Ep. 151: Romantasy

In this week’s episode, we discuss Romantasy, the Franken-genre that has conquered the publishing world and defined the libidinal landscapes of a generation of women. We decode the genre’s DNA from dimestore bodice-rippers to high fantasy epics, examine the sociological profile of its authors and audiences, and explore how it’s mutated in the digital age via AI visualizers and high-budget audio erotica. We also talk about Renaissance faires, fujoshi discourse, the mirror image of male vs. female gooning in popular culture, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights as the BookTok movie of the century, and more. Links: Image boardSam’s Romantasy Spotify Playlist“Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Author Steal Another Writer’s Story?” by Katy Waldman in The New Yorker“She Fell in Love With ChatGPT. Then She Ghosted It.” (r/MyBoyfriendIsAI profile) by Kashmir Hill in The New York Times“Gender difference in brain activation to audio-visual sexual stimulation” by Chung et. al. in PubMed“Sexual Scripts: Permanence and Change” by William Simon and John H. Gagnon in Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 2“How the Renaissance Fair became America’s favorite fantasy” by Kelly Faircloth in National Geographicr/AskAHistorian discussions about medievalism and high fantasy (one, two, three)The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Medievalism ed. Joanne Parker and Corinna WagnerHard to Be a God (2013) dir. Aleksei GermanCandlelight Ecstasy Romance Guidelines c. 1980Love Story magazine ed. Daisy Bacon (1921–1947) (see covers here) “The Uses of Reading Mass-Produced Romance Fiction” (Harlequin study) by Susan B. Neuman (1985) History of the “sex and shopping” genre by Pascal Tréguer“Girls Who Love Boys Who Love Boys” by E. Alex Jung in Vulture<a target="_blank