52 pages • 1-hour read
The Masterpiece
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Background
Genre Context: Christian Fiction and Romance
The Masterpiece combines elements from both Christian fiction and romance; each of these genres has its own characteristic features of content and style. Christian fiction typically features stories of personal transformation that stem from encounters with faith, either in the form of conversion to the Christian faith or featuring characters who use their faith to overcome challenges. Both of these aspects of transformation are evident in The Masterpiece, which includes Roman’s conversion story and Grace’s continued reliance on the strength of her faith to navigate the difficulties in her life.
Romance novels rely on the drama and passion of a central relationship, and here, too, The Masterpiece employs the conventions of the genre, putting Roman and Grace’s budding relationship at the center of the narrative. When combined into the sub-genre of Christian romance, the romantic elements of the story tend to focus less on physical desire and sexual encounters than is typical of the romance genre. Instead, Christian romances draw attention to the dynamics of interpersonal growth and the place of faith in the relationship, even while sexual attraction is acknowledged as a driving element of the characters’ motivation.
Authorial Context: Francine Rivers
Francine Rivers is one of the most prolific and influential Christian writers of her generation, specializing in romantic and historical novels. Throughout her decorated authorial career, she has written popular and acclaimed Christian romances set in a broad set of contexts, from historical romances in Roman times to allegorical renderings of biblical romances.
Faith and conversion are important aspects of her stories, and her interest in these topics arises from her own life experience. Rivers began her writing career as a non-Christian, publishing nearly a decade’s worth of secular romance novels—she refers to this as her “B.C. (before Christ)” bibliography (“FAQ.” francinerivers.com). She converted to evangelical Christianity in 1986. This experience transformed both her life and her career, and all her subsequent novels deal with issues of faith as a central concern. Her first novel after her conversion, Redeeming Love (1991), is perhaps her most influential work; it is a retelling of the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer. Other notable works include The Mark of the Lion series, which was released in the early 1990s, and The Last Sin Eater (1998). Both Redeeming Love and The Last Sin Eater have been released as film adaptations. Almost all of her Christian novels have achieved bestseller status.
Rivers is a member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame and has received the Christy Award, the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Gold Medallion, the Holt Medallion, and four RITA awards for romantic fiction. Despite at least one of her “before Christ” novels being an award-winning work, her conversion was such a dramatic turning point in her life that she subsequently kept all her previous works from being republished or redistributed. She prefers to focus her legacy on works that would not only entertain but would serve to inspire and uplift her readers’ faith commitments.
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