particular prosperity of the genre following the First World War and during the Depression). 'When you‘re single, you‘ve got the notion of "Tomorrow is another day – who knows what will happen"...when you‘re in love, the only place you fall in love again is at the movies.‘ She would suggest that the 'hardest thing about making a romantic comedy today is finding the thing that keeps two people apart. There were so many more impediments in the past, such as money, race or class difference...On the other hand the world is always representing new ways to be separated – like the Internet in 'You‘ve Got Mail‘.‘ (Dardanis, "A Fine Romance", 'Journal‘, Nov.2000).
             Very often in a romantic comedy, the two protagonists, or the 'hero‘ and 'heroine‘, are portrayed as metaphors for two contradictory standards, almost as ambassadors for two feuding sides (which is what Ephron is referring to when she talks about the 'thing that keeps two people apart‘). Tom Hanks in 'You‘ve Got Mail‘ represents a capitalist character because he is the heir to the multi-million dollar 'Fox‘ empire. Around the corner is the small independent bookshop, owned by Meg Ryan‘s character, which is threatened with closure due to the opening of the new Fox store. The hero is seen to be underhand and manipulative throughout the film, motivated solely by money whereas the heroine is portrayed in a much more sympathetic light, as hard-working and enthusiastic, displaying many characteristics which we naturally expect from a 'good‘ person. With this in mind, it can be deduced that romantic comedies are not only about romantic relationships, but are also a place to explore key issues of a culture, whether they be social, political or economic.
             In order to establish whether or not contemporary H...