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The 23 Main Authors of Romanticism and their Works
The Authors of romance Major and most outstanding emerged in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. They were the most important representatives and exponents of an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that reached its greatest splendor between the years 1800 and 1850.
The emphasis on emotion, individualism, as well as the glorification of the past and nature were characteristic features of this movement, which tended towards the medieval rather than the classical.
Its emergence can be considered a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the scientific rationalization of nature, and the aristocratic social rules during the Age of Enlightenment. Its most visible manifestations were in the visual arts, music and literature, although it also had an impact on historiography, education and the social sciences.
He shares his etymology with terms like romance and romance. In the middle of the eighteenth century, the term romantic had a similar meaning in both English and French (romantic versus romantique), both used to refer to the exaltation of natural phenomena such as landscapes and sunsets.
Romanticism extolled the figure of the hero or genius and emphasized his internal passions and challenges. The artist's conception as an extremely individualist creator whose creative spirit was more important than strict adherence to traditional rules and procedures was a hallmark of the period.
The movement arose in Germany, nevertheless they were authors Anglo-Saxons most prolific and celebrated during this period.
Who were the main exponents of Romanticism in English-speaking literature?
You may also like This list of western writers .
The main writers of Romanticism
1- jane austen.
(1775-1817) Filled with comedy, romance, wit and satire, the six novels of this English author were also a striking reflection of the social and territorial situation that England lived in her time.
He began to write being very young, with the constant support and promotion of his family and friends. His first work, Sense and Sensibility (1811) took ten years to be published. He followed Pride and Prejudice Two years later, which according to her own work would be preferred. His last two works would be published after his death at age 41.
You can know more about the author by reading the article" Jane Austen's Top 51 Phrases ".
William Blake
(1757-1827) This London author is known for being a poet, painter and original and creative thinker, but his work was virtually ignored while he lived. The third of six brothers, claimed to have been visited by bright angels in their childhood.
He designed a technique of visual poetry that combined his texts with illustrations of his own authorship. Among his works stand out The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Songs of Innocence .
In" William Blake's Top 100 Phrases "You will know even better his work.
3- Charlotte Brontë
(1816-1855) Author renowned for her passionate novel Jane Eyre (1847), also published poems and three more novels. Born in England, third of six siblings, she was five years old when her mother died.
He spent part of his life devoted to teaching and his unbridled love for the director of the school where he worked inspired his novels Villette and The Professor .
4- Emily Brontë
(1818-1848) His most recognized work was Wuthering Heights (1847), but also wrote more than two hundred poems that were described by his sister Charlotte as"of a particularly wild, melancholy and uplifting musicality."
Supported by her sister, she published a collection of poems in 1846. After her early death due to tuberculosis, a novel she left unfinished was destroyed by Charlotte.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
(1806-1861) One of the most praised poetesses of her time. Born in England, she is best known for her work Sonnets from the Portuguese , A collection of love poems written for her husband Robert Browning. He died in Florence, Italy.
6- Robert Burns
(1759-1796) Born in Scotland, he received a good education in mathematics and English literature, although from an early age he had to serve on the family farm. His work Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect Was published in 1786 and gave him fame.
(1788-1824) Dedicated to freedom of thought and action, anarchic in his political stance and personal morality, the English poet and adventurer was the personification of the romantic hero.
After touring multiple Mediterranean countries, he returned home to publish Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812), which was an instant success. It was Don Juan , Published in 1819, his most recognized work.
8- Lewis Carroll
(1832-1898) The pseudonym used by the English mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, which he used for the first time in publishing his famous children's novels.
His fondness for paradox and nonsense as well as his appreciation for childhood led him to write his most famous novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland In 1865 and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There In 1871.
9- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(1772-1834) One of the most emblematic and controversial figures of the Romantic period. His career as a poet and writer was established after publishing Lyrical Ballads In 1798. His best-known work is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner .
10- Charles Dickens
(1812-1870) Author of 15 novels and countless essays and short stories, this celebrated English author generously promoted the careers of other novelists in his weekly columns and became involved in social issues. He stood out for writing about London and his grotesque and comic characters. Oliver Twist , Nicholas Nickleby , David Copperfield Y Big hopes Are among his most famous titles.
Discover with" Charles Dickens' Top 87 Phrases "The literary potential of this genius.
11- George Eliot
(1819-1880) It was the pseudonym of the novelist Mary Ann Evans. After a difficult childhood, managed to settle in London, where it was related to the poet George Henry Lewis, that motivated to write fiction. His most famous book, Middlemarch , Was published in eight episodes between 1871 and 1872.
12- Elizabeth Gaskell
(1810-1865) Better known as the author of Cranford and North and South , As well as for being the biographer of her friend Charlotte Brontë. His most famous works were written in reaction to the industrialization of Manchester, where he spent most of his life.
Following the tragic death of his young son in 1845, he took refuge in writing and published anonymously Mary Barton , A work praised by Charles Dickens.
13- Thomas Hardy
(1840-1928) Poet and novelist, is perhaps most famous for his powerful visual novels, worried about the inexorable human destiny. He retired from the architecture after publishing Far From The Madding Crowd In 1874. Between 1874 and 1895 he wrote more than a dozen novels and compilations of short stories.
14- John Keats
(1795-1821) Keats' poetic achievement in as little as six years can be classified as astonishing. However, during his lifetime, the critics were about to overthrow him.
His first poems received harsh criticisms, although in 1818, with Endymion , Achieved greater success. The second half of the century finally brought him fame, praised by Lord Tennyson, is today one of the most cited and beloved poets of the English language.
15- Christina Rossetti
(1830-1894) Her reputation as a lyrical poet who stood out for her direct and captivating style has grown over the years. Goblin market, In The Bleak Midwinter Y Remember Are today among the most appreciated English poems.
He learned to write poetry by imitation, experimenting with different styles of verse. He died of cancer in 1894 and his brother William published an almost complete collection of his poems entitled Poetical Works In 1904.
16- Mary Shelley
(1797-1851) Author of Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus , Was daughter of the radical philosopher William Godwin. At age 16 he fled to Italy with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who praised the irresistible and wild sublimity of feelings.
Both promoted the literary work of the other and were married in 1816. Frankenstein Is considered the first work of science fiction. It was based on the destructive nature of power when it encountered wealth. Its mythology lasts until our days.
17- Percy Bysshe Shelley
(1792-1822) Born in Sussex, England, he was the heir to his grandfather's considerable fortune as well as a position in parliament. He went to Eton College, where he began to write poetry, and to Oxford University.
His first published work was the gothic novel Zastrozzi In 1810. He married Mary Godwin, later named Mary Shelley. During the last years of his life, he produced his most notable works including The Masque of Anarchy .
18- Robert Louis Stevenson
(1850-1894) This Scottish novelist, essayist and poet is probably most famous for his children's book The island of the treasure . Educated as an engineer and later as a lawyer, he was always inclined towards writing.
He published several essays and dramas. Its fame grew after the publication in 1883 of The island of the treasure . Then he wrote and published The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde In 1886.
19- Alfred Lord Tennyson
(1809-1892) Considered the venerable master of Victorian poetry, famous for In Memoriam A.H.H., The Idylls of the King and Maud and Other Poems . The fourth of 12 children, born in Lincoln in 1809, attended Cambridge University.
His early novels received venomous critics, which disappointed him at first and then made him perfect his technique. His poems were inspired by even royalty, praised by Queen Victoria, who named him Baron in 1883.
20- Anthony Trollope
(1815-1882): One of the most prolific authors of the nineteenth century, his works include Barsetshire Chronicles And T He Way We Live Now . His illustration of ordinary life enlivened by humor won him the readers' affection and assured him continued popularity.
His extensive production is impressive given that at the same time he maintained a successful career in the postal service.
It produced 47 novels, an autobiography, two plays, short stories, travel books, articles, essays and speeches. Proud of his talent, he boasted of always having a pen at hand and giving himself to the work of writing, just as a mechanic or a shoemaker does.
21- H. G. Wells
(1866-1946) Acclaimed as a scientist and social prophet, Herbert George Wells was a prolific novelist, famous primarily for his science fiction works but also for his comic realism.
His zoological studies inspired him to write science fiction. The time Machine (1865) was the first of his very famous works and the pioneer of the genre called"scientific romance".
He lived to see the end of the Second World War and his defense of human rights had a definite influence on the formation of the United Nations.
22- Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900): Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was an exuberant and flamboyant playwright, poet and critic. He was a leading proponent of aesthetics, the controversial theory of art. He published his novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray In 1890 and fell in love with the very young Lord Alfred Douglas.
Since then he has lived a double life, publishing very successful social comedies, such as The Ideal Husband Y The importance of being called Ernesto At the same time that he spent his time visiting male brothels.
After being accused of indecent behavior, Wilde spent two years in prison, where he wrote two novels that were published after his death: De Profundis Y The Ballad of Reading Gaol . Ruined economically, repudiated by society and in poor health, he spent the rest of his life in Europe. He died in Paris on November 30, 1900, at 46 years of age.
Know the Best phrases and the work Of Oscar Wilde to know better the author.
23- William Wordsworth
(1770-1850) This English poet, born in Cockermouth, was inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the Lake District to write his poetry. Following the death of their parents, William and his sister Dorothy settled in the West Country, where they met the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, with whom he would publish Lyrical Ballads In 1798.
After receiving payment of a debt to his father, the poet was able to marry and settle. He continued his poetic work, publishing The Excursion In 1814 and The river Duddon In 1820, although the conservative of his work at this stage annoyed his more radical friends. After his death in 1850 he published his autobiographical poem The Prelude , In which he worked since 1798.
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The 25 best romance authors (and their most swoonworthy reads).
Romance is one of the most popular genres in literature today, both for readers and writers of romance novels . And it’s no wonder why: romance is exciting, sexy, and compulsively readable. Luckily, there are tons more books coming out all the time! So to help you get a handle on the genre, we’ve compiled this guide to the 25 best romance authors, along with the love stories they’ve written that are sure to make you swoon. 😍 (By the way, the list is in alphabetical order, so if you’re searching for your own favorite author, you’ll know exactly where to look.)
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great romance authors out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized romance book recommendation 😉
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Carolyn Brown
Brown has been writing romance for twenty years now — her debut novel Love Is came out in 1999. Since then, she’s produced a great deal of both contemporary and historical romance. However, Brown’s real niche is cowboy romance: stories that are typically set in the southern United States and feature a tall, dark, troubled rancher. Meanwhile, the strong-minded heroine isn’t looking for love — she’s too focused on her child, and/or trying to shake the memories of a good-for-nothing ex — but damn if she doesn’t find it under the boiling hot Texas (or Tennessee or Oklahoma) sun after all.
Must-read: Long, Hot Texas Summer
When Loretta Bailey caught her husband Jackson kissing another woman, she turned her back on Lonesome Canyon Ranch forever. That was seventeen years ago… and now Loretta and Jackson’s daughter wants to drop out of college to marry a rancher. Naturally, Loretta is dead-set against the idea. But in order to combat it, she’ll have to return to the ranch and work together with Jackson, who’s just as wily (and devilishly handsome) as ever.
Catherine Bybee
Bybee is the queen of Amazon’s contemporary romance charts, with her bestselling Weekday Brides and Not Quite series (and their spinoffs). She also dabbles in historical and paranormal romance , and is especially skilled at synthesizing her own traumatic experiences into her work: not only is she a survivor of child abuse, she also endured a terrible accident when she was working as an ER nurse. Bybee began to write during her recovery, remembering the solace that romance books and love stories brought her when she was young — and eventually turned out some of best titles on the market today.
Must-read: Wife by Wednesday ( Weekday Brides #1)
Wife By Wednesday introduces us to Samantha Elliot, the head of a matchmaking firm consulted by millionaire Blake Harrison… who’s intent on having Sam pose as his wife. And though Sam never meant to matchmake herself , how can she resist his $10 million offer? But while their deal is supposed to be all appearances, Sam finds herself confusingly attracted to Blake, which spells double trouble when his ex gets involved.
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Since 1980, Carr has made quite a name for herself in romance — particularly with her Virgin River series, which follows various love affairs unfolding at a forest outpost in California. From the gruff marine who gets in touch with his softer side to the burned-out sous chef who has to contend with a pretty steamy dish (if you know what we mean), Virgin River supplies a stream of near-endless romantic possibilities. Not to mention it’s slated for a Netflix series starring Alexandra Breckenridge !
Must-read: Virgin River ( Virgin River #1)
After unexpectedly becoming a widower in her thirties, nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe jumps at the chance to move to woodsy, secluded Virgin River, only to realize it’s not what she expected. Between her shabby accommodations and the local doctor’s icy attitude, Mel’s just about ready to pick up and leave — until she meets a retired marine who convinces her to stay.
Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole is a uniquely impressive contributor to the historical romance subgenre. She specializes in American Revolution and Civil War-era stories, and has done wonders for diversity in romance: many of her characters are women of color, and much of the drama in her narratives stems from the challenges of interracial love and marriage in the past.
Must-read: An Extraordinary Union
This award-winning novel takes place during the Civil War and follows Elle Burns, a former slave who goes undercover to spy for the Union. She soon meets Malcolm McCall, a Pinkerton detective who shares her motives to bring down the Confederacy… but their political inclinations aren’t the only mutual feeling between them. When things start to become truly dangerous, Elle and Malcolm must decide what’s most important: their country or their love.
Lauren Dane
Lauren Dane is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, known for her Brown Family and Chase Brothers series. Dane began writing in 2005 and has since turned out over 60 books. (Yes, you read that correctly!) Besides being one of the most prolific authors on this list, she’s also one of the most risqué — so if you like your romance on the steamier side, consider adding her to your list.
Must-read: Laid Bare ( Brown Family #1)
Seriously, hold onto your hats because this one is shamelessly immodest. Laid Bare begins with police officer Todd Keenan and rock musician Erin Brown, whose old flame is rekindled when they meet again in Seattle… but which threatens to burn them up after a ménage à trois with one of Todd’s best friends. There’s no telling where this relationship of sorts will lead, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be one wild hell of a ride.
Tessa Dare is another NYT bestseller, but in a very different category: classic “bodice rippers” that focus more on smoldering sexual tension itself than the resolution of said tension. Indeed, Dare’s titles clearly indicate her propensity for Regency romance — from Romancing the Duke to Say Yes to the Marquess , her books are the perfect form of escapism into another time and place.
Must-read: Do You Want to Start a Scandal ( Castles Ever After #4)
This one is part history, part mystery, part love story! At the Parkhurst ball, young Charlotte Highwood is implicated in a scandal that makes it look as though she’s involved with Piers Brandon, Lord Granville — and now she’ll have to marry him if she can’t prove her innocence. Which would be inconvenient indeed, since she doesn’t even like the guy. But as the two of them set out to uncover the true scandal-makers, Piers proves himself a surprisingly useful accomplice. Soon Charlotte’s growing attraction to him makes her wonder if she even wants to complete their mission…
Madison Faye
For a quick rebound to the erotic, Madison Faye’s books are even more salacious than Lauren Dane’s. If you were a fan of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty Quartet , you’ll love Faye’s similarly sexy fairytales: a series of five works fittingly titled Possessing Beauty . Or if fairytale retellings aren’t your thing, you can always turn to Dirty Bad Things or Her Daddies (again, you read that correctly), two other mega-popular works by Faye. Hailed as “quick and filthy,” these white-hot erotic romances will just about melt your Kindle clean away.
Must-read: Beasting Beauty ( Possessing Beauty #1)
Logan is the callous, cursed Prince of Torsund. Isla is the sweet youngest princess of Avlion. When they meet at a ball held by her father, sparks fly — and clothing flies off. Logan certainly is a beast in the bedroom, but that doesn’t mean Isla can’t find a way to tame him. Sweet, sexy, and savage all at once, this just-under-100-page novella is the perfect remedy to spice up a regular night in.
Pippa Grant
Pippa Grant is another reigning ruler of the Amazon charts whose specialty is, for lack of a better term, total jerks. The heroes in her stories are anything but heroic: we’re talking possessive exes, egocentric hockey players, and horrible bosses. Or at least they start off that way. With the help of their leading ladies — who are sometimes sweet, sometimes saucy, but always totally irresistible to the main guy — they turn over a new leaf and become much better humans . How’s that for an HEA? (Romance slang for “happily ever after.”)
Must-read: The Pilot and the Puck-Up
NHL player Zeus Berger is as cocky as his Greek god namesake, and he’s never failed to satisfy a woman… until he meets Joey Diamonte, former military special ops pilot and self-made businesswoman, who matches him in confidence and thoroughly surpasses him in smoothness. Unfortunately, their first encounter doesn’t quite go as Zeus planned. Now determined to prove to Joey that he’s more than one-night-stand material, Zeus will try anything to show her what he’s made of (besides muscle, that is).
Lorraine Heath
Lorraine Heath is an absolute staple of the romance genre. Since 2001, she’s turned out over a dozen different series in every subgenre from historical to paranormal. However, despite their quantity, her works never sacrifice quality — Heath has been especially praised for the genuine emotional depth and strong characterization in her writing. So if you’re looking for story-based drama rather than its cousin smut, you can’t go wrong with Heath's love stories.
Must-read: In Bed with the Devil ( Scoundrels of St, James #1)
Lucian Langdon, aka Luke, is scorned in London as the “devil earl” for his atrocious reputation. Lady Catherine Mabry needs help so desperately that she’s willing to strike a deal with him. Thus begins their relationship as co-conspirators… which of course, soon turns into something more. The delicious slow burn between the scoundrel and the lady also includes a pretty meaty social plot, peppered with plenty of tongue-in-cheek Dickens references .
Beverly Jenkins
Jenkins is a true trailblazer of diverse romance — she’s been writing since the nineties, and her books almost always feature African-American main couples, often set in times when that experience was overlooked. However, Jenkins makes a point of not writing exclusively about slavery. In order to represent a genuinely wide range of black history, most of her books take place between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement.
Must-read: Bring on the Blessings ( Blessings #1)
Though Jenkins is known for (and very talented at spinning!) her historical romances, this contemporary work is a great intro for first-time readers. In Bring on the Blessings , 52-year-old Bernadine Brown takes her wealthy, adulterous husband to court — and wins. A $275 million settlement, to be exact.
Adamant to “pay forward” her good fortune, Bernadine decides that her next project of choice won’t just be one man, but an entire town: Henry Adams, Kansas, which was founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. After purchasing Henry Adams on the Internet, Bernadine must work together with its stubborn mayor Trent July to bring the town back to its former glory… and perhaps find some glory in each other as well.
Lisa Kleypas
When it comes to historical romance, no one quite compares to Kleypas: she started writing in 1985, when she was only 21 years old, and hasn’t looked back since. Beginning with a few quick duologies, Kleypas eventually escalated to elaborate multi-book series, her most famous being The Wallflowers and The Hathaways . These books follow the members of various families in mid-19th century London as they attempt to find love in one way or another. Each story is also wrapped in a well-woven tapestry of historical context; indeed, one of Kleypas’ greatest strengths is her intimate knowledge of the era.
Must-read: Mine Till Midnight ( The Hathaways #1)
Amelia Hathaway has an awful lot on her plate. She’s figuring out her place in aristocratic society (which she’s just joined after a surprise inheritance), taming her wild younger siblings, and most recently dealing with her feelings for upper-class bad boy Cam Rohan. Cam, like Amelia, comes from not-so-noble stock — unlike her, however, he longs to return to it. This plan is complicated by only one thing: his desire for Amelia. And when she asks him for help in a sticky situation, he can’t say no to her…
Lauren Landish
Landish specializes in “sexy-as-hell book boyfriends,” as she says on her Goodreads page — one look at her rippling-muscle covers and you know you’re in for a good time. Her works can get pretty explicit, but she’s also got plenty of fun romantic devices to keep readers happy: meet-cutes, fake relationships, and reunited high school sweethearts abound, especially in the stunningly sexy Irresistible Bachelors series.
Must-read: Mr. Fixit ( Irresistible Bachelors #5)
Expert handyman Caleb Strong ( get it? because he’s strong? ) and Cassie White have been friends for over a year now, ever since they met in Hawaii. So when Cassie needs help renovating her childhood home, it’s only natural that she turn to Caleb. But actually having to watch him work proves a challenge in the self-control department… especially when she starts fantasizing about him working on something else. In other words, this book is pretty much the written equivalent of that Fifth Harmony song — if you liked that video, you’ll love Mr. Fixit .
Adriana Locke
On the other hand, if you prefer flawed, vulnerable heroes to totally confident ones, Adriana Locke might be more your speed. Locke has been in the romance business for just a few years, but she’s already turned out numerous series full of bad-boys-with-serious-damage (though of course, none of that stops them from eventually finding love).
Must-read: Crank ( Laundry Family #7, Gibson Boys #1)
Sienna Landry gets off to a bit of a rocky start with small-town mechanic Walker Gibson — namely, she busts up the front of his truck. For a guy like Walker, there’s nothing worse… except maybe the attraction he feels to this girl who’s just destroyed his most prized possession. Conflicted over Sienna in more ways than one, Walker still can’t seem to avoid her, and the shimmering tension between them mounts until it’s practically leaping off the page. But there’s something he’s not telling her — not least because he doesn’t want to think about it himself.
Julianne MacLean
Julianne MacLean (not to be confused with the next entry on our list) writes primarily historical romance, though she’s also branched out into contemporary on occasion. She’s best known for her American Heiress and Pembroke Palace series, which are sure to please fans of Downton Abbey and other early 20th century tales. Or if you’re a fan of Outlander , check out her excellent Highlander trilogy: a slow, sexy burn that includes Captured by the Highlander, Claimed by the Highlander, and Seduced by the Highlander .
Must-read: The Color of Heaven ( Color of Heaven #1)
Like Jenkins’ Bring on the Blessings , MacLean’s Color of Heaven series doesn’t exactly represent her larger body of work. However, it’s a good entry point for new readers — if also quite an emotional one. The Color of Heaven follows Sophie Duncan, a woman whose life goes off the rails when her daughter is diagnosed with leukemia and her husband cheats on her. But after a terrible accident, Sophie’s eyes open to everything she does still have, and she embarks on a newly buoyant journey of life, love, and revelation.
Sarah MacLean
Sarah MacLean has also found her niche in historical romance, but of a more traditional sort: she tends to stick to the Regency/Victorian periods, and she’s absolutely mastered the niche. As the author of over a dozen high-profile historical romances, and winner of several awards given by the Romance Writers of America, she’s one of the leading voices in the romance genre. Along with Lisa Kleypas (and Julia Quinn and Nora Roberts, both of whom we’ll get to soon), Sarah MacLean is essentially a founding mother of the historical subgenre as we know it today.
Must-read: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake ( Love by the Numbers #1)
Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is sick and tired of her title, especially since she’s never been able to live up to it. She’s more than ready to break the rules of ladyhood… but she can’t do it alone. And who better to recruit as her “accomplice” (the Regency equivalent of friends-with-benefits) than Gabriel St. John, a marquess and fellow eschewer of society? Of course, as Callie and Gabe grow closer, she realizes that she might not be such a nontraditional girl after all. The only question now is: can she tell him?
Courtney Milan
Milan is another prominent writer of WOC characters in romance, particularly characters of Asian descent. Though she’s also got quite a few “classic” historical romances in her repertoire, her most interesting and dynamic works to date include the Cyclone series, with an upcoming work entitled Show Me that will be an LGBT romance between two women of color. In the meantime, though, she has plenty of other captivating titles for readers to explore.
Must-read: Hold Me ( Cyclone #2)
This pitch-perfect amalgam of classic romantic setups involves both a) an enemies-to-lovers transformation, and b) a case of secret identities, as our main couple (unbeknownst to them) chats anonymously online!
Jay na Thalang and Maria Lopez have been running in the same Bay Area circles for ages, but that doesn’t mean they actually like each other. On the contrary, Jay’s misogynistic attitude gets Maria all riled up, and Maria’s apparent ditziness causes Jay to dismiss her. But as with just about every romance, things are not as they seem… as secrets are unveiled and revelations occur, Maria and Jay get thrown into a completely unexpected romantic odyssey.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been hot on the romance scene since the early eighties, and is credited with creating “sports romance,” in which the characters and plot revolve around some sort of athletics. She’s also been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy” within the genre — at a time when most romance writers took the historical route, Phillips wasn’t afraid to get a little goofy. As the Nora Ephron of romance novels, Phillips is an essential addition to any self-proclaimed romance lover’s reading list.
Must read: It Had to Be You ( Chicago Stars #1)
New York girl Phoebe Somerville has just inherited the Chicago Stars — an entire football team of sexy-but-also-sex ist men, the worst of whom is head coach Dan Calebow. Dan isn’t exactly happy with Phoebe’s takeover, nor does Phoebe appreciate Dan’s constant snide remarks… yet neither of them can stay away from each other long enough to stop bickering. With warmth, humor, and irresistible chemistry, It Had to Be You is a veritable Super Bowl of a novel.
Julia Quinn
Like so many of the authors on this list, Julia Quinn has a fascinating origin story. In the early nineties, she decided to attend medical school; as she studied for the necessary prerequisites, she started writing romance novels on the side. She was then admitted to Yale Medical School, but realized she had already found her true calling. So she dropped out to become one of the most eminent historical romance writers of her generation — and is still writing today!
Must-read: The Duke and I ( Bridgertons #1)
It’s the ultimate high-society scheme: Lady Daphne Bridgerton and Duke Simon Basset are only pretending to court, so that Simon can avoid the clutches of actual marriage and Daphne can attract jealous men. (Exactly what you want in a partner, right?) Except now, Daphne is starting to have second thoughts about Simon — especially when they’re pressed together on the ballroom floor, and she can hardly keep dancing for desire. This Regency twist on the “fake relationship” trope will definitely make classic romance fans swoon.
“All the heat, all the heart,” is Rai’s signature slogan, and her brilliant, steamy, and wonderfully diverse books certainly live up to it. Though Rai is a relative newcomer, she already has five series under her belt and a reputation in the contemporary romance world for her innovative premises and vivid characters. (It hasn’t been released yet, but look out for her upcoming novel The Right Swipe , about two rival dating app creators who fall in love!)
That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts—and the last names that made them enemies.
Until the night she didn’t show up.
Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn’t have time for distractions and Livvy’s sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want . . . so why can’t he forget how right she feels in his bed?
Livvy didn’t come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence—and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families.
Being together might be against all the rules . . . but being apart is impossible.
Must-read: Hate to Want You ( Forbidden Hearts #1)
Just like so many of our couples, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler have a deal. Except theirs is limited to just one night of guilty pleasure a year — guilty because of the animosity between their families. They’ve been secretly hooking up for ten years, and each looks forward to that night of mind-blowing passion… until Nicholas gets too busy running his own family’s empire. Of course, Livvy’s not going to let him slip away that easily. Laden with passion but also profound emotion, Hate to Want You is Rai’s superb answer to sexy yet realistic romance.
Alexa Riley
Riley is another big Amazon chart-topper — unusual for a romance author with mostly standalone and short-series books. However, Riley’s edge over other authors might come from the fact that “she” is actually two writers, a duo of anonymous friends who have put out over 100 titles (!) since 2015. Also, similar to Madison Faye, Alexa Riley’s books are best described as quickies: many are 100 pages or less, but what they lack in length, they make up for in heat.
Must-read: PS... You're Mine by Alexa Riley
This Valentine’s special features a schoolteacher named Katie Lovely and a marine named Mark Gunner (did we mention that almost all Riley characters have hilariously tongue-in-cheek names?). In any case, Katie’s class is doing a pen pal project with overseas Marines, and she accidentally signs herself up, too… only to find her correspondence with Mark is, well, different than she anticipated. So don’t worry just because they don’t see each other in person (at least not at first) — those letters get hot and heavy pretty quickly.
Nora Roberts
If there’s one author on this list who’s a recognized household name, it’s Nora Roberts. Since 1980, Roberts has written and published an astounding number of romances — her website claims the number stands at over 215!
But this incredibly prolific production has not come at the cost of quality. Over the years, Roberts has been praises for her creative storylines, her wry sense of humor, and for pioneering the “dual shifting perspectives” style (i.e. two different narrators who switch back and forth) that has come to define the genre. She’s also been the recipient of countless Golden Medallion and RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, and she’s had several of her books adapted into movies, including Montana Sky and High Noon .
Must-read: Born in Fire ( Born in Fire Trilogy #1)
It’s impossible to say that Born in Fire is the only Nora Roberts must-read, but it’s certainly one of her best. It centers on Maggie Concannon, a fierce-minded, free-spirited woman living in Ireland. And while she may work with glass for a living, Maggie is not easily shattered — until she meets money-minded gallery owner Rogan Sweeney, who wants to manage her career. The two butt heads as their working relationship progresses, but can’t deny their attraction — which grows even hotter than blown glass over the course of this story.
Nalini Singh
Singh is another very exciting new voice in the romance genre. She mostly writes paranormal romance, but of a particularly debauched variety; she’s especially known for her Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, both of which are rife with racy scenes.
Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind-and none of the heart.
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of \'rehabilitation\' - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...
Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.
Must-read: Slave to Sensation ( Psy-Changeling #1)
This remarkable hybrid of paranormal romance and science fiction establishes the world of the “Psy”: a ruling race that prohibits emotions (sort of like in The Giver , but much worse). Sascha is one of the few Psy who still feels pain and desire — but she can’t reveal this to anyone, lest she be forced into “rehabilitation.” Meanwhile Lucas Hunter is a part-human, part-animal changeling who needs Sascha’s help. Their connection grows and they soon find themselves struggling to resist the sensation between them… though they know it could be deadly.
Susan Stoker
Susan Stoker’s series are famous for adapting the classic damsel-in-distress scenario to the modern day. Her heroines are victims of spousal violence, sex trafficking, terrorism, you name it — but there’s always a valiant hero there to save the day. And while it might seem to contradict the rules of feminism for the men to be constantly rescuing the women, we’re actually grateful for a series that promotes men protecting their partners, when so many romances blur the line between abuse and love.
Must-read: Rescuing Rayne ( Delta Force Heroes #1)
As a flight attendant, Rayne Jackson’s whole life is up in the air — with the exception of the occasional down-to-earth tryst. One particularly memorable night was with Keane “Ghost” Bryson, a rugged, reticent Delta Force member. Of course, Rayne doesn’t know that, since Ghost kept his true identity hidden from her. But when their paths cross again under the most dire of circumstances, Ghost must put everything on the line to protect Rayne: not just his secrets, but his life.
Lauren Willig
The final historical romancer on our list, Lauren Willig has been writing since 2005. Her speciality is the Napoleonic era, and her works take particular inspiration from The Scarlet Pimpernel — another historical novel written by a woman almost exactly a century before Willig herself started writing. However, don’t worry about her work being derivative. Willig is most definitely one of a kind, and the rich history and complex characters in her books make for top-notch romance.
Must-read: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
With a frame narrative reminiscent of Susanna Kearsley, Willig tells this story through Eloise Kelly: a 21st-century American college student who goes to England to finish her dissertation. There she finds much more than academic motivation in the form of the “Secret History of the Pink Carnation” — a book about England’s most cunning spy during the Napoleonic Wars, and the thrilling romance that involved them.
We’ll round off this list with some good old-fashioned… erotica! Zane has been a prominent author in the erotic romance subgenre since 1997, when she started writing steamy stories for her own entertainment. Over two decades later, she’s now the publisher of Strebor Books with Simon & Schuster, and her works have been turned into a TV series and even a feature film.
Must-read: Addicted
Zoe Reynard is a successful businesswoman, a loving wife, a devoted mother… and a sex addict. No matter how she’s tried, she’s never been able to shake her “fatal attraction.” Now, as Zoe confesses to her therapist, she delves into her sizzling sexual history and dark childhood. But her romance with her husband is still front and center — hence what makes this a genuinely gorgeous work and not just a salacious romp (though it has that going for it, too).
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by Yen Cabag | 29 comments
Romance is one of the bestselling genres in the US. In fact, according to the Romance Writers of America (RWA), statistics show that romance novels make up more than 50% of all sales of mass-market paperback fiction in America.
Romance is a popular genre because nearly everyone can relate to the thrills and challenges of love and its complications. Research shows that readers of romance include both men and women, with male readers making up about 9% of the audience (although the men tend to be less vocal about their interests).
The Best Romance Authors
If you want to be a fiction writer, one important piece of advice is to read extensively in your chosen genre. To write romance, immerse yourself in the writings of the bestselling romance authors.
Or, if you simply want to sit down with a good, sizzling read, here are some of the best romance authors to choose from:
1. Danielle Steel
The bestselling author alive today, Danielle Steel has sold more than 800 million copies of her books. She is also the fourth bestselling fiction writer of all time, with more than 179 books, 146 of them fiction, to her name.
Must Read: Zoya
Steel shows her storytelling prowess in this romance novel featuring Zoya, a Russian countess who flees the Russian Revolution with her grandmother. When they arrive in Paris without a cent to their name, Zoya has to form a new life by joining a ballet company.
2. Nora Roberts
The first writer in the Romance Writer of America Hall of Fame, Nora Roberts is known as the queen of romance fiction. Roberts is the pseudonym of Eleanor Marie Robertson, who also writes under other pen names, such as J.D. Robb.
Must Read: Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
This romantic suspense follows New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas on the trail of a heartless killer. What happens when she gets involved with one of her suspects in her investigation?
3. Nicholas Sparks
Romance legend Nicholas Sparks’s books have spurred nearly a dozen big-screen adaptations, including A Walk to Remember , The Notebook , Dear John , The Longest Ride , and Message in a Bottle .
Must Read: The Last Song
Three years after 17-year-old Veronica Miller’s parents divorced, “Ronnie” stays angry and estranged from them, especially her father. Then her mother makes the call of sending Ronnie to spend the summer with her father in Wilmington.
Her father is a former concert pianist who is now living quietly in the beach town, preoccupied with creating his life’s masterpiece. The Last Song explores not just first love among young people but also the affection shared between parents and children, showing us how these valued relationships can both break and heal our hearts.
4. Robyn Carr
One of the most well-known names in romance novels since 1980, Robyn Carr fascinates readers especially with her Virgin River series, detailing different love stories set in a California forest outpost.
Her stories in the series include unique characters, like a disgruntled sous chef or a tough marine who finds his soft side. Plus, it now comes with a Netflix adaptation starring Alexandra Breckenridge.
Must-Read: Virgin River (Book 1 of the Virgin River series)
After her husband dies, 30-something nurse Melinda Monroe moves to the secluded Virgin River—and finds it falling short of her expectations. In fact, the shabby conditions and the curt manner of the local doctor convinces her to leave, but the retired marine she meets changes her plans.
5. Carolyn Brown
Brown’s debut novel Love Is was published in 1999, and for the last 20 years she has written both historical and contemporary romance, specializing in cowboy romances.
Her stories tend to be set in the South and feature a rancher with tall, dark, and handsome looks, and a heroine that has no radar for love: she’s likely too preoccupied with her child, or perhaps she’s struggling to let go of memories of her last relationship—but they end up falling in love anyway.
Must-read: Long, Hot Texas Summer
Seventeen years ago, after having found her husband Jackson making out with another woman, Loretta Bailey walked out of Lonesome Canyon Ranch, supposedly forever. Now that Loretta and Jackson’s daughter drops her college plans to get married to a rancher, Loretta bristles and decides to go back to the ranch to work with Jackson—and finds him still as handsome and wily as ever.
6. Lisa Kleypas
Expert storyteller Lisa Kleypas shines in historical romance. Having started writing at 21 years old, Klaypas began with duologies and moved on to multi-book series, with The Hathaways and The Wallflowers among the most popular.
The author’s intimate knowledge of the time periods she sets her stories in gives her books a very solid historical background.
Must Read: Mine Till Midnight (Book 1 of The Hathaways Series)
A surprise inheritance throws Amelia Hathaway right smack in the middle of an aristocratic society. Between that and needing to keep her younger siblings in check, Amelia finds her life crammed full—but not too full to notice Cam Rohan, a bad boy character who also came from less well-off roots.
7. Sarah MacLean
Specializing in historical romance, MacLean often explores the intersection of the romance genre with gender studies.
Must Read: A Rogue by Any Other Name
This first book in MacLean’s Rule of Scoundrels series perfectly carries out the fiction trope of the lady who turns out to be a bit naughty herself.
8. Alyssa Cole
Cole doesn’t stick to just one genre: most of her writing revolves around historical romance, but she also has a few contemporary novels in her collection.
Must Read: Radio Silence
This first book in the Off the Grid series combines a dystopian thriller story with romance.
9. Susan Elizabeth Phillips
A mainstay in romance fiction since the 1980s, Susan Elizabeth Phillips is known for her novels revolving around sports and athletes. She’s also known for playing with humor, earning her the title “Queen of Romantic Comedy.”
Must Read: It Had to Be You
Phoebe Somerville is a New York girl who has just inherited a football team, made of sexy and sexist athletes, led by the worst sexist of the group, head coach Dan Calebow. Phoebe and Dan clash from the get-go, but Phillips effectively weaves a tale of humor, warmth, and chemistry.
10. Jane Austen
Classic writer Jane Austen is best known for her 6 major novels, and the film adaptations of her books have added to her popularity in recent generations.
Must Read: Pride and Prejudice
This romantic novel follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet, whose prejudices keeps her from realizing her developing friendship and attraction to the proud Mr. Darcy. Through her family’s experience with potential husbands, she also learns important lessons about appearances and genuine goodness.
11. Julie Garwood
Julie Garwood has 26 New York Times bestsellers in her collection and more than 35 million books in print. She points to her Irish heritage as a key to her success, a culture that has continued to have a strong emphasis on dramatic and detailed storytelling.
Having started in young adult (YA) fiction, Garwood has since focused on historical romance, one of the most popular of which is her Highlands’ Lairds series.
Must Read: The Secret (Book 1 of Highlands’ Lairds)
Judith Hampton journeys from her comfortable home in England to the Highlands to be by the side of her childhood friend as she gives birth. She clashes with a Scottish barbarian named Iain Maitland, all while struggling to resist his passionate kisses and caresses. But what happens when she discovers a life-changing secret about her father?
12. Debbie Macomber
This New York Times bestselling romance author has sold over 200 million copies of her novels, and a few of her books have also been made into film adaptations. She is known for tackling complex relationships that include loyal friendships and family dynamics, giving her readers stories of hope and connection.
Must Read: The Shop on Blossom Street
Debbie Macomber shares her love of knitting in this romance novel set around a newly-opened yarn shop in Seattle, where four women come together in a knitting class to make baby blankets. They form a special friendship which takes readers on a heartwarming journey of hope, love, and renewal.
13. Johanna Lindsey
Another expert in the historical romance genre, the late Johanna Lindsey has sold over 60 million copies of her more than 50 bestselling novels. Her first novel, Captive Bride , was published back in 1977.
Must Read: Warrior’s Woman
This science fiction take on the romance novel centers around Tedra De Arr, the fearless heroine who works to save her home planet from the evil Crad Ce Moerr. Challen Ly-San-Ter stands in her way and wants to take her back to his lair.
14. Jude Deveraux
Jude Deveraux is the New York Times bestselling author of over 40 books, having sold more than 50 million copies as of 2016. Her specialty is historical romance, but she also dabbles in paranormal and mystery subgenres.
Must Read: A Knight in Shining Armor
Jude Deveraux weaves an excellent time-travel tale in A Knight in Shining Armor, with a present-day lady mourning over a tombstone in an English church, and a 16th-century earl who suddenly shows up, despite having supposedly died in 1564.
15. Jayne Ann Krentz
Bestseller Jayne Ann Krentz writes under seven pen names, including Amanda Quick, Amanda Glass, and Jayne Taylor. She is best known for writing contemporary romantic-suspense and historical romantic-suspense. She has more than 35 million copies of her novels in print.
Must Read: Smoke in Mirrors
This romantic-suspense novel starts off with seductress and con artist Meredith Spooner stealing more than a million dollars and leaving the money in an offshore account for Leonora Hutton.
15. Judith McNaught
Bestselling author Judith McNaught has 30 million copies of her more than a dozen contemporary and historical romance novels in print.
Must Read: Almost Heaven
This romance novel follows Countess Elizabeth Cameron, whose perfect reputation is torn to shreds when she is found in the arms of the social outcast, notorious gambler Ian Thornton.
Favorite Romance Authors
The best romance authors found success by crafting unforgettable stories, but it also took lots of practice.
If you have dreams of becoming a successful author , start by developing a regular writing routine, reading some of the best authors, and asking for feedback. Who knows? You just might become the next Danielle Steel!
Who is your favorite romance author? Share your top pick in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
29 Comments
Try Field of poppies and also the Georgia Blessings series by Sharon Sala.
Hey, what about Jennifer A. Nielsen, ally Carter, and Kiera Cass? They’re such good authors!
What about Colleen Hoover???
Ellen Tanner Marsh? She had huge best sellers.
I must say Colleen Hoover SHOULD be on this list .OMG SHE IS A FIRE-CRACKER
Isn’t JD Robb, Nora Robert’s? She was on the list!!
Where is Fern Michaels?! How is she not on this list?!
why is Alex Flinn not on this list!!!!!!??? That is ridiculous!!
How is Colleen Hoover , Jamie McGuire , Emily Giffin not on this list!!!!! I could name several others. All are worthy – Let’s update the list!!
My favorites are Colleen Hoover, Abby Jimenez, and Leigh Ann Duncan
Great choices, Marcia! Colleen Hoover has definitely become one of the most popular romance writers in recent years :)
How is Sandra Brown not on here? She is the best!
To me these are all great authors, but the only one that I read now is J. D. Robb. I think that you should up-date your listings. Toni Aleo, Sarina Bowen, Kris Michaels, Alex Kava, Jami Davenport, Alison Brennan, Suzanne Brockman, Catherine Coulter, just to name a few. Many of the ones you list are listed because of years ago, not because of what they have done recently.
Hi Pauline, thanks for your comment! We’ll work on updating this post :)
Who cares whether these great writers have done anything recently! They are still great and deserve to be on the list, for those people who haven’t read them yet. List should be updated to add other people, not to remove.
How can Linda Howard NOT be on this list???
Hi Lee, thanks for the suggestion! We’ll work on updating this post.
I think Judith mcnaught is the best…johanna lindsey and nora robert are also queens.
Thanks for sharing, Itunu! We think they’re pretty great too :)
An author my mom got me started on was Janet Daily. I read all of her books that were written for each state in the US. I have many others by her or those her family has continued to write. She was actually from Storm Lake, Iowa. A mere hour north of my hometown of Carroll, Iowa. I know she passed in 2013 which was sad. I’ve not had a lot of time over the last umpteen years to do a lot of reading which I miss and especially now taking care of an elderly parent. I miss especially good romance stories. In my opinion, romance books shouldn’t be vulgar and explicit and have bad language. They are not enjoyable to read.
I am also a romance writer working on my sequel.
Hi Patricia, thank you for your comment and foe sharing about Janet Daily! I hope you’re able to find some time for yourself to enjoy more books, and best of luck on your sequel :)
Betty Neals was one of the most prolific authors ever of clean romance novels. She wrote over 130 books before she passed away. Her books are available to purchase as e-books on Amazon. You can find her paperback books on e-bay and in second hand book stores.
Thank you for sharing, Judith! :) We’ll have to add her to the list!
I LOVE Betty Neels! When I was a teenager, I was reading her novels as fast as she was putting them out. Yes, that’s how old I am! :)
I love Judith McNaught she’s a very talented author
Where can I find romance novels of the 1980s? Such as Robyn Donald,s eg Captives of the Past?
Hi Kogi! There are some on Amazon , but there are also many on ThriftBooks available as inexpensive paperbacks. I hope this helps!
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Love is for everyone. Modern romance writers are breaking barriers to show it
By any standard, Shirley Hailstock is a romance-writing star.
Not only has she penned more than three dozen novels and novellas, she’s won dozens of awards, written best sellers, and previously presided over the romance industry’s leading professional organization, the Romance Writers of America.
So, naturally, she gets fan mail. And there’s one letter from 1999 that she hasn’t forgotten.
The letter was from a self-proclaimed fan, also a romance author. It was meant to be a compliment.
“I’m writing to let you know how much I enjoyed ‘Whispers of Love.’ It’s my first African American romance,” the writer wrote, as cited by reports published two decades later. “I guess I might sound bigoted, but I never knew that Black folks fall in love like White folks. I thought it was just all sex or jungle fever I think ‘they’ call it. Silly of me. Love is love no matter what color or religion or nationality, as sex is sex. I guess the media has a lot to do with it.”
“It just floored me,” Hailstock told CNN. “I didn’t understand.”
The letter went viral in 2019, making its rounds among the online romance community. Many were shocked , infuriated even. The letter was only 20 years old. Just three years before, Denzel Washington had been named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” Prince had built his career in the decade prior on sexy, love-making music. And popular sitcoms like “Living Single,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “A Different World” had been showing Black people living their best lives, including romantically, for years.
“That is a little indicative of romance readership,” said Jodie Slaughter, a modern romance author. “For a very long time, the bulk of the romance audience, being straight, cis(gender) White women, have found themselves completely uninterested in understanding the fact that other people who are not like them do in fact experience romance.”
More than 20 years later, the romance genre – one of the biggest moneymakers in publishing – is seemingly more diverse than ever. Gay and lesbian romance novels have become best sellers, and covers featuring lovers of all races and shapes grace bookstore displays. Some characters struggle with mental illness (as in Slaughter’s “Bet on It”); others are neurodivergent (as in Helen Hoang’s “The Kiss Quotient.”). And these are not fringe books – these are some of the most popular novels in the genre today.
But, as some say, visibility can be a trap. And for authors of marginalized groups writing characters outside of the majority, questions linger. Is this visibility an authentic push toward a more inclusive industry, or is it simply a feeble response to societal trends?
“It appears that things are getting better, and that’s the whole point,” said Leah Koch, co-owner of The Ripped Bodice, a romance book store in Culver City, California. “It appears .”
The romance novel industry has made baby steps
This is not to say that the romance industry hasn’t changed at all since Hailstock received that fan letter.
Concepts like consent and agency have become a lot more important in recent years, Hoang – who has written multiple romance best sellers – pointed out. When she first started reading the genre, protagonists were suspiciously young and always seemed to be in pursuit of older men and questionable relationships.
Narratives featuring dubious forms of consent and abusive situations were also popular in 1980s and 1990s, she said – particularly in historical romance novels. And older books tended to be more euphemistic about sex, with references to “quivering” this and “throbbing” that .
When people of color did make their way into early romance pages, they were often fetishized. One of the most popular romance novels of its time, E. M. Hull’s “The Sheik,” published in 1919, is filled with Orientalist stereotypes, and begins with the eponymous sheik kidnapping and raping the main character. Two years after the best-selling book was released, it went on to become a hit at the box-office, too .
"The Sheik," published in 1919. - From The Floating Press
That story has since changed.
“Modern romance is much bigger on feminism and just being open-minded and encouraging of all of the human experience,” Hoang said.
These are, of course, wins. And the recent spotlight on more diverse stories in the industry is a victory, too.
Cat Sebastian has written more than a dozen queer historical romance novels since her debut in 2016. But before then, she told CNN you couldn’t just go to your local bookstore and find LGBTQ romance novels. You had to know where to look and who to follow.
The first time Sebastian ever saw queer romance in a bookstore was when she spotted her own books at Barnes and Noble. But such sightings have become more frequent in recent years with the success of books like “Red, White, and Royal Blue,” a story about the son of a US president and a British prince falling in love. The book became a runaway bestseller in 2019 and is now being made into a movie .
“I think it led people to realize they’ve been sleeping on an entire demographic,” Sebastian said.
The change isn’t limited to LGBTQ romances. Romance novels featuring characters of color were previously only marketed to specific ethnic groups. Now, they’re being released by mainstream publishers and marketed toward the general public, suggesting another shift.
Hailstock, for example, recalled times when the only marketing publishers would do for Black romances was to simply send the books to Black bookstores. Authors had to follow up with information or material about their novels themselves, essentially making the writers their own publicity team.
“Traditional publishing has peeped that the audience for romance novels is not just straight cis White women,” Slaughter said. “(It) is now very slowly, at what sometimes feels like a snail’s pace, attempting to move past the older days when other readers that were not straight, cis White women were just completely disregarded.”
This isn’t to say that LGBTQ romances and romances featuring people of color didn’t exist before. They did – in feminist or Black-owned bookstores, in corners of the internet, in fanfiction.
But now, publishing heavyweights – like HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Penguin Randomhouse – are throwing their hats, and marketing dollars, into the proverbial ring.
Koch, of The Ripped Bodice, noted the LGBTQ section of her store has gone from almost all the novels being self-published to at least half being from mainstream publishers. In the seven years she’s been selling books, she said, that’s quite a bit of progress.
But there’s still a long way to go
Society has been changing, demanding accountability and inclusion from all corners of culture. And the publishing industry is an industry like any other, with concern for its bottom line.
That makes public perception important, Koch said. In 2019, the Romance Writers of America, the industry’s leading board, faced massive upheaval amid accusations of discrimination and exclusion . Its major awards event was canceled by the start of the next year, and dozens of prominent writers spoke out against the association.
The industry had just begun to include a splash of diversity and inclusion in its offerings, but the series of events put pressure on the leaders in romance. A splash wasn’t enough; many writers and readers wanted a full blown tidal wave.
Romance readers are also getting younger, Koch said, and they’re not as interested in the homogeneity of the past.
But public pressure has its limits. Since 2016, The Ripped Bodice has calculated what percentage of romance books published each year from major publishers and imprints were written by authors of color. Though the total percentage climbed from 7.8% in 2016 to 11.9% in 2021 , the increases are largely incremental, Koch said.
Publishers are putting more money behind works by authors of color, Koch explained. Those dollars can go toward marketing and book tours, making it seem like there are more romance books written by non-White authors. Yet the actual number, according to her data calculations, has largely stayed the same.
“They’re publishing the same number they always have,” she said. “You just are seeing them more because they’re spending more money so that you see them.”
The Ripped Bodice is a bookstore which sells only romance novels. - David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images
And some authors, like Hoang, are worried the push for diversity may already be losing its shove.
“If you look at the best seller list, you see consistently the same,” Hoang said. “It’s going to be White authors writing White narratives.”
Efforts to make the industry more inclusive have simply fallen too short, Hailstock said. In 2018, Avon Books – the romance imprint of HarperCollins – announced its Beverly Jenkins Diverse Voices Sponsorship. One lucky winner, anyone who qualified as a “diverse voice,” would receive up to $2,500 toward registration, travel and lodging to the 2019 annual Romance Writers of America conference. Winners would also receive a meeting with an Avon staff member – though publication of a novel was not guaranteed.
“It’s a minimal effort,” Hailstock said. “(Publishers) think, ‘We’re doing something, you guys should be glad.’ And it’s like, one? Why should we be glad over one?”
Avon Books did not respond to a CNN request for comment.
People pick up romance novels wanting to see people fall in love, to be reminded that everybody is deserving of desire. If they can relate to the characters, or see some of themselves in the story, that can make the experience all the more validating.
But most romance readers are White. That means selling stories of underrepresented identities and experiences, while equally important, can be a difficult business proposition.
“My publisher specifically and my editor have encouraged me to write books that represent people like me: Asians and people with disabilities. I feel really lucky in that case,” Hoang said. “But I don’t know if it’s highly lucrative for most authors to be branding themselves that way, which is a little sad.”
Hoang suspects readers may unintentionally disregard a novel featuring characters different from them, either culturally or sexually. Publishers know this. And unfortunately, the books that get attention reflect it as well.
“Look at what’s going viral on TikTok, ” Hoang said. “It’s not African American love stories.”
Back when Hailstock did book signings, most of the people who would come were Black, she said. When there was a White person, they were buying the book for a friend.
Once, Hailstock pushed back, asking if they would have read the book themselves.
The White reader fumbled, Hailstock said, replying with a stuttered “yes.”
“You can tell they never even thought of doing that. It just didn’t occur to them,” she said. “I think readers are still like that. I don’t think there’s a huge crossover.”
So where does romance go from here?
Some authors, like Sebastian, refuse to believe the genre will regress. The state of LGBTQ romance publishing now would’ve been difficult to imagine even just five years ago. Now, she said, you could read a new LGBTQ historical romance every week and not run out of books.
“That’s what I want for other kinds of diversity,” she said. “I want an abundance.”
Still, romance publishing is a business like any other. The desire for new stories is weighed against marketability.
Straight, White cisgender authors are far ahead of other romance writers in terms of market power, Slaughter said. This makes it hard for authors outside that category to catch up, and she’s unsure about where the market pendulum will swing next.
Either way, she said, marginalized creators will do what they’ve always done: Make art anyway.
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- Introduction
- Alliterative verse
- The major manuscripts
- Problems of dating
- Religious verse
- Elegiac and heroic verse
- Early translations into English
- Late 10th- and 11th-century prose
- Influence of French poetry
- Didactic poetry
- Verse romance
- The revival of alliterative poetry
- Courtly poetry
- Chaucer and Gower
- Popular and secular verse
- Political verse
- Religious prose
- Secular prose
- Middle English drama
- The transition from medieval to Renaissance
- Social conditions
- Intellectual and religious revolution
- The race for cultural development
- Development of the English language
- Sidney and Spenser
- Elizabethan lyric
- The sonnet sequence
- Other poetic styles
- Prose styles, 1550–1600
- Theatres in London and the provinces
- Professional playwrights
- The early histories
- The early comedies
- The tragedies
- Shakespeare’s later works
- Other Jacobean dramatists
- The last Renaissance dramatists
- Donne’s influence
- Jonson and the Cavalier poets
- Continued influence of Spenser
- Effect of religion and science on early Stuart prose
- Prose styles
- The defeated republicans
- Writings of the Nonconformists
- Writings of the royalists
- Chroniclers
- The court wits
- Drama by Dryden and others
- Thomson, Prior, and Gay
- Shaftesbury and others
- Other novelists
- Johnson’s poetry and prose
The nature of Romanticism
Blake, wordsworth, and coleridge, other poets of the early romantic period.
- The later Romantics: Shelley, Keats, and Byron
- Other poets of the later period
- The novel: from the Gothic novel to Austen and Scott
- Discursive prose
- Thackeray, Gaskell, and others
- The Brontës
- Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- Arnold and Clough
- Early Victorian nonfiction prose
- The Victorian theatre
- Victorian literary comedy
- The Edwardians
- Anglo-American Modernism: Pound, Lewis, Lawrence, and Eliot
- Celtic Modernism: Yeats, Joyce, Jones, and MacDiarmid
- The literature of World War I and the interwar period
- The literature of World War II (1939–45)
- The 21st century
- Related Content
- 12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
- Poets and Poetry (Part Two) Quiz
- The Life and Works of English Authors
- 10 British Poets: A Quiz
- More Articles On This Topic
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- Contributors
- Article History
The Romantic period
As a term to cover the most distinctive writers who flourished in the last years of the 18th century and the first decades of the 19th, “Romantic” is indispensable but also a little misleading: there was no self-styled “Romantic movement” at the time, and the great writers of the period did not call themselves Romantics . Not until August Wilhelm von Schlegel ’s Vienna lectures of 1808–09 was a clear distinction established between the “organic,” “plastic” qualities of Romantic art and the “mechanical” character of Classicism.
Many of the age’s foremost writers thought that something new was happening in the world’s affairs, nevertheless. William Blake ’s affirmation in 1793 that “a new heaven is begun” was matched a generation later by Percy Bysshe Shelley ’s “The world’s great age begins anew.” “These, these will give the world another heart, / And other pulses,” wrote John Keats , referring to Leigh Hunt and William Wordsworth . Fresh ideals came to the fore; in particular, the ideal of freedom, long cherished in England , was being extended to every range of human endeavour. As that ideal swept through Europe , it became natural to believe that the age of tyrants might soon end.
The most notable feature of the poetry of the time is the new role of individual thought and personal feeling. Where the main trend of 18th-century poetics had been to praise the general, to see the poet as a spokesman of society addressing a cultivated and homogeneous audience and having as his end the conveyance of “truth,” the Romantics found the source of poetry in the particular, unique experience. Blake’s marginal comment on Sir Joshua Reynolds’s Discourses expresses the position with characteristic vehemence: “To Generalize is to be an Idiot. To Particularize is the alone Distinction of Merit.” The poet was seen as an individual distinguished from his fellows by the intensity of his perceptions, taking as his basic subject matter the workings of his own mind. Poetry was regarded as conveying its own truth; sincerity was the criterion by which it was to be judged.
The emphasis on feeling —seen perhaps at its finest in the poems of Robert Burns—was in some ways a continuation of the earlier “cult of sensibility”; and it is worth remembering that Alexander Pope praised his father as having known no language but the language of the heart. But feeling had begun to receive particular emphasis and is found in most of the Romantic definitions of poetry. Wordsworth called poetry “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling,” and in 1833 John Stuart Mill defined poetry as “feeling itself, employing thought only as the medium of its utterance.” It followed that the best poetry was that in which the greatest intensity of feeling was expressed, and hence a new importance was attached to the lyric. Another key quality of Romantic writing was its shift from the mimetic, or imitative, assumptions of the Neoclassical era to a new stress on imagination . Samuel Taylor Coleridge saw the imagination as the supreme poetic quality, a quasi-divine creative force that made the poet a godlike being. Samuel Johnson had seen the components of poetry as “invention, imagination and judgement,” but Blake wrote: “One Power alone makes a Poet: Imagination, the Divine Vision.” The poets of this period accordingly placed great emphasis on the workings of the unconscious mind, on dreams and reveries, on the supernatural, and on the childlike or primitive view of the world, this last being regarded as valuable because its clarity and intensity had not been overlaid by the restrictions of civilized “reason.” Rousseau’s sentimental conception of the “noble savage” was often invoked , and often by those who were ignorant that the phrase is Dryden’s or that the type was adumbrated in the “poor Indian” of Pope’s An Essay on Man . A further sign of the diminished stress placed on judgment is the Romantic attitude to form: if poetry must be spontaneous, sincere, intense, it should be fashioned primarily according to the dictates of the creative imagination. Wordsworth advised a young poet, “You feel strongly; trust to those feelings, and your poem will take its shape and proportions as a tree does from the vital principle that actuates it.” This organic view of poetry is opposed to the classical theory of “genres,” each with its own linguistic decorum; and it led to the feeling that poetic sublimity was unattainable except in short passages.
Hand in hand with the new conception of poetry and the insistence on a new subject matter went a demand for new ways of writing. Wordsworth and his followers, particularly Keats, found the prevailing poetic diction of the late 18th century stale and stilted, or “gaudy and inane,” and totally unsuited to the expression of their perceptions. It could not be, for them, the language of feeling, and Wordsworth accordingly sought to bring the language of poetry back to that of common speech. Wordsworth’s own diction , however, often differs from his theory. Nevertheless, when he published his preface to Lyrical Ballads in 1800, the time was ripe for a change: the flexible diction of earlier 18th-century poetry had hardened into a merely conventional language.
Useful as it is to trace the common elements in Romantic poetry, there was little conformity among the poets themselves. It is misleading to read the poetry of the first Romantics as if it had been written primarily to express their feelings. Their concern was rather to change the intellectual climate of the age. William Blake had been dissatisfied since boyhood with the current state of poetry and what he considered the irreligious drabness of contemporary thought. His early development of a protective shield of mocking humour with which to face a world in which science had become trifling and art inconsequential is visible in the satirical An Island in the Moon (written c. 1784–85); he then took the bolder step of setting aside sophistication in the visionary Songs of Innocence (1789). His desire for renewal encouraged him to view the outbreak of the French Revolution as a momentous event. In works such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–93) and Songs of Experience (1794), he attacked the hypocrisies of the age and the impersonal cruelties resulting from the dominance of analytic reason in contemporary thought. As it became clear that the ideals of the Revolution were not likely to be realized in his time, he renewed his efforts to revise his contemporaries’ view of the universe and to construct a new mythology centred not in the God of the Bible but in Urizen , a repressive figure of reason and law whom he believed to be the deity actually worshipped by his contemporaries. The story of Urizen’s rise was set out in The First Book of Urizen (1794) and then, more ambitiously, in the unfinished manuscript Vala (later redrafted as The Four Zoas ), written from about 1796 to about 1807.
Blake developed these ideas in the visionary narratives of Milton (1804–08) and Jerusalem (1804–20). Here, still using his own mythological characters, he portrayed the imaginative artist as the hero of society and suggested the possibility of redemption from the fallen (or Urizenic) condition.
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge , meanwhile, were also exploring the implications of the French Revolution. Wordsworth, who lived in France in 1791–92 and fathered an illegitimate child there, was distressed when, soon after his return, Britain declared war on the republic, dividing his allegiance . For the rest of his career, he was to brood on those events, trying to develop a view of humanity that would be faithful to his twin sense of the pathos of individual human fates and the unrealized potentialities in humanity as a whole. The first factor emerges in his early manuscript poems “The Ruined Cottage” and “The Pedlar” (both to form part of the later Excursion ); the second was developed from 1797, when he and his sister, Dorothy , with whom he was living in the west of England, were in close contact with Coleridge . Stirred simultaneously by Dorothy’s immediacy of feeling, manifested everywhere in her Journals (written 1798–1803, published 1897), and by Coleridge’s imaginative and speculative genius, he produced the poems collected in Lyrical Ballads (1798). The volume began with Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” continued with poems displaying delight in the powers of nature and the humane instincts of ordinary people, and concluded with the meditative “Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,” Wordsworth’s attempt to set out his mature faith in nature and humanity.
His investigation of the relationship between nature and the human mind continued in the long autobiographical poem addressed to Coleridge and later titled The Prelude (1798–99 in two books; 1804 in five books; 1805 in 13 books; revised continuously and published posthumously, 1850). Here he traced the value for a poet of having been a child “fostered alike by beauty and by fear” by an upbringing in sublime surroundings. The Prelude constitutes the most significant English expression of the Romantic discovery of the self as a topic for art and literature . The poem also makes much of the work of memory, a theme explored as well in the “ Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood .” In poems such as “ Michael” and “ The Brothers,” by contrast, written for the second volume of Lyrical Ballads (1800), Wordsworth dwelt on the pathos and potentialities of ordinary lives.
Coleridge’s poetic development during these years paralleled Wordsworth’s. Having briefly brought together images of nature and the mind in “ The Eolian Harp” (1796), he devoted himself to more-public concerns in poems of political and social prophecy, such as “Religious Musings” and “The Destiny of Nations.” Becoming disillusioned in 1798 with his earlier politics, however, and encouraged by Wordsworth, he turned back to the relationship between nature and the human mind. Poems such as “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison,” “The Nightingale,” and “Frost at Midnight” (now sometimes called the “conversation poems” but collected by Coleridge himself as “Meditative Poems in Blank Verse”) combine sensitive descriptions of nature with subtlety of psychological comment. “ Kubla Khan ” (1797 or 1798, published 1816), a poem that Coleridge said came to him in “a kind of Reverie,” represented a new kind of exotic writing, which he also exploited in the supernaturalism of “The Ancient Mariner” and the unfinished “Christabel.” After his visit to Germany in 1798–99, he renewed attention to the links between the subtler forces in nature and the human psyche; this attention bore fruit in letters, notebooks, literary criticism , theology, and philosophy. Simultaneously, his poetic output became sporadic. “ Dejection: An Ode ” (1802), another meditative poem, which first took shape as a verse letter to Sara Hutchinson, Wordsworth’s sister-in-law, memorably describes the suspension of his “shaping spirit of Imagination.”
The work of both poets was directed back to national affairs during these years by the rise of Napoleon . In 1802 Wordsworth dedicated a number of sonnets to the patriotic cause. The death in 1805 of his brother John, who was a captain in the merchant navy , was a grim reminder that, while he had been living in retirement as a poet, others had been willing to sacrifice themselves. From this time the theme of duty was to be prominent in his poetry. His political essay Concerning the Relations of Great Britain, Spain and Portugal…as Affected by the Convention of Cintra (1809) agreed with Coleridge’s periodical The Friend (1809–10) in deploring the decline of principle among statesmen. When The Excursion appeared in 1814 (the time of Napoleon’s first exile), Wordsworth announced the poem as the central section of a longer projected work, The Recluse , “a philosophical Poem, containing views of Man, Nature, and Society.” The plan was not fulfilled, however, and The Excursion was left to stand in its own right as a poem of moral and religious consolation for those who had been disappointed by the failure of French revolutionary ideals.
Both Wordsworth and Coleridge benefited from the advent in 1811 of the Regency, which brought a renewed interest in the arts. Coleridge’s lectures on Shakespeare became fashionable, his play Remorse was briefly produced, and his volume of poems Christabel; Kubla Khan: A Vision; The Pains of Sleep was published in 1816. Biographia Literaria (1817), an account of his own development, combined philosophy and literary criticism in a new way and made an enduring and important contribution to literary theory. Coleridge settled at Highgate in 1816, and he was sought there as “the most impressive talker of his age” (in the words of the essayist William Hazlitt). His later religious writings made a considerable impact on Victorian readers.
In his own lifetime, Blake’s poetry was scarcely known. Sir Walter Scott , by contrast, was thought of as a major poet for his vigorous and evocative verse narratives The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805) and Marmion (1808). Other verse writers were also highly esteemed. The Elegiac Sonnets (1784) of Charlotte Smith and the Fourteen Sonnets (1789) of William Lisle Bowles were received with enthusiasm by Coleridge. Thomas Campbell is now chiefly remembered for his patriotic lyrics such as “Ye Mariners of England” and “The Battle of Hohenlinden” (1807) and for the critical preface to his Specimens of the British Poets (1819); Samuel Rogers was known for his brilliant table talk (published 1856, after his death, as Recollections of the Table-Talk of Samuel Rogers ), as well as for his exquisite but exiguous poetry. Another admired poet of the day was Thomas Moore , whose Irish Melodies began to appear in 1808. His highly coloured narrative Lalla Rookh : An Oriental Romance (1817) and his satirical poetry were also immensely popular. Charlotte Smith was not the only significant woman poet in this period. Helen Maria Williams’s Poems (1786), Ann Batten Cristall’s Poetical Sketches (1795), Mary Robinson’s Sappho and Phaon (1796), and Mary Tighe’s Psyche (1805) all contain notable work.
Robert Southey was closely associated with Wordsworth and Coleridge and was looked upon as a prominent member, with them, of the “ Lake school ” of poetry. His originality is best seen in his ballads and his nine “English Eclogues,” three of which were first published in the 1799 volume of his Poems with a prologue explaining that these verse sketches of contemporary life bore “no resemblance to any poems in our language.” His “Oriental” narrative poems Thalaba the Destroyer (1801) and The Curse of Kehama (1810) were successful in their own time, but his fame is based on his prose work—the Life of Nelson (1813), the History of the Peninsular War (1823–32), and his classic formulation of the children’s tale “The Three Bears.”
George Crabbe wrote poetry of another kind: his sensibility, his values, much of his diction, and his heroic couplet verse form belong to the 18th century. He differs from the earlier Augustans, however, in his subject matter, concentrating on realistic, unsentimental accounts of the life of the poor and the middle classes. He shows considerable narrative gifts in his collections of verse tales (in which he anticipates many short-story techniques) and great powers of description. His antipastoral The Village appeared in 1783. After a long silence, he returned to poetry with The Parish Register (1807), The Borough (1810), Tales in Verse (1812), and Tales of the Hall (1819), which gained him great popularity in the early 19th century.
Romanticism in Literature: Definition and Examples
Finding beauty in nature and the common man..
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Romanticism was a literary movement that began in the late 18th century, ending around the middle of the 19th century—although its influence continues to this day. Marked by a focus on the individual (and the unique perspective of a person, often guided by irrational, emotional impulses), a respect for nature and the primitive, and a celebration of the common man, Romanticism can be seen as a reaction to the huge changes in society that occurred during this period, including the revolutions that burned through countries like France and the United States, ushering in grand experiments in democracy.
Key Takeaways: Romanticism in Literature
- Romanticism is a literary movement spanning roughly 1790–1850.
- The movement was characterized by a celebration of nature and the common man, a focus on individual experience, an idealization of women, and an embrace of isolation and melancholy.
- Prominent Romantic writers include John Keats, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Shelley.
Romanticism Definition
The term Romanticism does not stem directly from the concept of love, but rather from the French word romaunt (a romantic story told in verse). Romanticism focused on emotions and the inner life of the writer, and often used autobiographical material to inform the work or even provide a template for it, unlike traditional literature at the time.
Romanticism celebrated the primitive and elevated "regular people" as being deserving of celebration, which was an innovation at the time. Romanticism also fixated on nature as a primordial force and encouraged the concept of isolation as necessary for spiritual and artistic development.
Characteristics of Romanticism
Romantic literature is marked by six primary characteristics: celebration of nature, focus on the individual and spirituality, celebration of isolation and melancholy, interest in the common man, idealization of women, and personification and pathetic fallacy.
Celebration of Nature
Romantic writers saw nature as a teacher and a source of infinite beauty. One of the most famous works of Romanticism is John Keats’ To Autumn (1820):
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,– While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
Keats personifies the season and follows its progression from the initial arrival after summer, through the harvest season, and finally to autumn’s end as winter takes its place.
Focus on the Individual and Spirituality
Romantic writers turned inward, valuing the individual experience above all else. This in turn led to heightened sense of spirituality in Romantic work, and the addition of occult and supernatural elements.
The work of Edgar Allan Poe exemplifies this aspect of the movement; for example, The Raven tells the story of a man grieving for his dead love (an idealized woman in the Romantic tradition) when a seemingly sentient Raven arrives and torments him, which can be interpreted literally or seen as a manifestation of his mental instability.
Celebration of Isolation and Melancholy
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a very influential writer in Romanticism; his books of essays explored many of the themes of the literary movement and codified them. His 1841 essay Self-Reliance is a seminal work of Romantic writing in which he exhorts the value of looking inward and determining your own path, and relying on only your own resources.
Related to the insistence on isolation, melancholy is a key feature of many works of Romanticism, usually seen as a reaction to inevitable failure—writers wished to express the pure beauty they perceived and failure to do so adequately resulted in despair like the sort expressed by Percy Bysshe Shelley in A Lament :
O world! O life! O time! On whose last steps I climb. Trembling at that where I had stood before; When will return the glory of your prime? No more—Oh, never more!
Interest in the Common Man
William Wordsworth was one of the first poets to embrace the concept of writing that could be read, enjoyed, and understood by anyone. He eschewed overly stylized language and references to classical works in favor of emotional imagery conveyed in simple, elegant language, as in his most famous poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud :
I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o'er vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Idealization of Women
In works such as Poe’s The Raven , women were always presented as idealized love interests, pure and beautiful, but usually without anything else to offer. Ironically, the most notable novels of the period were written by women (Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Mary Shelley, for example), but had to be initially published under male pseudonyms because of these attitudes. Much Romantic literature is infused with the concept of women being perfect innocent beings to be adored, mourned, and respected—but never touched or relied upon.
Personification and Pathetic Fallacy
Romantic literature’s fixation on nature is characterized by the heavy use of both personification and pathetic fallacy. Mary Shelley used these techniques to great effect in Frankenstein :
Its fair lakes reflect a blue and gentle sky; and, when troubled by the winds, their tumult is but as the play of a lively infant, when compared to the roarings of the giant ocean.
Romanticism continues to influence literature today; Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight novels are clear descendants of the movement, incorporating most of the characteristics of classic Romanticism despite being published a century and half after the end of the movement’s active life.
- The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Romanticism.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 19 Nov. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism.
- Parker, James. “A Book That Examines the Writing Processes of Two Poetry Giants.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 23 July 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/07/how-two-literary-giants-wrote-their-best-poetry/594514/.
- Alhathani, Safa. “EN571: Literature & Technology.” EN571 Literature Technology, 13 May 2018, https://commons.marymount.edu/571sp17/2018/05/13/analysis-of-romanticism-in-frankenstein-through-digital-tools/.
- “William Wordsworth.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-wordsworth.
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- Frankenstein Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices
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The Romantic movement also saw a rise in women authors and readers. Prominent Romantic writers include Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville.
Who are some famous authors during the Romanticism era?
Here are the 10 most famous Romantic poets and their best known works.
- #10 Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
- #9 Percy Bysshe Shelley. Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- #8 Robert Burns. Robert Burns.
- #7 Alexander Pushkin. Alexander Pushkin.
- #6 John Keats. John Keats.
- #5 Victor Hugo.
- #4 Lord Byron.
- #3 William Wordsworth.
Who are the most famous American Romantic poets?
Famous Romantic Poets
Who is an example of an American Romantic writer?
Famous writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne created fiction during the Romantic Period in the United States. Here are 5 novels in American fiction from the Romantic Period.
Who are three of the most popular authors of the Romantic period?
Romanticism Top Authors
- William Wordsworth. We can’t talk about British Romanticism without talking about William Wordsworth, the father of the whole she-bang.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was William Wordsworth’s sidekick.
- Lord Byron.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- William Blake.
- John Keats.
- Mary Shelley.
Was Ralph Waldo Emerson a Romanticism?
Ralph Waldo Emerson He wrote essays and poetry, and he was associated not only with American Romanticism but also with its sister movement, Transcendentalism. Way to get around, Emerson. In his work, you’ll find a huge emphasis on individualism, which is one of the central themes of American Romanticism.
Who is the greatest romantic poet?
The Greatest Romantic Poems
- William Wordsworth: The Major Works. by Stephen Gill (editor)
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Major Works. by H. J. Jackson (Editor)
- Willam Blake: Selected Poetry. by Nicholas Shrimpton & William Blake.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley: The Major Works.
- John Keats: The Major Works.
Who is an American romantic poet?
Edgar Allan Poe is the most famous American romantic poet and one of the most influential figures in English literature. This was his last complete poem and it was published in New York Tribune on 9th October 1849, two days after his death.
Which of the following authors was an American romantic poet?
Walt Whitman is the most important poet of the American Romantic movement.
What is American Romanticism literature?
American Romanticism, like other literary movements, developed on the heels of romantic movements in Europe. Its beginnings can be traced back to the eighteenth century there. In America, it dominated the literary scene from around 1820 to the end of the Civil War and the rise of Realism.
Who is the most famous romantic American writer?
The most famous Romantic writers in America were probably Emerson and Thoreau; among the Dark Romantic writers, Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe are renowned. Well-suited to American democracy and expansion, the Roman spirit affirmed the value of every man, and expressed the inspired imagination of ethical and aesthetic values.
What are some novels from the Romantic period in American literature?
Here are 5 novels in American fiction from the Romantic Period. by Herman Melville. “Moby Dick” is the famous seafaring tale of Captain Ahab and his obsessed search for a white whale. Read the full text of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” along with footnotes, biographical details, engravings, a bibliography, and other critical materials.
What became a trope for the American romantic writers?
A close examination and development of self, therefore, became a trope for the American Romantic writers. According to the theories of Romanticism, since self and nature are… The most famous Romantic writers in America were probably Emerson and Thoreau; among the Dark Romantic writers, Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe are renowned.
Why is the aesthetic of nature important to American romantic writers?
The aesthetic of nature is something that was extremely importance to American Romantic writers, and is reflected in works such as the Leatherstocking Tales, The Last of the Mohicans, and even holds in Moby-Dick, a work that epitomizes what Romanticism is all about.
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The Best Romance Novelists of All Time
The best romance novelists are writers who draw readers in with a beautiful love story and keep them interested with compelling details. Romance novels have come a long way in recent years. No longer are romance fans limited to mere "bodice-rippers": Now best selling romance authors are churning out elaborate tales that incorporate elements of historical fiction and even science fiction. Whether it's contemporary romance, paranormal romance or historical romance novels, I've tried to compile a comprehensive list of the top romance novelists around. That's a tough task, and I'm pretty certain I've missed more than a few. Romance novel fans, if you don't see your personal favorite author on this list, please add them! Also, be sure to vote for your favorite romantic novel writers.
I've included several popular contemporary romance novelists on this list, but I also tried to list some of the classic romance writers as well. Good example? Jane Austen. No list of the best romance novelists would be complete without adding Jane Austen! Another example? Margaret Mitchell, author of the epic romance novel Gone With the Wind . Some of the authors I've included on this list are winners of the RITA Award, given by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Among them: Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, and Diana Gabaldon. Roberts is one of the best-selling romance writers of all-time. Gabaldon's epic Outlander series is without question my favorite historical romance series ever.
Christine Feehan
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Love is for everyone — and modern romance writers are breaking barriers to show it
Leah Asmelash, CNN
February 12, 2023, 6:01 AM
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By any standard, Shirley Hailstock is a romance-writing star.
Not only has she penned more than three dozen novels and novellas, she’s won dozens of awards, written best sellers, and previously presided over the romance industry’s leading professional organization, the Romance Writers of America.
So, naturally, she gets fan mail. And there’s one letter from 1999 that she hasn’t forgotten.
The letter was from a self-proclaimed fan, also a romance author. It was meant to be a compliment.
“I’m writing to let you know how much I enjoyed ‘Whispers of Love.’ It’s my first African American romance,” the writer wrote, as cited by reports published two decades later. “I guess I might sound bigoted, but I never knew that Black folks fall in love like White folks. I thought it was just all sex or jungle fever I think ‘they’ call it. Silly of me. Love is love no matter what color or religion or nationality, as sex is sex. I guess the media has a lot to do with it.”
“It just floored me,” Hailstock told CNN. “I didn’t understand.”
The letter went viral in 2019, making its rounds among the online romance community. Many were shocked , infuriated even. The letter was only 20 years old. Just three years before, Denzel Washington had been named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” Prince had built his career in the decade prior on sexy, love-making music. And popular sitcoms like “Living Single,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “A Different World” had been showing Black people living their best lives, including romantically, for years.
“That is a little indicative of romance readership,” said Jodie Slaughter, a modern romance author. “For a very long time, the bulk of the romance audience, being straight, cis(gender) White women, have found themselves completely uninterested in understanding the fact that other people who are not like them do in fact experience romance.”
More than 20 years later, the romance genre — one of the biggest moneymakers in publishing — is seemingly more diverse than ever. Gay and lesbian romance novels have become best sellers, and covers featuring lovers of all races and shapes grace bookstore displays. Some characters struggle with mental illness (as in Slaughter’s “Bet on It”); others are neurodivergent (as in Helen Hoang’s “The Kiss Quotient.”). And these are not fringe books — these are some of the most popular novels in the genre today.
But, as some say, visibility can be a trap. And for authors of marginalized groups writing characters outside of the majority, questions linger. Is this visibility an authentic push toward a more inclusive industry, or is it simply a feeble response to societal trends?
“It appears that things are getting better, and that’s the whole point,” said Leah Koch, co-owner of The Ripped Bodice, a romance book store in Culver City, California. “It appears .”
The romance novel industry has made baby steps
This is not to say that the romance industry hasn’t changed at all since Hailstock received that fan letter.
Concepts like consent and agency have become a lot more important in recent years, Hoang — who has written multiple romance best sellers — pointed out. When she first started reading the genre, protagonists were suspiciously young and always seemed to be in pursuit of older men and questionable relationships.
Narratives featuring dubious forms of consent and abusive situations were also popular in 1980s and 1990s, she said — particularly in historical romance novels. And older books tended to be more euphemistic about sex, with references to “quivering” this and “throbbing” that .
When people of color did make their way into early romance pages, they were often fetishized. One of the most popular romance novels of its time, E. M. Hull’s “The Sheik,” published in 1919, is filled with Orientalist stereotypes, and begins with the eponymous sheik kidnapping and raping the main character. Two years after the best-selling book was released, it went on to become a hit at the box-office, too .
That story has since changed.
“Modern romance is much bigger on feminism and just being open-minded and encouraging of all of the human experience,” Hoang said.
These are, of course, wins. And the recent spotlight on more diverse stories in the industry is a victory, too.
Cat Sebastian has written more than a dozen queer historical romance novels since her debut in 2016. But before then, she told CNN you couldn’t just go to your local bookstore and find LGBTQ romance novels. You had to know where to look and who to follow.
The first time Sebastian ever saw queer romance in a bookstore was when she spotted her own books at Barnes and Noble. But such sightings have become more frequent in recent years with the success of books like “Red, White, and Royal Blue,” a story about the son of a US president and a British prince falling in love. The book became a runaway bestseller in 2019 and is now being made into a movie .
“I think it led people to realize they’ve been sleeping on an entire demographic,” Sebastian said.
The change isn’t limited to LGBTQ romances. Romance novels featuring characters of color were previously only marketed to specific ethnic groups. Now, they’re being released by mainstream publishers and marketed toward the general public, suggesting another shift.
Hailstock, for example, recalled times when the only marketing publishers would do for Black romances was to simply send the books to Black bookstores. Authors had to follow up with information or material about their novels themselves, essentially making the writers their own publicity team.
“Traditional publishing has peeped that the audience for romance novels is not just straight cis White women,” Slaughter said. “(It) is now very slowly, at what sometimes feels like a snail’s pace, attempting to move past the older days when other readers that were not straight, cis White women were just completely disregarded.”
This isn’t to say that LGBTQ romances and romances featuring people of color didn’t exist before. They did — in feminist or Black-owned bookstores, in corners of the internet, in fanfiction.
But now, publishing heavyweights — like HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Penguin Randomhouse — are throwing their hats, and marketing dollars, into the proverbial ring.
Koch, of The Ripped Bodice, noted the LGBTQ section of her store has gone from almost all the novels being self-published to at least half being from mainstream publishers. In the seven years she’s been selling books, she said, that’s quite a bit of progress.
But there’s still a long way to go
Society has been changing, demanding accountability and inclusion from all corners of culture. And the publishing industry is an industry like any other, with concern for its bottom line.
That makes public perception important, Koch said. In 2019, the Romance Writers of America, the industry’s leading board, faced massive upheaval amid accusations of discrimination and exclusion . Its major awards event was canceled by the start of the next year, and dozens of prominent writers spoke out against the association.
The industry had just begun to include a splash of diversity and inclusion in its offerings, but the series of events put pressure on the leaders in romance. A splash wasn’t enough; many writers and readers wanted a full blown tidal wave.
Romance readers are also getting younger, Koch said, and they’re not as interested in the homogeneity of the past.
But public pressure has its limits. Since 2016, The Ripped Bodice has calculated what percentage of romance books published each year from major publishers and imprints were written by authors of color. Though the total percentage climbed from 7.8% in 2016 to 11.9% in 2021 , the increases are largely incremental, Koch said.
Publishers are putting more money behind works by authors of color, Koch explained. Those dollars can go toward marketing and book tours, making it seem like there are more romance books written by non-White authors. Yet the actual number, according to her data calculations, has largely stayed the same.
“They’re publishing the same number they always have,” she said. “You just are seeing them more because they’re spending more money so that you see them.”
And some authors, like Hoang, are worried the push for diversity may already be losing its shove.
“If you look at the best seller list, you see consistently the same,” Hoang said. “It’s going to be White authors writing White narratives.”
Efforts to make the industry more inclusive have simply fallen too short, Hailstock said. In 2018, Avon Books — the romance imprint of HarperCollins — announced its Beverly Jenkins Diverse Voices Sponsorship. One lucky winner, anyone who qualified as a “diverse voice,” would receive up to $2,500 toward registration, travel and lodging to the 2019 annual Romance Writers of America conference. Winners would also receive a meeting with an Avon staff member — though publication of a novel was not guaranteed.
“It’s a minimal effort,” Hailstock said. “(Publishers) think, ‘We’re doing something, you guys should be glad.’ And it’s like, one? Why should we be glad over one?”
Avon Books did not respond to a CNN request for comment.
People pick up romance novels wanting to see people fall in love, to be reminded that everybody is deserving of desire. If they can relate to the characters, or see some of themselves in the story, that can make the experience all the more validating.
But most romance readers are White. That means selling stories of underrepresented identities and experiences, while equally important, can be a difficult business proposition.
“My publisher specifically and my editor have encouraged me to write books that represent people like me: Asians and people with disabilities. I feel really lucky in that case,” Hoang said. “But I don’t know if it’s highly lucrative for most authors to be branding themselves that way, which is a little sad.”
Hoang suspects readers may unintentionally disregard a novel featuring characters different from them, either culturally or sexually. Publishers know this. And unfortunately, the books that get attention reflect it as well.
“Look at what’s going viral on TikTok, ” Hoang said. “It’s not African American love stories.”
Back when Hailstock did book signings, most of the people who would come were Black, she said. When there was a White person, they were buying the book for a friend.
Once, Hailstock pushed back, asking if they would have read the book themselves.
The White reader fumbled, Hailstock said, replying with a stuttered “yes.”
“You can tell they never even thought of doing that. It just didn’t occur to them,” she said. “I think readers are still like that. I don’t think there’s a huge crossover.”
So where does romance go from here?
Some authors, like Sebastian, refuse to believe the genre will regress. The state of LGBTQ romance publishing now would’ve been difficult to imagine even just five years ago. Now, she said, you could read a new LGBTQ historical romance every week and not run out of books.
“That’s what I want for other kinds of diversity,” she said. “I want an abundance.”
Still, romance publishing is a business like any other. The desire for new stories is weighed against marketability.
Straight, White cisgender authors are far ahead of other romance writers in terms of market power, Slaughter said. This makes it hard for authors outside that category to catch up, and she’s unsure about where the market pendulum will swing next.
Either way, she said, marginalized creators will do what they’ve always done: Make art anyway.
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The 24 Best Romance Novels to Add to Your TBR List
Whether you're into classics like Giovanni's Room or contemporary titles like Normal People, there's a book in here for you.
Although we're past Valentine's Day , it's always time for love. In an effort to romanticize your life, you may be looking for a romance novel to add to your repertoire. Classics like Giovanni's Room and Pride and Prejudice are always safe bets, but if you're more into contemporary fiction like Normal People , we've got you covered there, too. Here are the 24 best romance novels to sink into.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan
Fiction lovers, you can’t go wrong with Terry McMillan. In her classic novel, a successful (read: overworked and stressed) single mom named Stella decides to take a trip to Jamaica for some R&R. While sunbathing in the tropics, she, of course, meets a man and falls in love. When you’ve finished the book, make sure to watch the film starring Angela Bassett.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
You know it's a good book if it makes Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. When former teenage lovers Eva and Shane reconnect at a literary event, their chemistry is still as strong as ever. The erotica writer and novelist, respectively, then spend the next seven days reconnecting and reminiscing amidst a hot Brooklyn summer.
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Loosely based on Nora Ephron's own life, Heartburn tells the story of a pregnant cookbook writer named Rachel who finds out that her husband Mark is in love with someone else. In true Ephron fashion, the story is still undeniably cozy and includes several recipes throughout the book (like cheesecake, pot roast, and bread pudding).
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
A young, pregnant woman named Tish sets out to prove that her fiancé is innocent of a crime that he didn't commit. The 2018 film, directed by Moonlight 's Barry Jenkins, is just as great.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
After a woman named Feyi loses the love of her life in an accident, she’s ready to start dating again. What follows is a heartfelt and drama-filled romance about hookups, tropical vacations, and the joy of starting all over.
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
In South East London, two young British artists—a photographer and a dancer—meet at a local pub and slowly fall in love. If you're a fan of poetry, you'll really enjoy the lyrical and tender prose.
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
In this coming-of-age romance novel by André Aciman, Elio falls in love with Oliver during one hot and picturesque Italian summer. Once you've finished this book, check out its 2020 sequel, Find Me .
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
Another Reese's Book Club pick! If you're familiar with Bolu Babalola's hilarious and relatable tweets, then you'll love her first romance novel about two students whose ”fake” relationship turns out to be realer than they both originally thought.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
You can't have a list of romance novels without mentioning Sally Rooney. In Normal People , Connell and Marianne shift from friends to lovers and then back again over the course of several years. Once you're done with the book, check out the Hulu show starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
If Beale Street Could Talk wasn't Baldwin's only foray into the romance drama. In this utter tearjerker, an American man travels to Paris and falls for an Italian bartender named Giovanni.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” So begins Jane Austen's magnum opus Pride and Prejudice . Set in England during the 19th century, the story follows a young woman named Elizabeth and her potential suitor Mr. Darcy.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
The journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton revisits the first time she fell in love, got her heartbroken, and then mended it back together. Personal anecdotes are coupled with cultural observations as she makes sense of love, romance, and partnership.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
If you weren't obsessed with this book as a teenager, now's your chance to right that wrong. The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of Hazel and Augustus who meet at a support group for kids with cancer. What follows is a heartbreaking tale of young, innocent love.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In this truly innovative novel, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is about a café in Tokyo that allows people to travel back in time to rectify past loves. The catch? They must return before their coffee gets cold.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
You've seen the movie, so why not give the book a shot? After falling in love as teenagers, Noah and Allie reconcile almost a decade later and attempt to pick up where they left off.
The Perfect Find by Tia Williams
Soon to be adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union , The Perfect Find follows a fashion editor who falls for a much younger videographer. We love a good forbidden love story.
Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis
Hear me out. Yes, this is a book about cannibalism, but there's also a really beautiful love story at the center. A young woman named Maren (played by Taylor Russell in the film adaptation) finds love and community as she embarks on a journey of self discovery.
Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin
Erotica and romance go hand in hand. Here, Anaïs Nin explores desire and intimacy through a slew of assorted characters. Among the many stories, a Parisian woman leaves her husband and becomes reacquainted with her sexuality and in another, a woman in disguise seduces strangers at her whim. Everything I Know about Love: A Memoir</i> by Dolly Alderton" data-affiliate="true" data-affiliate-url="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525074&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fbooks%2Feverything-i-know-about-love-a-memoir%2F9780062968791" data-affiliate-network="{}" data-vars-ga-call-to-action="$17 at Bookshop" data-vars-ga-media-role="1" data-vars-ga-media-type="Slide" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://bookshop.org/books/everything-i-know-about-love-a-memoir/9780062968791" data-vars-ga-product-id="0e0afeb6-39ac-4394-acfb-6421727e03f6" data-vars-ga-product-price="$16.73" data-vars-ga-product-retailer-id="a6adab06-66da-48d2-8f3f-31d9eda8f9c2" data-vars-ga-product-sem3-category="Composers & Musicians" data-vars-ga-link-treatment="(not set) | (not set)" data-vars-ga-sku="bookshop_9780062968791" data-vars-ga-magento-tracking="1" data-skimlinks-tracking="[utm_source|[utm_campaign|[utm_medium|[gclid|[msclkid|[fbclid|[refdomain|[content_id|3adad691-b381-40fe-9846-becc2c799e3c[content_product_id|0e0afeb6-39ac-4394-acfb-6421727e03f6[product_retailer_id|a6adab06-66da-48d2-8f3f-31d9eda8f9c2[lt|" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlink" class="body-link css-1mt1pvh et3p2gv0">
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10 Key Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature
- DESCRIPTION characteristics of romanticism represented by woman's dress
- SOURCE Tony Marturano / iStock / Getty Images
Understanding the characteristics of Romanticism in literature can help you become a better reader, and it can give you a leg up on literary essays and discussions. This period in literary history is fascinating and dramatic, and once you know the telltale signs, you’ll be able to identify work that typifies it.
What Is Romanticism in Literature?
Popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Romanticism was a literary movement that emphasized nature and the importance of emotion and artistic freedom. In many ways, writers of this era were rebelling against the attempt to explain the world and human nature through science and the lens of the Industrial Revolution. In Romanticism, emotion is much more powerful than rational thought.
What Are the Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature?
Although literary Romanticism occurred from about 1790 through 1850, not all writers of this period worked in this style. There are certain characteristics that make a piece of literature part of the Romantic movement. You won’t find every characteristic present in every piece of Romantic literature; however, you will usually find that writing from this period has several of the key characteristics.
1. Glorification of Nature
Nature, in all its unbound glory, plays a huge role in Romantic literature. Nature, sometimes seen as the opposite of the rational, is a powerful symbol in work from this era. Romantic poets and writers give personal, deep descriptions of nature and its wild and powerful qualities.
Natural elements also work as symbols for the unfettered emotions of the poet or writer, as in the final stanza of “ To Autumn ” by John Keats . Keats was aware that he was dying of consumption throughout much of his short life and career, and his celebration of autumn symbolizes the beauty in the ephemeral.
Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft; And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
2. Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions
A focus on emotion is a key characteristic of nearly all writing from the Romantic period. When you read work of this period, you’ll see feelings described in all forms, including romantic and filial love, fear, sorrow, loneliness, and more. This focus on emotion offered a counterpoint to the rational, and it also made Romantic poetry and prose extremely readable and relatable.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein offers a perfect example of this characteristic of Romanticism. Here, Frankenstein’s monster shows great self-awareness of his feelings and offers a vivid emotional description full of anger and sadness.
I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death. When I thought of my friends, of the mild voice of De Lacey, the gentle eyes of Agatha, and the exquisite beauty of the Arabian, these thoughts vanished and a gush of tears somewhat soothed me. But again when I reflected that they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger, and unable to injure anything human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects. As night advanced I placed a variety of combustibles around the cottage, and after having destroyed every vestige of cultivation in the garden, I waited with forced impatience until the moon had sunk to commence my operations.
3. Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination
In contrast to the previous generations’ focus on reason, writers of the Romantic movement explored the importance of imagination and the creative impulse. Romantic poets and prose writers celebrated the power of imagination and the creative process, as well as the artistic viewpoint. They believed that artists and writers looked at the world differently, and they celebrated that vision in their work.
You can see this in William Wordsworth ’s poem, “ The Prelude ."
Imagination—here the Power so called Through sad incompetence of human speech, That awful Power rose from the mind’s abyss Like an unfathered vapour that enwraps, At once, some lonely traveller. I was lost; Halted without an effort to break through; But to my conscious soul I now can say— “I recognise thy glory:” in such strength Of usurpation, when the light of sense Goes out, but with a flash that has revealed The invisible world….
4. Emphasis on Aesthetic Beauty
Romantic literature also explores the theme of aesthetic beauty, not just of nature but of people as well. This was especially true with descriptions of female beauty. Writers praised women of the Romantic era for their natural loveliness, rather than anything artificial or constrained.
A classic example of this characteristic is George Gordon, or Lord Byron ’s, poem “ She Walks in Beauty ."
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
5. Themes of Solitude
Writers of the Romantic era believed that creative inspiration came from solitary exploration. They celebrated the feeling of being alone, whether that meant loneliness or a much-needed quiet space to think and create.
You’ll see solitary themes in many literary works from this period, including in this excerpt from Samuel Taylor Coleridge ’s poem “ Frost at Midnight ."
The Frost performs its secret ministry, Unhelped by any wind. The owlet’s cry Came loud—and hark, again! loud as before. The inmates of my cottage, all at rest, Have left me to that solitude, which suits Abstruser musings: save that at my side My cradled infant slumbers peacefully …
6. Focus on Exoticism and History
Romantic-era literature often has a distinct focus on exotic locations and events or items from history. Poems and prose touch on antiques and the gifts of ancient cultures around the world, and far-away locations provide the setting for some literary works of this era.
One great example is Percy Byssche Shelley ’s poem “ Ozymandias ."
I met a traveler from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
7. Spiritual and Supernatural Elements
The writers of the Romantic era did not turn away from the darker side of emotion and the mysteries of the supernatural. They explored the contrast between life and death. Many pieces have Gothic motifs , such as manor houses in disrepair, dark and stormy nights, and more.
Some of the supernatural elements serve as symbols for emotions of guilt, depression, and other darker feelings, as you can see in this excerpt from The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe .
I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and equivocal hints, another singular feature of his mental condition. He was enchained by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted, and whence, for many years, he had never ventured forth --in regard to an influence whose supposititious force was conveyed in terms too shadowy here to be re-stated --an influence which some peculiarities in the mere form and substance of his family mansion, had, by dint of long sufferance, he said, obtained over his spirit-an effect which the physique of the gray walls and turrets, and of the dim tarn into which they all looked down, had, at length, brought about upon the morale of his existence.
8. Vivid Sensory Descriptions
Another essential characteristic of nearly all Romantic-era literature is vivid sensory descriptions. The poems and prose of this period include examples of simile and metaphor, as well as visual imagery and other sensory details. Poets and other writers went beyond simply telling about things and instead gave the information readers need to feel and taste and touch the objects and surroundings in Romantic-era writing.
Wordsworth uses vivid descriptions, including similes and metaphors, in his famous poem, “ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud ."
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze …
9. Use of Personification
Romantic poets and prose writers also used personification in their work. You can see examples of personification of everything from birds and animals to natural events or aspects. These works even personify feelings like love or states like death.
You can see Romantic personification in the work of the famous naturalist and writer, Karl von Martius. Here is an excerpt about the trees of the Amazon from his book Flora Brasiliensis .
I am impelled by some inner urge to tell you, gentle reader, these thoughts of my mind, since I am presenting to your eyes a picture of those most ancient trees which I once saw beside the Amazon River. Even today, after many years have gone by, I feel myself struck by the appearance of those giants of great age, in the same way as by the face of some giant human being. Even today those trees speak to me and fill my spirit with a certain pious fear, even today they excite in my breast that silent wonder with which my spirit was held at that time. This wonder is like a broad and deep river; the thoughts of the human mind are its waves; not all feelings of the heart are to be expressed with words....
10. Focus on the Self and Autobiography
Many works of Romantic-era literature are deeply personal, and they often explore the self of the writer. You’ll see autobiographical influences in poems and prose of the period. One characteristic of this movement was the importance placed on feelings and creativity, and the source of much of this emotional and artistic work was the background and real-life surroundings of the writer. This self-focus preceded confessional poetry of the mid-1900s, but you can see its profound influence on that movement.
One key example of Romantic autobiography is Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions . In this work, he endeavored to create an unvarnished look at his own upbringing and life.
I have begun on a work which is without precedent, whose accomplishment will have no imitator. I propose to set before my fellow-mortals a man in all the truth of nature; and this man shall be myself. I have studied mankind and know my heart; I am not made like any one I have been acquainted with, perhaps like no one in existence; if not better, I at least claim originality, and whether Nature has acted rightly or wrongly in destroying the mold in which she cast me, can only be decided after I have been read.
Key Poetic Forms of Romanticism
If you are studying poetry of the Romantic era, it’s helpful to know the forms that were popular during this time. These included odes, sonnets and lyrics. Take a look at examples of odes by Romantic poets like Keats, as well as sonnet examples by the likes of Percy Shelley. Understanding these poetic forms and their relationship to Romanticism will give you a deeper appreciation of this work.
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- What are the two generations of Romantic poets?
There are two generally known generations of Romantic writers : those of Wordsworth and Coleridge, and those of Byron, Shelley, and Keats. Although there were many others who wrote in a similar style , these five individuals are considered the main representatives of the movement.
Romanticism was an intellectual and political movement that began in Europe around 1750 and had its peak of influence in the years following 1800. It can be divided into two distinct periods: a first phase from 1760 to 1820, and a second one from 1815 to 1840.
During this time, new ideas about society, government, and culture began to emerge. They were based on feelings rather than reason, and they created a huge controversy among philosophers, politicians, artists, and musicians.
Romantics believed that it was necessary to feel happy and sad, joyous and gloomy, in order to write good poetry. Therefore, they did not use history or current events as subjects for their poems , but instead they chose objects that would touch their hearts . In addition, they wanted their readers to feel the same emotions that they did when reading their work. For example, if a Romantic writer was feeling joyful then his/her reader should also feel joy through the words on the page.
Table of Contents
Who are considered to be the second generation of british romantic authors, who are the younger romantics named at least two, who were the british romantic writers, what is a romantic writer, are the features of a romantic poet found in wordsworth and coleridge.
Canonically, Romantic poetry in English is split into two eras, each marked by a generation of poets. The first generation of Romantic poets includes Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey, while the second generation includes Byron, Shelley, and Keats. However, many critics include other writers in this category such as Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein posthumously published.
Romanticism was a movement in European art and literature that began in the late 18th century and ended around 1850. It can be defined as an attitude toward life and nature that values emotion over reason and individual conscience over social norms. Romantics were opposed to classical culture and looked instead to ancient Greece and Rome for models of behavior. They believed that only through feeling what is real they could come to know it.
Byron was the first true Romantic poet in England. He introduced themes such as tyranny, ambition, and passion into his work which were not found in earlier poets like Milton or Gray. These new subjects attracted attention from readers who had never been interested in poetry before.
Shelley and Keats refined the techniques of the early Romantics and added their own ideas . They too were influenced by Byron but also developed their own voices that are recognizable today even though they were born several years after him.
- The Younger Romantics: Shelley, Keats, and Byron.
- Description: The course will examine the works and lives of three major English Romantic poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, and George Gordon, Lord Byron, with attention to their political, social, and intellectual contexts.
Authors of Romance
- William Wordsworth.
- William Blake.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- John Keats.
- Lord Byron.
- Jane Austen.
- Mary Shelley.
In English literature , the key figures of the Romantic movement are considered to be the group of poets, including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley , and the much older William Blake, followed later by the isolated figure of John Clare; also such novelists as Walter Byron, Mary Shelley (who with her husband Frankenstein created one of the first modern horror stories), and Ann Radcliffe; and artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney, and Joshua Reynolds.
The defining characteristic of a romantic poet or writer is their use of emotion over reason to inform their work. This can be seen in many aspects of their writing, but most notably in their use of language: poetry written during this time period tends to be sentimental, expansive, and elaborate.
Why is literary criticism important today? Because we need informed critics willing to discuss what books mean, why they are significant, and how they have influenced other writers since they were published. Literary criticism allows us to explore how different authors approach similar themes within their works, and it helps us understand the relationships between those authors themselves.
Who was the first romantic writer? That would be William Shakespeare. His work is known for its complexity , passion, and emotional power, and he has been called the father of modern drama.
Their poetry has practically all of the hallmarks of Romanticism. Wordsworth transforms natural items into supernatural beings , whereas Coleridge transforms supernatural beings into natural beings. Both Byron and Shelley were outstanding revolutionaries. They challenged traditional views on gender, class, religion, and government. Their work helped pave the way for the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution .
Romantic poets often used their own experiences as inspiration for their poems. This is especially true of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge . They felt disconnected from society as children and wanted to give voice to this feeling in their poems. This resulted in many lyrical poems about nature or politics.
Another feature of Romantic poetry is its emphasis on personal emotion. The actual writing process was quite difficult for these two men. They would sit for hours trying to find the right words or cry over mistakes they made while writing. However, once they reached a point where they were satisfied with what they had written, relief came quickly.
Finally, Romantic poetry tends to be philosophical or religious in tone. Many of the poems by these two men deal with issues such as mortality, sin, guilt, redemption, faith, and love. Although they did not write explicitly political poems, many critics believe that they were advocating for social change through their work.
About Article Author
Maye Carr is a writer who loves to write about all things literary. She has a master’s degree in English from Columbia University, and she's been writing ever since she could hold a pen. Her favorite topics to write about are women writers, feminism, and the power of words.
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Thoughts x march 6, 2023, most readers would be hard-pressed to find a book without some kind of love story, but why are they so common in literature, by reatha-mae newman, suny college at brockport.
Romance is prevalent in most novels. While the central plot of the story may stray from the romance at hand, I’ve lost count of the number of novels I’ve read whose plots center romance . In fact, it’s easier to recall the number of novels I’ve read that don’t feature romance because there are that few.
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Think of your favorite novel: is there any romance present? Any mention of a past romance? Anything of the sort that serves to further the plot? Now ask yourself: Would that novel still be your favorite or still have the same impact if the romance was removed entirely? If your answer is yes, great. However, if your answer was no, it’s worth considering why.
Why do people like romance so much?
We live in a love-starved culture , and making a lasting and meaningful connection with another human being is as desired as it is rare. Human beings, at their core, are social creatures who crave to connect and bond with others. We hope to find companions who we can be open and honest with, who will accept us in our joy and freedom, our darkness and depravity.
Romantic literature is escapist, we consume it in the hopes that someday it will mirror our reality. That one day, we will find our other half — our perfect match. As we watch the protagonist find someone who loves them through their good, bad and ugly we can’t help but hope that someday we’ll find the same thing.
Truth be told, most people want to find a romantic partner. Beyond the societal expectation of having a family and settling down by a certain age, the desire to love and be loved is nearly universal. It’s something we all come to want for ourselves, whether in the present or in the distant future. Until then, readers find comfort in the lines within these novels. They live vicariously through these characters in the hopes that they too can fall in love someday.
From a writer’s perspective, much of the internal plot requires the characters to overcome heavy emotions, and it’s often much easier to craft high-stakes scenarios when characters have formed interpersonal connections that force them to be vulnerable. Embedding romance within the plot of a novel is a surefire way to ensure that the characters establish these connections.
In addition, romance can offer some of the most realistic plot devices in storytelling. Love makes people do very dumb things. We know this to be true in real life, and it’s equally true in fiction. Nothing sets up a character to make extremely questionable decisions quite like love. It’s a human quality that is easily understood in even the most outlandish circumstances.
On the other hand, there are non-romantic relationships that showcase love and drive the plot in similar ways. They may not be as effective or relatable in some instances, but they’re equally believable. For some people, romance can feel too all-encompassing. It can take over a story in many ways, or it can feel forced or unearned in a story that would do just fine without it.
My two favorite series include romance, but with varying degrees of importance. In one series, the removal of romance would not greatly affect the story, whilst in the other the series would be unrecognizable. Ultimately, it depends on the novel and the reader. For me, romance is a necessity. While I can appreciate a novel without it, I tend to feel as though something is missing— that final layer of happiness for a character who has endured so much.
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Sales of romance novels are rising in Britain
Tiktokkers are falling in love with the genre.
P assion is being partitioned. Online, and particularly on TikTok, romantic fiction is being carved into categories by its fans. Where once people merely read a category called “books” now they read categories called #friendstolovers; #enemiestolovers and #academicrivalstolovers. There is #spicytok and there is #smuttok; there is #forbiddenlove and there is the slightly creepy #forcedproximity. Feminism is not this movement’s strong suit. There is a category called #billionaireromance; there is no category named #earningsparity.
Progressive or not, the hashtags are shifting books. Thanks in part to TikTok memes, sales of romance and saga fiction in Britain have risen by 110% in three years, to £53m ($64m) a year, their highest figure in a decade, according to figures from Nielsen BookData. Publishers have started to take notice. For decades the industry had regarded romantic fiction with Darcy-like disdain but now its pulse is quickening. Bookshops no longer stash books with pink covers at the back of shops but put them on tables near the tills; publishers are learning to brave the word “heartwarming” without embarrassment.
It is thought the rise in romance is due, in part, to the pandemic. “We’re looking for escapist fiction [and] joy,” says Molly Crawford, commissioning editor at Simon & Schuster UK . But it is also perhaps because the genre lends itself so readily to filters and personalisation. Antique poets might have claimed love was as limitless as the stars but romantic fiction, however good, has always been prone to tropes. A large number of old novels already fit these new paradigms perfectly: online, “Pride and Prejudice” is now categorised as #enemiestolovers. As P.D. James, a novelist, once observed, Jane Austen novels are merely “Mills & Boon written by a genius”.
Mills & Boon itself is marketed by a genius. Long before most Tiktokkers were born, the romantic publisher had cornered the market in categories. Its website offers the drop-dead gorgeous in drop-down menus, with entries for such things as “Historical”, “Medical” and “Desire”.
The Mills & Boon search bar is similarly telling. Type in “Greek” and you will be offered 556 titles; including “Bedded By The Greek Billionaire”; “Wedding The Greek Billionaire” and “Pregnancy Shock For The Greek Billionaire”. (It does not, but perhaps should, offer “Biology Lessons for the Greek Billionaire”.) “Italian”, meanwhile, brings up 338; “Sheikh” 282; and “Welsh” four. “Brooding” brings up 66 results, while “Cheerful” returns zero. “Billionaire” offers you 754, “Doctor” 380 (including the possibly strike-offable “Doctor in her Stocking”) and “Surgeon” 206. But “Middle Manager” returns the pitiless phrase: “Sorry, no products matched the keyword.”
Middle managers aside, tastes vary when it comes to romantic fiction. Elisabeth Kendall is mistress (the title feels unusually apposite) of Girton College, Cambridge and a world expert in jihadi chick lit. In “I Fell In Love With a Jihadi Fighter”, two distant cousins are thrown together in the same house in the Syrian civil war (#forcedproximity). Smouldering glances are followed, somewhat unexpectedly, by the hero’s death. Happily all is not lost because, as Dr Kendall explains, “the woman decides she wants to join him” and so the rest of the novel is about “her metamorphosis into a suicide bomber”. The smouldering resumes.
The novels that currently straddle the romance-bestseller charts in Britain strike a different tone. Most are modern and American; all have taut-jawed heroes and a fondness for exposition. In one, a #billionaire checks his “Patek Philippe watch. Limited edition, hermetically sealed and waterproof, the stainless-steel timepiece had set [him] back a cool twenty grand.” It’s almost like reading Austen. In another, a surgeon hero has a habit of uttering such improbable sentences as: “I get to perform a very rare…craniopagus separation on Monday” and “I think I like you too much” and “Your mother is wonderful, by the way.” (Naturally he turns out to be a monster.)
Not every title is modern, however. The covers of historical bestsellers feature winsome women in shawls; their plotlines feature pirates, illegitimate children and a liberal supply of scoundrels. As the blurb for one explains: “Marcus is excited by Emmy’s virginity and has her kidnapped, but Emmy hits him over the head and escapes.” It was all go in the past.
Romance might be a genre with considerable continuity but as Sharon Kendrick, a bestselling Mills & Boon author, points out, the past few years have not left the genre unmarked. The Black Lives Matter movement has diminished the appeal of the Regency rake because, as with National Trust houses, now everyone wonders “how this great wealth was acquired”. Similarly, although women still like masterful heroes, #MeToo means “Sheikhs aren’t quite as popular…as they have been” (bit too masterful). And naturally billionaires now far outnumber millionaires because, says Ms Kendrick, of “the cost of living…I mean, look at the price of a stamp.” ■
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Web Louis de Bernières John Betjeman Maeve Binchy Carol Birch Quentin Blake William Blake Enid Blyton Roberto Bolaño Katherine Boo Jorge Luis Borges William Boyd Ray …
Best Romance Authors Ever (314 books) - Goodreads
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)
- Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas, #6) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Goodreads Author)
- Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas (Goodreads Author)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
- Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #14) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Goodreads Author)
- The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2) by Julia Quinn (Goodreads Author)
- The Secret (Highlands' Lairds, #1) by Julie Garwood (Goodreads Author)
- The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer.
- Vision in White (Bride Quartet, #1) by Nora Roberts (Goodreads Author)
Connie Brockway [13] Anne Brontë Charlotte Brontë Emily Brontë Helen Brooks [6] Sandra Brown [15] Diana Browning Dixie Browning Niobia Bryant Elizabeth Buchan M. L. Buchman Nancy Buckingham Mary Burchell Rose Burghley Eleanor Burford Pamela Burford Nicole Burnham Beatrice Burton Rebecca Burton Shirlee … See more
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Best Romance Authors | List Best-Selling Romance Writers …
Web Nov 12, 2019 · Some of the authors I've included on this list are winners of the RITA Award, given by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Among them: Nora Roberts, …
Alphabetical List Of Romance Authors - Great Choice For …
Web Alphabetical List Of Romance Authors - Great Choice For Bookworms! Find Your Book, Find Your Future Great Choices For Every Bookworm Recommendation of a few books …
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Category : Authors by alphabetical order - Wikisource
Web Jan 27, 2023 · This category has the following 27 subcategories, out of 27 total. Authors without initials (4 P) A Authors-A (26 C, 1 P) Authors-B (10 C, 3 P) Authors-C (11 C, …
Authors - Book Series in Order
Web A. American A. Bertram Chandler A. Meredith Walters A. Zavarelli A.A. Albright A.A. Attanasio A.A. Dhand A.A. Milne A.B. Guthrie, Jr. A.B. Yehoshua A.C. Arthur A.C. …
35 Essential Christian Romance Authors | Family Fiction
Web Feb 12, 2018 · 32% Historical 23% “I Like Them All” 20% Amish 13% Romantic Suspense 12% Contemporary We also asked our readers to name their five favorite Christian romance authors—and these are who they told us. The results are taken from the combined number of votes for each author.
Authors Are Alphabetically Listed - BookCompanion
Web The Guest List : Ken Follett: A Column of Fire : Marie Force: Fatal Chaos : Ford Madox Ford: The Good Soldier : Jamie Ford: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet : Jamie …
Top Authors - Fantastic Fiction
Web Sagas. New Adult Romance. Young Adult Romance. General Fiction. Literary Fiction. Urban Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. Children's Fiction. About Fantastic Fiction Information …
Authors From A-Z - List Challenges
Web 1 Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) 2 Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove) 3 Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices) 4 Roald Dahl (Carlie and the Chocolate …
List of authors by name: A - Wikipedia
Web Dannie Abse (1923–2014, Wales, p) François-Joseph Amon d'Aby (1913–2007, Ivory Coast, d/nf) Mohammed Achaari (born 1951, Morocco, f/p) Nana Achampong (born 1964, Ghana, f/p) Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814–1868, Nepal, p) Chinua Achebe (1930–2013, Nigeria n/p/nf) Catherine Obianuju Acholonu (1951–2014, Nigeria, p/d/nf)
List of best-selling fiction authors - Wikipedia
Web Authors such as Jane Austen, Miguel de Cervantes, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Rick Riordan, Ernest Hemingway, Jack …
Authors Index - American Literature
Web Authors Index. A list of all of the authors featured at American Literature, organized alphabetically by last name (by row, left to right) so that you can find your favorite …
Authors - Paranormal Romance Guild
Web They are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Default Date Title Random Ascending Descending Aurora Jean Alexander A.J. Alexander is a talented classical musician who has won several music contests in her youth. She is an accomplished skier and loves to swim, amongst other sports.
List of American writers | Britannica
Web This list of American writers is alphabetically ordered by period. The term writers is broadly defined to include philosophers, scientists, cookbook writers, critics, journalists, …
Female Authors Book Lists - Goodreads
Web 1,171 books — 344 voters Best Alice Hoffman Novel 39 books — 338 voters women writers 587 books — 277 voters Best of Margaret Atwood 101 books — 250 voters The Golden Age Queens of Crime: Christie -- Sayers -- Marsh -- Allingham -- Wentworth (fiction) 175 books — 245 voters The Best of Lisa Kleypas #2 41 books — 208 voters
12 Romance Authors to Add to Your TBR List in 2020
Web Jan 8, 2020 · Christina C. Jones. Whatever you need, Christina C. Jones has it. She writes novels that thoroughly cut to the bone of her characters. Whether it’s paranormal, …
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Some of the authors I've included on this list are winners of the RITA Award, given by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Among them: Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, and Diana Gabaldon. Roberts is one of the best-selling romance writers of all-time. Gabaldon's epic Outlander series is without question my favorite historical romance series ever.
Research shows that readers of romance include both men and women, with male readers making up about 9% of the audience (although the men tend to be less vocal about their interests). If you want to be a fiction writer, one important piece of advice is to read extensively in your chosen genre.
To keep the list manageable, only authors with estimated sales of at least 100 million are included. Authors of comic books are not included unless they have been published in book format (for example, comic albums, manga tankōbon volumes, trade paperbacks, or graphic novels ).
The best romance authors found success by crafting unforgettable stories, but it also took lots of practice. If you have dreams of becoming a successful author, start by developing a regular writing routine, reading some of the best authors, and asking for feedback. Who knows? You just might become the next Danielle Steel!
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Romantic Literature: A Guide for Students
If you want to explore the romantic genre in literature, there are several major points to keep in mind. What is romantic literature, and what should you know?
Literature changed significantly during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Romantic Movement emerged from the end of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, leading to a new writing style. Authors such as Victor Hugo, Walter Scott, Mary Shelley, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Goethe, and William Wordsworth defined the Romantic period, with numerous English, French, and American writers leaving their marks on the written word as a whole. Now, this era in literature is called romanticism.
Learn more about romantic literature below, and consider expanding your literary horizons.
Romanticism: An Overview
The definition of romanticism, the driving characteristics of romantic literature, 1. personification, 2. the idealization of women, 3. a growing interest in the common man, 4. the glorification of isolationism, 5. the growth of spirituality, 6. a celebration of nature, 7. a celebration of artistic creativity and imagination, 8. a focus on the self and autobiography, how has romantic literature influenced writing today, 1. a questioning of society and its rules, 2. the focus on writing for the individual, 3. the growth of imagination, 4. the emergence of female writers.
Romanticism refers to a literary movement that began toward the end of the eighteenth century. It lasted until the latter half of the nineteenth century, although it continues to have a major influence even to this day. It took place during the Industrial Revolution, and many of the changes that took place during this time are reflected in the style of writing seen in Europe, the United States, and across the globe.
Literature written during this time was driven by the unique perspective of individual people, a respect for nature, and a celebration of the Common Man. In many ways, literature from this era is a reaction to major societal changes throughout France, Germany, England, the United States, and other areas, often commenting on this experiment called democracy.
When people hear Romanticism, they often think about romance and love. Even though this may be a concept of Romanticism, it is much more complicated than that. The word stems from romaunt, the French word for a romantic story told using several verses. Romanticism is a word used to describe anything that focuses on the writer’s inner life, feelings, or emotions. It was not unusual for a writer to use autobiographical material to explore the inner workings of their writing. Sometimes, the writer would even use their experiences to provide a template for their writing.
Romantic writing would also focus on regular people, usually called “common men,” elevating them to a status not yet seen throughout literature. Romantic writing also focused on nature, seeing it as an ancient force to be respected. Finally, this writing style celebrated isolation, believing it was necessary for artistic and spiritual development.
Romantic literature has several defining characteristics and driving forces. They include:
Romantic literature focuses heavily on nature, and it often uses personification to bring it to life. Personification refers to the writer’s idea of giving human qualities to things that are not human.
Mary Shelley employs one example in Frankenstein :
“Its fair lakes reflect a blue and gentle sky; and, when troubled by the winds, their tumult is but as the play of a lively infant, when compared to the roarings of the giant ocean.“
- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
She talks about nature, giving it human qualities when describing it as a lively infant. This type of personification was common throughout romantic literature.
Throughout romantic literature, women were always idealized. They were presented as beautiful, pure, and saccharine. Even though the writers often intended this to be a positive description, women rarely had anything else to offer as the story unfolded. The idealization of women is reflected in The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. It reflected how women were seen at the time, as they did not have the rights they enjoy today throughout most countries.
Even though women were often idealized in romantic literature, some of the top female writers had to publish their works under pseudonyms because women typically were not allowed to publish under their names. A few examples include Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Mary Shelley. Even though they were some of the top writers of the romantic time, they had to publish under a pseudonym.
The Romantic period was one of the first times writers tried to publish work that even the commoner could enjoy. In the past, writing was often meant for the elite, as the average person might not have been able to read at all. Now, writers were publishing books intended to be understood and enjoyed by just about anyone. For example, William Wordsworth was famous for rejecting complicated language and using simple concepts elegantly to ensure everyone could enjoy them. One of his most popular poems is I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud :
“I wandered lonely as a Cloud, That floats on high o’ver vales and Hills.”
- William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
The writing is simple and direct but still powerful. It paints a vivid picture, targeting the reader’s emotions with a detailed description. This type of writing was common during the Romantic Movement.
Next, the glorification of melancholy and isolationism is a common thread during this movement. For example, Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the top writers of this time, published a book of essays that focused specifically on isolation and its importance for a writer’s growth. In 1841, he published an essay titled “ Self-Reliance ,” largely seen as one of the most important works published.
The essay goes through the value of looking inward, finding your way, and using your resources to become the best version of yourself. This celebration of the “self-made man” led to the growth of isolationism during the Romantic Movement.
Spirituality was also a common theme during this time. Many works published during the movement focused on the occult and supernatural elements. For example, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein focuses on bringing an inanimate object to life before diving into the consequences it has for the characters involved. In addition, The Raven , by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the story of a seemingly sentient Raven who torments the main character while he is grieving for his dead love. Even though it could be interpreted as his mental instability worsening, it still focuses on supernatural forces and their impact.
Next, Romantic writers also focused on celebrating nature. Because of the harm that the Industrial Revolution had on the environment, writers during this time tried to showcase the beauty of nature and how it was being destroyed by the changes taking place during the 18th and 19th centuries. For example, one of the most famous poems during this time was written by John Keats, titled To Autumn :
“Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?”
- John Keats, To Autumn
Throughout the rest of the poem, he personifies the individual seasons, giving them human-like qualities. He tries to glorify the changes in the weather, encouraging people to pay more attention to the beauty that nature possesses.
Another major defining characteristic of romantic literature is a celebration of artistic creativity and Imagination. This represents a major shift from the literature published during the previous centuries, which focused on rational thought and the power of logic.
Instead, romantic writers focused on their imaginations, creating pictures of what could be. In some ways, romantic literature directly reacted to and rejected the previous constraints of literature published during the Enlightenment. Romantic writers focused on an idealistic society, celebrating the power of artwork and its relationship to human culture.
Furthermore, this mindset laid the groundwork for future genres, such as fantasy, science fiction, and surrealist work.
Finally, romantic writers often chose to focus their writing on themselves in the form of an autobiography. In some cases, romantic authors would take their lives and project them onto a character, often having a fictional character go through the same experience they had during their younger years.
In other cases, romantic authors would directly approach their autobiography. They would tell their story without changing their name. This allowed romantic authors to reflect on their lives, sharing their lessons with their audiences. Sometimes, romantic authors would talk about the reasons behind their choices, what they might have done differently, and the impact they believe they had on the world.
Romantic authors changed the way people wrote their autobiographies and told the stories of their lives. Today, many people who publish autobiographies use the framework laid out during the romantic era.
These are a few of the biggest defining characteristics of romantic literature. These themes are present throughout the vast majority of the works published during this time, and many of them are still present in works published today.
There are several significant ways that romantic literature has influenced writing today. Some of the biggest themes that are still found in today’s works include:
One of the most powerful legacies of romantic literature is that people began to question those in charge. Even though this can be seen in earlier writing, romantic writers enjoyed greater freedoms than those in the past, and they did not hesitate to question numerous established Norms. This type of questioning can be seen in writing during the 20th century, often influenced by the writers who came before them.
Another major change during the romantic movement was that they began writing works intended to be read by everyone. In the past, writers often wrote books and essays only intended to be read by people who could read, meaning they were often reserved for nobility. Now, romantic authors write for people everywhere. Even someone working the assembly line in a factory would be able to read and enjoy their work. This can be seen in the rejection of overly flowery language and the use of terms that can be easily understood and interpreted by everyone.
Finally, romantic literature also focuses on the growth of the imagination. The surrealist movement that would develop following the Romantic Movement has a tremendous amount of imagination, and much of this imagination stems from this period. By focusing on the occult, personifying nature, and exploring the imaginations of individual writers, romantic literature pushed the boundaries in more ways than one. Now, the science fiction and fantasy novels that people enjoy today owe a tremendous debt to the writers of this period.
During this time, many top female writers were forced to publish under pseudonyms. Examples include Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte. Even though they may have been forced to publish under a pseudonym while alive, it did not take long for people to realize just how powerful their writing was. As a result, many female writers who enjoyed prolific careers followed in their footsteps, as they laid the groundwork for female writers to be celebrated and appreciated.
The legacy of the writers during this time shines through in the work we continue to enjoy today.
To learn more about romantic literature, check out our round-up of romance authors’ best sellers !
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William Wordsworth is the most influential of the Romantic poets, and remains widely popular, even though his work is more complex and more engaged with the political, social and religious upheavals of his time than his reputation as a 'nature poet' might suggest.
The main writers of Romanticism 1- Jane Austen (1775-1817) Filled with comedy, romance, wit and satire, the six novels of this English author were also a striking reflection of the social and territorial situation that England lived in her time. He began to write being very young, with the constant support and promotion of his family and friends.
Romance is one of the most popular genres in literature today, both for readers and writers of romance novels. And it's no wonder why: romance is exciting, sexy, and compulsively readable. Luckily, there are tons more books coming out all the time!
To write romance, immerse yourself in the writings of the bestselling romance authors. Or, if you simply want to sit down with a good, sizzling read, here are some of the best romance authors to choose from: 1. Danielle Steel The bestselling author alive today, Danielle Steel has sold more than 800 million copies of her books.
WELCOME. We are Romance Writers Online, a 24/7 group dedicated to the community of romance writers. We were formed in 1995 as one of the first internet-based romance writer professional groups.
Leah Asmelash. By any standard, Shirley Hailstock is a romance-writing star. Not only has she penned more than three dozen novels and novellas, she's won dozens of awards, written best sellers, and previously presided over the romance industry's leading professional organization, the Romance Writers of America. So, naturally, she gets fan mail.
Connie Brockway [13] Anne Brontë Charlotte Brontë Emily Brontë Helen Brooks [6] Sandra Brown [15] Diana Browning Dixie Browning Niobia Bryant Elizabeth Buchan M. L. Buchman Nancy Buckingham Mary Burchell Rose Burghley Eleanor Burford Pamela Burford Nicole Burnham Beatrice Burton Rebecca Burton Shirlee Busbee C [ edit] Meg Cabot Linda Cajio
Best Romance Authors Ever From the past to the present, here are the list of romance authors out there who had written fantastic romance novels. Please add only one book per author. And please pick your favorite book of the author's works. flag All Votes Add Books To This List ← Previous 1 2 3 4 Next →
Another key quality of Romantic writing was its shift from the mimetic, or imitative, assumptions of the Neoclassical era to a new stress on imagination. Samuel Taylor Coleridge saw the imagination as the supreme poetic quality, a quasi-divine creative force that made the poet a godlike being.
Romanticism is a literary movement spanning roughly 1790-1850. The movement was characterized by a celebration of nature and the common man, a focus on individual experience, an idealization of women, and an embrace of isolation and melancholy.
The most famous Romantic writers in America were probably Emerson and Thoreau; among the Dark Romantic writers, Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe are renowned. Well-suited to American democracy and expansion, the Roman spirit affirmed the value of every man, and expressed the inspired imagination of ethical and aesthetic values. ...
Margaret Mitchell, author of the epic romance novel Gone With the Wind. Some of the authors I've included on this list are winners of the RITA Award, given by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Among them: Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, and Diana Gabaldon. Roberts is one of the best-selling romance writers of all-time.
Since 2016, The Ripped Bodice has calculated what percentage of romance books published each year from major publishers and imprints were written by authors of color. Though the total percentage ...
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Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by increasing public awareness of the romance genre." Relevant works must be themed around the ...
Romantic poets and writers give personal, deep descriptions of nature and its wild and powerful qualities. Natural elements also work as symbols for the unfettered emotions of the poet or writer, as in the final stanza of " To Autumn " by John Keats.
There are two generally known generations of Romantic writers: those of Wordsworth and Coleridge, and those of Byron, Shelley, and Keats.Although there were many others who wrote in a similar style, these five individuals are considered the main representatives of the movement.. Romanticism was an intellectual and political movement that began in Europe around 1750 and had its peak of ...
Facebook Twitter Google Tumblr. Romance is prevalent in most novels. While the central plot of the story may stray from the romance at hand, I've lost count of the number of novels I've read whose plots center romance. In fact, it's easier to recall the number of novels I've read that don't feature romance because there are that few.
These are the best romance authors to add to your bookshelf today. 1. Jane Austen Not all the best romance authors and books fall into steamy erotica. Jane Austen is a classic writer with six major novels. Her works have also been made into major motion pictures. Austen's books capture life in the British landed gentry in the late 18th century.
As P.D. James, a novelist, once observed, Jane Austen novels are merely "Mills & Boon written by a genius". Mills & Boon itself is marketed by a genius. Long before most Tiktokkers were born, the...
The Romantic poets were writers who wrote roughly from the late 18th to early 19th century. These writers championed the concepts of ignoring restraint, being free in emotion, embracing individuality and immersing oneself in nature, and they contributed to large-scale political and cultural shifts through their work. From a technical standpoint ...
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Authors such as Victor Hugo, Walter Scott, Mary Shelley, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Goethe, and William Wordsworth defined the Romantic period, with numerous English, French, and American writers leaving their marks on the written word as a whole. Now, this era in literature is called romanticism.