Ordinary Unhappiness BONUS EPISODE: Romantasy, Fantasy, and Trauma
Jan 28, 2026
Abby Kluchin, public scholar and co-founder of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, joins to map romantasy as a pandemic-era craze. They unpack hit titles, TikTok fandom, and genre tropes. Conversations trace trauma, healing, age-gap dynamics, ritualized initiation, and how fantasy functions as adult play and reparative imagination.
01:16:00
Why Romantasy Resonates
- Romantasy blends romance and fantasy to create immersive wish-fulfillment that readers lean into for escape and identification.
- The genre's repetitive tropes provide predictability that comforts readers during stressful times.
Pandemic Discovery Of Romantasy
- Abby discovered romantasy during the pandemic when she needed escapism while teaching on Zoom.
- She found the genre's long immersive books scratched an itch for hypnotic, familiar storytelling.
TikTok Made Romantasy Communal
- Social media—especially TikTok—turned romantasy into a participatory fandom with intense scrutiny and Easter-egg hunting.
- Fan communities treat these formulaic texts like franchises worthy of deep interpretation and shared rituals.
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Intro
00:00 • 5min
Defining Romantasy and Its Rise
04:49 • 2min
Abby's Introductions and Personal Entry
06:38 • 57sec
Key Romantasy Titles and TikTok Fandom
07:36 • 2min
Comparative Antecedents: Feminist Fantasy to Twilight
09:56 • 2min
Readers' Visibility and Physical Books
12:10 • 2min
ACOTAR Plot and Trope Overview
14:22 • 11min
Fourth Wing Snapshot: Dragons and Battle College
25:44 • 3min
Romantasy's Commercial Scale
28:46 • 6min
YA, NA, and Marketing Boundaries
35:00 • 4min
Teleology vs. Interminability in Fantasy
39:22 • 1min
Recurring Romantasy Themes
40:47 • 4min
Agency, Fate, and Constrained Empowerment
44:40 • 6min
Age Gaps and the '500-Year Boyfriend' Fantasy
50:54 • 4min
The Shadow Daddy and Enemies-to-Lovers
55:11 • 5min
Romantasy as Trauma Repair
59:48 • 6min
Repeated Traumatization and Compound PTSD
01:05:43 • 2min
Healing Relationship and Empowerment Arc
01:08:05 • 6min
Fantasy as Adult Play and Imaginative Repair
01:13:38 • 2min
Outro
01:15:13 • 44sec
#
Women Hating
Andrea Dworkin
Andrea Dworkin's 'Woman Hating' is a radical feminist analysis of misogyny in Western culture, exploring its roots in literature, folklore, and social institutions.
Dworkin argues that these cultural narratives perpetuate the oppression and dehumanization of women.
The book examines the themes of violence, power, and sexuality, revealing how they contribute to the systemic subordination of women.
Dworkin analyzes fairy tales, pornography, and other cultural artifacts to expose their misogynistic underpinnings.
Through her uncompromising and provocative analysis, Dworkin challenges readers to confront the pervasive nature of woman-hating in society, advocating for a fundamental transformation of patriarchal structures.
#12198
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
The mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley
In 'The Mists of Avalon', Marion Zimmer Bradley reimagines the Arthurian legend through the eyes of key female figures such as Morgaine (Morgan le Fay), Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), Viviane, Morgause, and Igraine.
The novel explores the conflict between the old pagan religions and the rising influence of Christianity in Britain.
Morgaine, a priestess of the Mother Goddess, is the central character, and her story spans generations, detailing her training in Avalon, her relationships, and her battles to preserve the pagan way of life.
The book also delves into the complex love triangles and the political and spiritual upheavals of the time, offering a nuanced and feminist perspective on the traditional Arthurian tale.
#4913
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
Trauma and recovery
Judith Lewis Herman
Alison Mathews
Judith Herman
In this groundbreaking work, Judith Lewis Herman places individual experiences of trauma within a political frame, drawing parallels between private horrors like child abuse and public horrors like war.
The book details a three-stage sequence of trauma treatment and recovery: establishing safety, working through the trauma, and reconnecting with oneself and the world.
Herman emphasizes the importance of community in healing and the need for a secure base for recovery.
The book includes a new epilogue assessing changes in understanding and treating trauma over the last three decades.
#939
• Mentioned in 36 episodes
Twilight
Dean Koontz
Twilight Eyes follows Slim Mackenzie, a 17-year-old on the run after killing his uncle, who possesses 'twilight eyes' that allow him to see evil beings called Goblins.
Slim joins the Sombra Carnival and becomes embroiled in a plot to prevent a catastrophic event involving the carnival and a town infested with Goblins.
The novel is divided into two parts, with the first half set in the carnival and the second half focusing on Slim and his allies investigating and battling the Goblins.
#973
• Mentioned in 35 episodes
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J Maas
In this novel, Feyre Archeron, a young huntress, kills a wolf that turns out to be an immortal faerie.
As punishment, she is taken to the faerie realm of Prythian by Tamlin, a High Lord of the Spring Court.
Initially hostile, Feyre's feelings for Tamlin transform into a fiery passion as she adapts to her new home.
However, an ancient, wicked shadow threatens the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it to save Tamlin and his world.
The book is a retelling inspired by fairy tales such as 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Tam Lin', and it combines elements of romance, adventure, and high fantasy.
#746
• Mentioned in 42 episodes
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
In 'Fourth Wing,' twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail is forced by her mother, a commanding general, to join the elite dragon riders at Basgiath War College.
Despite her physical weaknesses due to a chronic illness similar to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Violet must use her intelligence and wit to survive the competitive and deadly environment.
She faces numerous challenges, including sparring matches, the Gauntlet climbing challenge, and battles in the War Games.
Alongside her struggles, Violet uncovers secrets about the leadership and forms complex relationships with her peers, including the ruthless but charismatic wingleader Xaden Riorson.
The book is part of the Empyrean series and combines elements of fantasy, adventure, and romance.
#14985
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
Published in 1991, 'Outlander' is the first novel in the 'Outlander' series by Diana Gabaldon.
The story follows Claire Randall, a former combat nurse during WWII, who on a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband Frank, touches an ancient stone and is transported back in time to 1743.
There, she encounters the dashing Jamie Fraser and becomes embroiled in the lives of the Scottish Clan MacKenzie.
As Claire navigates her new surroundings, she must balance her loyalty to her husband in the 20th century with her growing feelings for Jamie.
The novel blends elements of historical fiction, romance, adventure, and fantasy, and has been praised for its detailed historical settings and compelling characters.
Abby joins Moira Donegan and Adrian Daub on one of our favorite podcasts, In Bed With the Right! The topic is romantasy - as a genre of fiction, as a publishing phenomenon, and, above all, as a cultural symptom. What do readers - and women specifically - find in romantasy narratives? How does reading relate to play, and fantasy to trauma and healing? The three explore all these questions and more!
Texts include:
Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses series
Rebecca Yarros, Empyrean series
Judith Herman, Trauma and Recovery
Andrea Dworkin, Women Hating
Sigmund Freud, "Creative Writers and Daydreaming" (1907)
Have you noticed that Freud is back? Got questions about psychoanalysis? Or maybe you’ve traversed the fantasy and lived to tell the tale? Leave us a voicemail! (646) 450-0847
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Theme song:
Formal Chicken - Gnossienne No. 1
https://open.spotify.com/album/2MIIYnbyLqriV3vrpUTxxO
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