Romantic fantasy, or "romantasy", is asubgenre offantasy fiction that combinesfantasy andromance, bringing to fantasy many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre.[1] One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships: social, political, and romantic.[2]
Romantic fantasy has been published by both fantasy lines and romance lines. It can be defined as a fantasy where the plot is so dependent on the romance that it would fall apart without it.[3] As a result of the financial success of authors such asSarah J. Maas andRebecca Yarros in the 2010s,publishers createdimprints to focus on this subgenre. Some publishers distinguish between "romantic fantasy" where the fantasy elements are the most important and "fantasy romance" where the romance is the most important.[1] Others say that "the borderline between fantasy romance and romantic fantasy has essentially ceased to exist, or if it's still there, it's moving back and forth constantly".[4] Game historian Stu Horvath noted, "the heroes and heroines of romantic fantasy seek social connection and emotional wealth. Instead of carrying on by themselves, they find belonging in a community and a purpose larger than themselves. Magic and psychic abilities are often in-born talents; intelligent animals speak; and societies are egalitarian."[5]
Between the12th and 15th centuries, stories about knights going on quests were popular. These quests frequently involvedknights falling in love with noble ladies. They would also involve fantasy elements likedragons and magical places and objects. Examples from this period includeThe Romance of the Rose, a Frenchpoem that blends love and fantasy in anallegorical way;Le Morte d’Arthur bySir Thomas Malory, a collection ofKing Arthur stories, including the love story ofLancelot andGuinevere and set in the magical world ofCamelot; andTristan and Isolde, a famous tale about forbidden love between a knight and a queen that involves many fantasy elements and is considered one of the first stories to mix romance and magic in a way that influenced later fantasy romance books.[6]
In this era, romance and fantasy became more centered on theatre and poetry.Edmund Spenser’sThe Faerie Queene is a poem written in the late 1500s that combines knights, love stories, and magical creatures. It has had a large influence on modern romantic fantasy because it demonstrates a blend of romantic themes with fantasy world building.William Shakespeare's plays, such asA Midsummer Night’s Dream andThe Tempest, feature fairies, magic, and love. Despite the fact that Shakespeare was not considered a fantasy author, these plays mix romance with fantasy, setting a template for later fantasy romance works.[7]
Emma Bull'sWar for the Oaks, published in 1987 follows a human woman who becomes drafted into a war betweenfaeries and ends up falling in love with the same person who put her in danger. The fantasy is very rich inIrish mythology but also strongly features romance at the center of the story.[8] Fantasy and romance can be seen as similar in many ways. It is very common to see a combination of fantasy and romance today. For a very long time, both genres have not been taken seriously. Despite this, they have become incredibly popular.[9]
In 2023 and 2024, romantic fantasy novels termed "romantasy" became a social media trend. Sales of the books have been widely driven by promotion on social media, particularly the subcommunity ofTikTok known asBookTok.[10]Writer's Digest notes that much of the credit for the rise in the romantic fantasy genre can be attributed to platforms such as TikTok, where word spreads more efficiently in speed and "influenceability."[11]The Economist notes that the genre has particular appeal to those who grew up reading young-adult fantasy, such asHarry Potter, and are now interested in similar themes, but with adult themes of sex and romance.[12] Popular authors in the genre includeRebecca Yarros, whoseFourth Wing,Iron Flame, andOnyx Storm have all broken sales records and are due to be made into aTV series, andSarah J. Maas.[10][13] Authors of novels labeled as romantasy are largely women, as is the market, and the novels are known for representing minorities.[12][14]
There is a complex discussion surrounding romantic fantasy and whether they are examples offemale empowerment or if they enforcemisogyny andsexism. Some believe that these stories are feminist because they portray strong female characters that are warriors and heroines, frequently empower women, embrace their sexuality, and subvertgender roles such as thedamsel in distress trope.[15] There is also a widespread belief that these stories are inherentlyfeminist because they are primarily written for and enjoyed by women, as the majority of readers of romantic fiction novels are women between the ages of 18 to 44.[16]
On the other hand, others believe that these stories upholdpatriarchy due to the fact that they often tie a woman's strength and empowerment to her male love interest or to her traditionallymasculine traits such as aggression, physical strength, andstoicism. There is also an argument that romantic fantasy frequently portrays men in a way that strongly adheres to gender roles. Male love interests tend to be strong, ruthless men in positions of power who have tragic backstories and are rarely emotionally vulnerable, only ever breaking their stoic facade and showing emotions for their female partners once the romance blooms.[17]
Some examples of media in the romantic fantasy subgenre include:
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)| By style |
|
|---|---|
| By theme |
|
| By movement or period |
|
| By demographic | |
| By format, technique, approach, or production |
|
