“What is honor compared to a woman’s love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms . . . or the memory of a brother’s smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”
-George R.R. Martin
Love Is Everywhere
From our day to day experiences out in the world, all the way to the books we read to unwind; love is everywhere. Love is on every corner; from the young couple walking with a stroller to the old widower celebrating his anniversary long after his lover is gone. Love is in the park and on the street; in the restaurant you frequent, or the library you use for research. Love is in the notes passed between giddy teenagers with crushes in homeroom, and love is in the bouquet carefully picked by a first time flowery buyer who hopes to impress. But when we look past our world, and into the stories we use to amuse ourselves; it seems love is always there, too.
Think of your favourite stories. Perhaps you’re a Star Wars fan who rooted for Anakin and Padme, or maybe you loved the Hunger Games and were gripped by Katniss and Peeta’s love story. You might be a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, drawn into Will and Elizabeths tragic pirate romance; or perhaps you prefer wizards and Ron and Hermione are more your cup of tea. In any case, you’ll notice as you ponder all the fantastical stories you love, that within them there is a whole lot of, well, love.
From page to screen, we are enamoured with love. We are absolutely mesmerized by it. But why is love so ever present in all of our stories? I believe love is what anchors the human experience through all different manners of plot. When stories venture outside of the world we know, romance and love act as the thing that connects us to reality; to our own experiences, and to ourselves.
Fictional Love Throughout the Decades
We can trace love stories back thousands of years, but since there are too many tales of love to name, I’d like to begin with the woman who originated the romance novel; Jane Austen.
Austen’s books, full of comedy, wit, and social commentary, are most well known for their romantic aspects. Miss Jane certainly knew that all the good structure and plot in the world could still leave someone with an insatiable appetite for love. Despite the fact that it was not popular for stories to centre women’s romantic experiences; Jane did it anyway, and invented the modern romance novel in doing so. She has given us so many iconic moments, such as Captain Wentworth helping a tired Anne Elliot into the carriage, fuelling a tension filled moment where both characters are highly aware of the touch between them. Jane also gave us Mr. Darcy’s iconic confession of love, in which he tells Elizabeth “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” I believe in discussions of fictional romance, it would be a crime to leave Miss Austen out; because her tropic formulas have paved the way for many more iconic romantic stories of today.
Fast forward into the next century, and romance is a staple of nearly all stories. You want to read a thrilling crime novel? An adventure story set in space? A horror tale full of twists and turns? Be prepared to indulge in romance for at least a couple paragraphs or scenes. I think of novels like Hemingways ‘A Farewell to Arms’ in which Frederic the ambulance driver falls in love with Catherine, the nurse. Or more outlandish tales like Frank Herberts ‘Dune’ where the young Paul Atreides falls for Chani, a young woman of the Fremen group he attempts to assimilate to. There are hints of romance between the human man Aragorn and the elf woman Arwen in Tolkien’s ‘Lord of The Rings.’ Even in stories where love is nowhere close to being the focal point, it seems love persists. Love can be used as a tragic plot line just as much as a triumphant one, and it is often used all throughout genres to tug on our heartstrings in beautiful and sinister ways.
So we’ve looked at the invention of the romantic novel, we’ve looked at how romance bled its way into most popular stories of the 20th century, but where do we stand with romance now?
The Invention of Romantic Fantasy
To explain the phenomenon of Romantic Fantasy, we must look back a bit. After the success of Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’, the 1960’s and 1970’s began to fill with more and more magical, fantastical media. By the 1980’s, there had been a complete boom in magical storytelling; resulting in popular books like ‘The Mists of Avalon’ by Marion Zimmer Bradley, ‘The Sword of Shannara’ by Terry Brooks, and ‘Dragonflight’ by Anne McCafferty. These books all went on to become long and detailed series, beloved by readers everywhere. There is something that connects this new era of fantasy books, and that something is love. These new fantasy series were incorporating romantic arcs as a major aspect of their plot; creating magical tales of adventure as the backdrop for enthralling love stories, thus creating Romantic Fantasy.
Romantic Fantasy, or the newly coined ‘romantasy’ describes stories that are of the fantasy genre, with a significant romantic aspect. Think of ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon; a series made in the 90’s in which the main character Claire is magically transported back in time and meets a the mysterious and assertive Jaime Fraser who she has a tumultuous romance with. Yes, ‘Outlander’ is full on historical fantasy, but it’s also totally romance. In fact, I believe the romance is what makes the story believable. Of course its impossible that a woman could be transported to the past by simply touching a rock, but it is totally possible (and highly likely) that this woman falls for the handsome Scotsman on the other side of said magical rock.
These days it feels impossible to have the fantasy without the romance by its side, because often the romance is what makes such fantastical things feel grounded and real. To emphasize the prevalence of this phenomenon, we must look to the current state of Romantic Fantasy; the 21st century book boom.
The World of Romantasy
In the 2010’s, young adult books were rising in popularity as a result of the successes of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments etc. And within this big boom in publishing, the romantic fantasy genre was determined to persist. I believe the modern picture of romantic fantasy can be traced back to many authors around this time; but none so prevalent as Sarah J Maas.
In 2012, Maas released the first book in the now acclaimed ‘Throne of Glass’ series. She went on to write 7 more books in this series, telling the story of a young female assassin who oscillates between heroic adventures and tension filled romances. Teens loved these books, and it was only a matter of time before Maas released the first book in her next series ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’. These books sold like hot cakes back then, and are still doing so to this day. Though many look at Mass’ novels as unserious and simple, I believe the reason they are so beloved is that they are simple whimsical stories filled with compelling romance.
Along with these books, there are many popular romantic fantasy books being sold today. Titles such as ‘Fourth Wing’ by Rebecca Yarros, ‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts, Faebound by Saara El Arifi, and ‘The Cruel Prince’ by Holly Black, are all well beloved multi instalment Romantic Fantasy series. There are so many modern fantasy romance series that are adored by millions, and for good reason. These books are loved because they represent the most basic of human desire; the desire to love and be loved. And honestly, what more could you ask for than a story that is filled with the thing we all crave most in this world?
Love Is Everywhere, But Especially In Stories
Next time you sit down to watch a film or read a book, think about how it represents love. Look at the characters, the situations they are in, the stakes surrounding them; and then look at the love. You’ll find that so often, love is what anchors our ability to empathize with or understand characters; and even more often than that, love is the thing we root for. Love is universal. In science fiction, in horror, in fantasy, we humans are always looking for that intangible glimmer of magic that we call love. I certainly know that I look for it in every day, every book, every film, and every song; and I hope reading this encourages you to look for love wherever you are. I think you’ll find that wherever you look, love finds you, too.
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