In Defense of Romantasy

Working Title: This middle-aged reader is feeling called out

Image of a woman sitting on a rock reading a book.Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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One complaint I’ve seen lobbed at romantasty time and time again is that it is shallow, fairy-porn lacking in any type of literary value. Romance has had a similar reputation for decades, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

Instead of critical acclaim, many romantasy writers are subject to derision.

An article decrying the genre from a student writer at a Christian college that I ran across is one example of this negative perception. “Sarah J. Maas might be one of BookTok’s favorite writers, but she is doing very little to contribute to the world of literature, or the world as a whole. As someone who aspires to go into that field after graduating, it is disheartening to see that trashy books –– books that forsake good writing to instead pander to a lonely middle-aged woman’s secret fantasies –– are the ones that get the most attention…Her books are more often than not an excuse to live out perverse fantasies and are a danger to unsuspecting young audiences.”

This middle-aged reader has three questions for you:

1. Why are you picking on my demographic? What have middle-aged romantasy readers done to hurt you?

Why is it that readers of romantasy are often derided as perverted, middle-aged women? Why do those defending literature assume the readers of mass-market romance and romantasy titles are intellectually dim? Do they say that about men who read mass-market thrillers by Lee Child and David Baldacci?

No, of course not.

Most romantasy books often focus on female pleasure. So is the problem being middle-aged, or is the problem actually the fact I’m reading material that goes against a certain worldview where sex is for procreation only?

Honestly, it feels like the critics are slut shaming me over my reading preferences. Pointing out that I’m middle-aged is meant to make me feel even worse in a culture that prizes youth.

This tactic is not only ineffective, but shows that the powers behind the curtain are frightened by the rise of stories featuring empowered women. Authors like SJM have helped countless women come to terms with ourselves as sexual and imperfect beings who can rise to the occasion no matter the odds makes us harder to control. Despite the hurtful messages we heard growing up, we now recognize we are worthy of unconditional, non-judgmental, love.

I only wish I had realized this prior to my 40s. Being a middle-aged woman has actually done wonders for my self-esteem. I hope the writer of this article feels the same someday.

2. How are books by Sarah J. Maas and other romantasy writers dangerous to unsuspecting young audiences?

I pasted this question into Google, because I couldn’t guess a reasonable answer based on facts rather than an assertion of control. The only science based article I found stated romance novels are teaching young girls to ignore red flags. It cites Bella and Edward from Twilight as an example.

Yea, as a mom, I agree. (I should note that the article mentioned above also agrees on this point.)

100+ year old dude sneaking into a 17-year-old’s bedroom to watch her sleep is gross. Had Edward snuck into my teen daughter’s bedroom, I’d use everything I’ve learned from my romantasy books to stake him in the heart and then chop off his head. Sorry not sorry Sparkles.

However, that doesn’t mean the entire paranormal/romance/romantasy genre should be kept away from “unsuspecting young readers”. Instead, use some common sense.

• First and foremost, just because a kid gets ahold of a book doesn’t mean they will understand everything they are reading. I read a tattered copy of Flowers in the Attic in 7th grade. Pages were falling out because we passed it around to each other in class like the contraband it was. I was too young and dumb to catch on to the fact the siblings in said attic got involved in incest. Honestly, I found the entire book boring, and went back to reading Sweet Valley Twins. Kids are usually drawn to materials that align with their cognitive development.

• Let’s say your kiddo reads Twilight or some other book that has some iffy consent issues. Why don’t you, as a parent, use this as an opening for a conversation? “Honey, I can see why you’d think Edward is so attractive, especially with that picture of Robert Pattinson on the cover. But there is that part where he sneaks into the house to watch Bella sleep. How healthy is a relationship if there is sneaking and secret keeping involved? Was he respecting Bella’s boundaries and expectation of privacy in that moment?”

• What if—horror of horrors—your teen reads romantasy and it turns out it IS age appropriate for their level of development. They DO understand what is on the page and they (clutch pearls) like it? Learn some tips and tricks? Again, who cares? Teens do not need to be protected from their developing sexuality like its a boogeyman. They need guidance on how to explore that aspect of their humanity in a manner that protects them physically and emotionally.

One parent’s dangerous book is a teaching tool in another’s parent’s hands. Instead of assuming everything out there is somehow going to harm your child, why not let your child know that you are always there to answer their questions honestly? And then you can offer them some great YA romantasy recs from this Substack. (j/k)

3. Why do you think romantasy lacks literary value?

In order to answer this question, we need to define literary value. Every website I visited had a different answer, all with the caveat that literary value, like art, comes down to the percpetion of the person interacting with the art, or in this case, the book.

Here is an instance where Google’s AI result is handy, since it scrapped together data from countless websites. It defined literary value the significance of a text, based on its universal and timeless appeal. The reasons we value texts are because they may raise questions and open new ways of thinking.

I’d like to add—because I’m a book coach—that literary value is found in the text via the theme. I define theme for my clients as the implicit message underlying the story. For example, one theme in The Hunger Games is the power of compassion.

So, let’s go back to what many folks believe about romantasy and SJM in particular based on the article cited above, as well as countless reviews on Goodreads. “Sarah J. Maas might be one of BookTok’s favorite writers, but she is doing very little to contribute to the world of literature, or the world as a whole.”

Really?

It’s hard to argue that an author that has sold 38 MILLION books to date is not contributing to literature and/or the world at large. Certainly her prolific output is helping booksellers stay in business, not to mention inspiring artists on Etsy to create gorgeous cosplay items and book-related swag. Aspiring writers are inspired by her books every single day, and perhaps take to their keyboards because their love of reading and writing has been reignited by this series. While social media apps that favor short videos are hurting our attention spans, people that actually read the books they film on #BookTok are helping themselves retain an ability to concentrate and perhaps even read critically.

Finally, theme. While I can’t comment on all 16 of SJMs books here, longtime readers of this blog know I like to use A Court of Thorns and Roses as my teaching example, and this article is no exception. Soooo, if you have not yet read ACOTAR or any of its companion volumes, please scroll ahead to the Final Thoughts section because SPOILERS.

I’d argue that one of the main themes seen in ACOTAR is that a woman can save herself and those she loves from the very worst life throws at them. This is at odd’s with the archetype of the princess needing to be saved by a knight in shining armor.

The reader is first introduced to Feyre as she is hunting for a deer to help feed her family. Why has this fallen to her? Well, her Father is in a pit of depression and has done nothing but wallow in grief, and her sisters are vain and shallow.

Basically, someone needs to get shit done, and there are no knights.

Does she kill a wolf instead, knowing its probably enchanted? Yep. She wants to protect the humans from the fae.

This action kick off the inciting incident, in which a pissed off fae male named Tamlin gives her a choice: Either I kill you because you owe a life for a life, or you can come live with me in the fae-ruled lands. She chooses life (can’t get shit done if you’re dead). But once she’s in the Spring Court, she continues to use that same intellect and cunning to begin to piece together the world around her so that she can escape—until she decides she wants to stay.

Of course big, bad Tamlin falls for Feyre, and sends her away to protect her from some even worse fae characters. Having learned from experience that shit still needs to get done, she goes back to Prythian to save him.

Long story short…she does. And the climax is a perfect bookend to the inciting incident, in which Tamlin makes Feyre choose between her life or death. In the climax, Feyre fights for Tamlin’s life though it seems there are those that want him dead. Mission accomplished. In other words, Feyre gets shit done.

Not only is there a theme, it is reflected in the underlying structure of the story.

Tell me again how ACOTAR lacks literary value?

Final Thoughts

I’m going to keep this brief, and if you’re still here I thank you.

Don’t yuck my yum.

Taste is subjective. Just because you don’t agree with a writer’s underlying theme or worldview does not give you the right to say the book lacks value or is somehow dangerous.

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