Romantasy, Feminism, and the War on Female Main Characters

Book Talk for BookTok

Cloud10

Arts, Books

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Thursday episode of Book Talk for BookTok, we bring an academic lens to bookish culture, genre fiction, and the conversations shaping romance and romantasy today. Our podcast blends literary analysis, cultural criticism, and emotional honesty. We treat romance, romantasy, and fanfiction as genres worthy of serious discussion, not just quick takes. This episode is part of our Subtext Society series, inspired by The Subtext Society Journal. The Subtext Society Journal is a collaborative publication dedicated to thoughtful essays on romance, romantasy, fan culture, and publishing ethics. We explore moral questions, genre evolution, power dynamics, and the real-world impact of stories, guided by values of literary rigor without gatekeeping, community over hierarchy, and ethics-first analysis. Today’s discussion focuses on the article: “Romantasy: The next frontier of feminism, or where feminism goes to die?" This article explores romantasy as both a powerful feminist space and a revealing site of internalized misogyny, examining why female main characters in women-written fantasy are so often criticized as “too much” in every direction. It connects modern fandom discourse to long-standing cultural conditioning that encourages women to compete rather than support one another, and questions whether those critiques reflect genuine narrative flaws or unresolved discomfort with women claiming power, desire, and complexity. Ultimately, the piece argues that romantasy has the potential to become a training ground for a more thoughtful, generous feminism. One that challenges how we read, write, and talk about women. How to participate: Send your theories and spicy takes by commenting on this episode, DMing us, or using the form on our website. The Subtext Society Journal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thesubtextsocietyjournal.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We’re thrilled to announce our newest venture: The Subtext Society Journal—the first of its kind, dedicated to Romance, Romantasy, and fandom with an academic yet accessible voice. We’re publishing original essays and thought pieces, and we encourage listeners to submit their own articles for a chance to be featured. Sponsor: Liquid IV Liquid I.V. Go to LiquidIV.com and get 20% off your first order with code BOOKTALK at checkout. Sponsor: Vionic Use code BOOKTALK at checkout for 15% off your entire order at www.vionicshoes.com when you log into your account. 1 time use only. Share your thoughts for a chance to be featured! Submit them at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠booktalkforbooktok.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a future mini-episode or exclusive Patreon discussion. Support the Show: Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/booktalkforbooktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Etsy Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Us on Social: Instagram: @BookTalkForBookTok TikTok: @BookTalkForBookTok YouTube: @BookTalkForBookTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The weight is over. Last One Laughing is back and it's even more brutal than last time. Share your biggest regrets. I don't regret this haircut. What did you ask for? The Shaggy Slim Shady? Joining us this series we have... Romish Wengrenner Nathan, Diane Morgan, David Mitchell, Mel Gedroich, Amy Gledhill, Alan Carr, Bemi Sola, Ike Melo, Sam Campbell, Maisie Adam and Bob Mortimer.
0:21.6	Anyone want a song?
0:22.6	No.
0:23.6	Last One Laughing, new series, watch now, only on Prime Video. Welcome to Book Talk for Book Talk with Jack and Amy,
0:43.4	the literary podcast where we deep dive into the writing of your favorite novels.
0:47.4	This is Jack.
0:48.5	And I'm Amy.
0:49.5	And during this season of Book Club, we're stepping away on Thursdays to explore topics we've
0:55.2	recently written about on the Subtext Society Journal. This week, we're discussing feminism
1:00.2	in Romanticy, a place where feminism thrives or goes to die. SSJ, or the Subtext Society
1:07.4	Journal, is a space for critical thinking and cultural reflection on the genres
1:12.3	that are too often dismissed, including romance, romansy fan fiction and the narratives that live
1:17.7	rent-free in our hearts and minds.
1:20.1	We are creating a bridge between academic analysis and the everyday reading experience,
1:25.3	between high-brow literary commentary and the deeply personal
1:29.4	way books shape who we are. We publish thoughtful essays from our readers, ourselves, and guest
1:35.3	contributors that explore the moral questions, genre evolutions, and cultural conversations happening
1:41.2	in real time. We are redefining what deserves serious attention in publishing, and we're doing it with
1:48.7	feeling.
1:49.9	The views expressed in this episode are entirely our own and are not meant to represent the
1:54.6	larger opinion of the bookish community.
1:56.8	This podcast is a discussion, share to spark thought and conversation.
	...

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