Romantic fantasy

Romantic fantasy or romantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that combines fantasy and romance, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric 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. 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. ^[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". ^[3] 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." ^[4]

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. ^[5] 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. ^[6] Popular authors in the genre include Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose Fourth Wing , Iron Flame , and Onyx Storm have all broken sales records and are due to be made into a TV series. ^{[5] [7]} Authors of novels labeled as romantasy are largely women, as is the market, and the novels are known for representing minorities. ^{[6] [8]}

Notable examples

Some of the most notable examples of media in the romantic fantasy sub genre include:

Literature

• The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer – A love story between Bella Swan, a human girl, and Edward Cullen, a vampire, set in a world where supernatural beings coexist with humans.
• Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros ( Fourth Wing , Iron Flame , Onyx Storm )
• The Princess Bride (1973) by William Goldman – Set in a magical world and features the romantic relationship between Princess Buttercup and her true love, Westley
• A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
• The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce
• Lost Continent (aka Aronsdale) series ^[9] by Catherine Asaro
• Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey
• The Princess and the Goblin (1872) by George MacDonald

Films

• Beauty and the Beast (1991) – Disney’s animated adaptation of the classic fairy tale, which focuses on the romantic relationship between Belle, a young woman, and the Beast, a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance and cruelty.
• The Little Mermaid (1989) – Disney’s animated adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's story, centered around the romance between a mermaid and a human prince, as she sacrifices a lot for love.
• The Princess Bride (1987) – The film adaptation of William Goldman’s novel, which is set in a magical world and features the romantic relationship between Princess Buttercup and her true love, Westley.
• Twilight film series (2008–2012) – The film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s novels, focusing on the supernatural love story between a human girl and a vampire.
• The Shape of Water (2017) – Follows a mute cleaner at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature.
• Edward Scissorhands (1990) – A story set in a visually fantastical world which focuses of Edward, an unfinished artificial humanoid that has scissors for hands, who falls in love with Kim, a teenage girl in an American suburban neighborhood.
• Ghost (1990) – focuses on a murdered banker, whose ghost sets out to save his girlfriend from the person who killed him – through the help of the psychic.
• Legend (1985) – A magical adventure in which Princess Lily and a hero named Jack must thwart the Lord of Darkness's evil plot to cover the world in eternal night.
• Cinderella (1950) – Disney’s animated film adaptation of the classic European folk tale, which centers around the romantic relationship between Cinderella and Prince Charming, in a magical fairy-tale world.

Television

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) – A cult TV series that focuses on the adventures of the teenage girl Buffy whom was chosen to fight vampires and various other creatures, as well as explores her romantic relationship with the vampire Angel.
• True Blood (2008–2014) – A TV adaptation of The Southern Vampire Mysteries book series by Charlaine Harris. The series is set in a world where vampires coexist with humans and it features the romantic relationship between a telepathic waitress and a mysterious vampire.
• Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990) - A modern retelling of the classic fairy tale which is set in New York during the later 1980s and focuses on the romance between Catherine, a successful lawyer, and Vincent, a mysterious, lion-like man who lives in the tunnels beneath the city.

See also

• Romance novel
• Medieval fantasy

References

1. 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.
2. Snead, John. "What is Romantic Fantasy?". Green Ronin Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
3. D'Ammassa, Don. "Fantasy Reviews" . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
4. Horvath, Stu (2023). Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 293. ISBN   9780262048224.
5. 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.
6. "Romantasy brings dragons and eroticism together. At last". The Economist . 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024.
7. Alter, Alexandra (30 January 2025). "Rebecca Yarros's 'Onyx Storm' Is the Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in 20 Years". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 31 January 2025.
8. Open Book. 15 February 2024.
9. Reader's Advice