Royal romances have always been fantasies of transformation. How does new-generation teen fiction reflect queer and diverse desires?

×

Error message

  • Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ds_changed in eval() (line 16 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
  • Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$ss_search_api_url in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).
  • Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$tm_title in eval() (line 20 of /var/www/7/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).

The queer injection into the young adult royal romance reflects a broader shift in what’s being published and read.

Metadata
Provider: 
The ConversationThe Conversation
URL: 
https://theconversation.com/royal-romances-have-always-been-fantasies-of-transformation-how-does-new-generation-teen-fiction-reflect-queer-and-diverse-desires-211196https://theconversation.com/royal-romances-have-always-been-fantasies-of-transformation-how-does-new-generation-teen-fiction-reflect-queer-and-diverse-desires-211196
Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 11, 2023
Information
Tags: 
Meg, Poverty, Bachelor, Industry, Prince Henry, Friends, LGBTQ, Selection, Red, White & Royal Blue, Prince Charming, Leadership, The Princess Diaries, Goodreads, Human, Research, Attention, Royal Highness, Graphic novel, Attitude, Amazon, Boil, Eyebrow, American Royal, Book, Spring Fire, Body image, The Princess Diaries, Volume IX: Princess Mia, The Selection, Love, Royal blue, Happiness, Princess, Queer, The Princess Switch (film series), Royals, LGBTIQ, White, Netflix, House, The Hunger Games, Social media, Beatrice, Female, Film industry, Ironworks, Toy, Nightclub, Entertainment, The New York Times, Red
Geotags: 
SCOTLAND, WALES, US
Summary
Key Points: 
  • The queer injection into the young adult royal romance reflects a broader shift in what’s being published and read.
  • Last year, research showed LGBTQ fiction sales in the US jumped 39% from the same period in the previous year.
  • And young adult fiction grew in particular, with 1.3 million more books sold than the previous year.
  • Read more:
    Heartstopper depicts queer joy - here's why that can bring about complicated feelings for those in the LGBTIQ community

Royal romance tropes

    • It’s been more than 20 years since Anne Hathaway graced our screens in the film adaptation of Meg Cabot’s young adult royal romance The Princess Diaries (2001).
    • Other familiar tropes of the royal romance include the “surprise reveal”, where one half of a couple’s royal identity is uncovered, like in Netflix’s The Princess Switch.

A viral success

    • Released in 2019, Casey McQuiston’s book quickly went viral, becoming an instant New York Times bestseller, winning awards and making best books lists.
    • The classic “enemies-to-lovers” romance trope takes on international significance with the offspring of two world leaders involved.
    • Alex and Henry’s initial dislike for each other boils over and catches media attention after they ruin the cake at a royal wedding.
    • Read more:
      Spring Fire, the first lesbian pulp fiction hit, satisfied censors with its unhappy ending – but its 'forbidden love' reflected real desires

More royal romances that explore difference

    • Other popular young adult royal romances explore queer relationships, too.
    • Her Royal Highness, by Rachel Hawkins, is set in a university in Scotland, where American Millie discovers her roommate Flora is a Scottish princess.
    • Her Royal Highness is a companion story to Hawkins’ first (heteronormative) royal romance novel, Prince Charming (originally titled “Royals”).
    • Other young adult royal romances have maintained the focus on boy-girl couples, but engaged with contemporary audiences in other ways, by exploring concerns around class, wealth and gendered expectations.
Copyright: 
2023 The Conversation. All Rights Reserved.