<P> <i>Romantic Comedy</i> offers an introduction to the analysis of a popular but overlooked film genre. The book provides an overview of Hollywood's romantic comedy conventions, examining iconography, narrative patterns, and ideology. Chapters discuss important subgroupings within the genre: screwball sex comedy and the radical romantic comedy of the 1970s. A final chapter traces the lasting influence of these earlier forms within current romantic comedies. Films include: <i>Pillow Talk</i> (1959), <i>Annie Hall</i> (1977), and <i>You've Got Mail</i> (1998).</P>