What can we learn about romance and yearning by looking at women’s reading of fantasy romance books? Anuja Pradhan from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication discusses her research with women’s experiences of this genre and its readers. Tune in for a deep dive into romance, sexuality, and book recommendations. 

References 

Pradhan, A and Daskalopoulou, A (2026) Romantasy: Sexy tales of women‑centred fantasy fiction are boosting the publishing industry. The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/romantasy-sexy-tales-of-women-centred-fantasy-fiction-are-boosting-the-publishing-industry-272737.  

Balling, G and Martens, M (2024) BookTok helped us sell it: How TikTok disrupts publishing and fuels the# Romantasy boom. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies [Online First].  

Hakala, H, Niemi, L and Kohtamäki, M (2017) Online brand community practices and the construction of brand legitimacy. Marketing Theory, 17(4), 537-558.  

Daskalopoulou, A and Zanette, MC (2020) Women’s consumption of pornography: Pleasure, contestation, and empowerment. Sociology, 54(5), 969-986.  

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