the Sheik
combined. The Cecil part of Tal is revealed in Chapter 4 when Norah remembers how Tal was always
pushing her to be sexier, more Jewish, more political, more vegan his idea of what his girlfriend should
be. She was never enough for him like how Cecil always found flaws with Lucy and tried to remedy
them. Tal is part-Israeli and proudly so (he is even going to serve in the Israeli Army in Tel Aviv) to the
point that Norah sees him as someone alien and exotic even. Like the Sheik, Tal treats Norah as a mere
plaything to satisfy his sexual needs. Tal also has the necessary power, money, and intelligence to fulfil
his role as the alp-hole.
In contrast to Tal and his predecessors, the actual hero is someone who blurs the lines between
the beta and omega categories. At first glance, as the nonqueer bassist in a queercore band, Nick gives
off this badass rocker image an omega stereotype along with the implication that he is an outsider
another omega trait. However, as the story progresses, he is revealed as more of the good-guy type.
This mirrors the character development of George in A Room with a View. At the beginning, Nick is
plagued by the ghost of Tris, his ex-girlfriend. George suffered a similar disposition but his was
seemingly caused by disillusionment with the world. Nonetheless, both of them are awakened and shook
out of their misery by the appearance of the heroine in their lives. While Lucy suspected George of being
a rake, Norah questioned Nicks sexuality because he was too good to be true. With Norahs comment
in mind, it appears that Nick is not just a beta-omega hybrid but also an alpha male in his own right. He
fits the new-school definition of perfect: nice, smart, cute, sensitive, and even musical. He balances

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being a rock god with being this guy who does not drink, smoke, do drugs, or even flinch when his gay
friend takes his hand and snuggles in. This redefinition of perfection may be a reaction to the popularity
of the alp-holes in the past.
With her potty mouth, fierce independence, and open sexuality, Norah is far from the innocent
and demure (though strong in their own rights) heroines of the past. Still, some features of the traditional
heroine resonate in her. For example, she declined her admission to Brown University so she could go on
a kibbutz in Africa and perhaps reunite with Tal there. Some heroines like Diane Mayo and Heather
Simmons can also be criticized for making similarly foolish decisions in the name of love. Norah also
struggles with her sexuality not in the same way as in the prototypical texts but because Tal has led her to
think that she is frigid. In this sense, the heroines sexuality and her exploration of it remain as a focus in
this contemporary romance. Despite being a punk fan who stays up late in mosh pits, Norah also presents
herself as a straight-edge girl who frowns on drinking, getting high, and other unlawful practices. In a
way, the narrative still extols the good girl ideal over and as opposed to the slut represented by Nicks
ex-girlfriend. Lastly, Norah upholds the tradition established by Lucy Honeychurch and Phoebe Marlowe;
she runs away from her feelings. While Lucy and Phoebe are made to recognize their true feelings
through the intervention of their heroes parents, Norah can be said to have more agency because she
decides what she feels for Nick all by herself. She may have run away from him out of embarrassment
and awkwardness but she used that time to carefully assess her emotions and come up with her own
conclusion.
While it takes a long time for the betrothal to be fulfilled in the canonical romances, Nick &
Norahs Infinite Playlist spans less than 24 hours. Due to this, it may be absurd to say that what they have
is love. Still, the book was successful in plotting out their romantic development partly because our fastpaced society allows for such a whirlwind romance. The adventurous spirit of the canonical romance is
not lost on this contemporary one. Considering that Nick and Norah are from New Jersey, Manhattan is
for them as what Florence was to E.M. Forsters George and Lucy.
Out of all the canonical and foundational romances, Nick &Norahs Infinite Playlist is most
parallel to A Room with a View. Cohn and Levithans book largely diverges from the trends put forth by
the canonical romances but, when compared to Forsters novel, the distinct connections even their
characters are similar outweigh the differences. This is not just an observation of the contemporary
romance but also an identification of A Room with a View as one of the prototypical new-school
romances. In the end, whether the reaction is positive or negative, intentional or not, the canonical and
foundational romances maintain to have an effect on the contemporary romance novel.

Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813.
Cohn, Rachel, and David Levithan. Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.
Forster, E.M. A Room with a View. 1908.
Heyer, Georgette. Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle. London: Heinemann, 1957.
Hull. E.M. The Sheik. 1919.
Richardson, Samuel. Pamela. 1740.
Wendell, Sarah, and Candy Tan. Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels.
New York: Fireside-Simon & Schuster, 2009. (Chapter Corset)
Woodiwiss, Kathleen. The Flame and the Flower. New York: Avon, 1972.