Yes, romance & fantasy novels are political.
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How do romantic tropes and fantasies impact how you understand politics?
You might be a fan of Romantic Fantasy, or as the internet calls it: Romantasy. Even if you're not, you would recognize the tradwives or fascism. Romantasies combine supernatural characters and plotlines with the rush of a whirlwind romance novel, and, in this episode, NPR explores how the politics of some of these books have an effect on politics in the real world.
Brittany is joined by Netta Baker, Advanced Instructor of English at Virginia Tech, and Princess Weekes, video essayist and online pop culture critic. They get into how this genre demolishes misogyny while reinforcing conservative politics.
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