romança

Romança is a Portuguese term with multiple related meanings tied to love, narrative, and literary history. In everyday use, it most commonly denotes a romantic relationship or affair between people. The word also appears in contexts referring to romantic fiction or storytelling about love, from short plots to longer narratives.

In literary history, a romança can designate a medieval vernacular narrative poem or ballad, part of the Iberian cantiga tradition. These romances were typically told in the vernacular rather than Latin and circulated widely through oral transmission before being collected in manuscript anthologies. They often recount legends, heroic deeds, or courtly love and contributed to the development of later Iberian and Hispanic balladry. Collections of such pieces are commonly called romanceiros in Portuguese and can be seen as a bridge between oral storytelling and written literature.

Contemporary usage varies by context and country. The term remains active in discussions of romance as a genre, where it encompasses stories about love and emotional relationships. In broader literary and cultural studies, romanças are studied alongside other forms of romance narratives, including modern novels and cinematic depictions of love.

See also: Romance literature, Cantiga de amor, Romanceiro, Romance languages.