It's Lit! — Season 1, Episode 4: An Ode to the Romance Novel

Episode synopsis

Love it or hate it, the romance novel is the highest grossing literary genre. Its history is long and winding (like your favorite romance novel), and romance novels are full of tropes reflected upon its history. It has been the subject of intrigue, derision, and shame in literary discourse long before the modern genre as we know it existed.

About It's Lit!

A series of smart, funny video essays from PBS Digital Studios about their favorite books and why they love to read. Host Lindsay Ellis delves into topics like the evolution of YA, how science fiction mirrors our own anxieties, and why the book is sometimes just a _bit_ better than the movie.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1When the Book is Better than the Movie
• E2The Evolution of YA
• E3Why Sci Fi is a Mirror on Society
• E5How Fantasy Reflects Our World
• E6Why did they make me read this in High School?
• E7Can You Judge a Book by Its Cover?
• E8Fear of Ghost...Writing!
• E9Unreliable Narrators
• E10Food & Fiction: Memorable Meals in Literature
• E11Death, Personified
• E12How Greek Mythology Inspires Us
• E13The Beauty and Anguish of Les Misérables!