The modern 'romantasy' genre, which includes works by Sarah J Maas and Callie Hart, shares many characteristics with medieval romance tales that were popular in the 12th century.
These medieval romances, which originated in French courts in the late 1100s, featured beautiful, human-sized fairies engaging in sexual acts with humans. These stories, which spread throughout Europe and across social strata, often included detailed descriptions of fairy bodies.
Both medieval and modern iterations of the genre have been criticised by commentators, with some dismissing them as 'trash' or suggesting they lead people astray. Historically, these stories have been produced and consumed by women, a factor that some suggest contributes to the criticism.
The genre has also provided a space for women to explore desires, with medieval audiences reportedly thrilling to tales of both kind and brooding fairy lovers. Medieval romances also depicted women as heroes, such as powerful fairy queens rescuing distressed knights, a theme echoed in modern 'romantasy'.