Romantic fantasy or romantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction combining fantasy and romance, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, political, and romantic.
Romantic fantasy has been published by both fantasy lines and romance lines. As a result of the financial success of authors such as Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros in the 2000s, publishers created imprints to focus on this subgenre. Some publishers distinguish between "romantic fantasy" where the fantasy elements is most important and "fantasy romance" where the romance are most important. 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". 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."
2023–2024 romantasy trend
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 part of TikTok known as BookTok. The Economist notes that the genre has particular appeal to those who grew up reading young-adult fantasy, such as Harry Potter, and are now interested in similar themes, but with adult themes of sex and romance. Popular authors in the genre include Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose Fourth Wing and Iron Flame have both broken sales records and are due to be made into a TV series. Authors of novels labeled as romantasy are largely women, as is the market, and the novels are known for representing minorities.
Examples of romantic fantasy in literature
- Catherine Asaro's Lost Continent (aka Aronsdale) series; The Night Bird
- Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn
- Neil Gaiman's Stardust
- William Goldman's The Princess Bride
- Mercedes Lackey's Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; Fairy Godmother, One Good Knight, Fortune's Fool, "The Snow Queen", "The Sleeping Beauty".
- Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series
- George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin
- Tamora Pierce's The Immortals quartet; Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage, The Realms of the Gods.
- Wen Spencer's Tinker (Elfhome) series.
- Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing series
See also
References
- ^ Robinson, William C. (October 2004). "A Few Thoughts on the Fantasy Genre". University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Snead, John. "What is Romantic Fantasy?". Green Ronin Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- D'Ammassa, Don. "Fantasy Reviews". Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- Horvath, Stu (2023). Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 293. ISBN 9780262048224.
- ^ Creamer, Ella (2 February 2024). "A genre of swords and soulmates: the rise and rise of 'romantasy' novels". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Romantasy brings dragons and eroticism together. At last". The Economist. 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024.
- Open Book. 15 February 2024.
- Reader's Advice
- "Auburn Hills Public Library - Booklist". Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "Notes from RWA National Conference Panel - 16 July 2009". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
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