The rise of a ‘genre’ known as “romantasy” has taken the publishing industry and audiences alike by storm. The term took off and became mainstream roughly around lockdown, and its popularity can largely be attributed to the book reading community on TikTok.
Romantasy does not quite have a clear definition, however it is generally recognised as a subgenre of fantasy that features a romantic subplot. The romance plot is often heavily emphasised and just as prevalent as the fantasy aspects of the novel. A fantasy novel with minor romance, or a romance that is just not integral to each character's development or overall arc, would likely not be considered a romantasy novel. As well as this, there are a few specific tropes, along with a general tone and register, that make a romantasy recognisable – even if these things can’t be so rigidly categorised.
The most famous and successful pioneers of the genre include bestselling authors Sarah J Maas (known by many as the ‘Queen of Romantasy’) and more recently Rebecca Yarrow. These women are some of the most successful authors, not only of fantasy, but in the entire publishing world right now.
There is nothing wrong with the label in general. In fact, it is incredibly useful if you would like to read a fantasy romance novel, and enjoy the tropes and narratives associated with the genre. However, an issue arises when looking at the author’s whose books are labelled romantasy: it is almost exclusively women. It is very clear that it is not only women writing romantic plotlines within their fantasy novels, yet when men dominated the fantasy genre, no such label was applied to them.
It is important to examine our understanding, and the popularity of this supposed new genre. Some authors – most famously Maas – have achieved unprecedented success and are happy for their work to be labelled as such because it is a niche they enjoy writing and millions love reading. However, other women authors have their work labelled as romantasy when their work may not contain the tropes of the genre and just be a fantasy with a romance subplot. Many fantasy novels with romance subplots are written by men, and have been written by men for centuries, yet their work has not been pigeonholed and reduced in this way.
In this series we will look at the rise of romantasy and what it actually is — mutable as the term may be — and how it interacts with female authors publishing in the fantasy genre. Is it empowering for writers and readers alike, or another way to diminish the work of female writers as they move into a male dominated space? Additionally, how are things classed as romantasy? Why are some books sorted into the genre, while others that you may expect could be are not — bestselling fantasy author Samantha Shannon being a prime example of this?
The label is a new one, emerging as female authors begin to outpace their male counterparts. Therefore, our look at a history of female authors in the fantasy genre helps understand contemporary fantasy fiction and its position in the literary landscape.
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