Romance vs. Tragedy

In class we discussed the many ways in which Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife could be read as either a tragedy or a romance. Personally, I don't think you can separate the two. Romance, in the Disney form of the word, implies love, passion, and a happily-ever-after. But we, characters of the real world, know this to be false. Love and romance are often quite tragic. After all, we come from a society where over half of marriages end in divorce, children grow up in broken homes, and people are surprised to meet someone whose parents are still married. If you've ever loved and lost, you know love can be a tragedy. Therefore, I don't know what to classify this book as. It seems more like a tragedy to me due to the overwhelming themes of death and loss. Of course, I didn't view the end of the novel as a tragic case. I thought it was bittersweet the way Henry died but lived through time travel to meet up with his daughter at times and even got to see Clare grow old. Many argued that Clare's "waiting around for Henry all her life" is tragic, but I think she was quite lucky to have known her love ever since she was six. The letter Henry left her did make me cry, but it was a way of letting her know she should move on and he'd always be there. The way she never moved on from Henry was also bittersweet, and I don't think it was tragic because she was so used to waiting for Henry that it probably came as completely natural for her. Having said this, I just call The Time Traveler's Wife a "tear-jerker," because that could suggest either romance or tragedy. Either way, I like books that can make me cry.