Evolution, Feminism, and Romantic Fiction

From Mr. Darcy to Mr. Big.

Ania Grant (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

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English

Routledge
14 August 2025

Literary studies: general; Popular culture; TV & society; Gender studies, gender groups

Romantic fiction has long been dismissed as trivial and denounced for peddling supposedly oppressive patriarchal myths of heterosexual love and marriage. Despite such criticism, the popularity of romantic fiction has only increased in recent decades.

Drawing on research from the evolutionary sciences, Ania Grant proposes that narrative patterns of romantic stories and their enduring appeal reflect the importance of love as a fundamental human drive. She examines two of the most successful and critically scrutinized romantic narratives of the past 200 years, Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice and the hit television series Sex and the City, and argues that such texts simulate the cognitive and emotional complexities of mate choice—one of the most consequential decisions from both a biological and a cultural perspective. Her biocultural analysis aligns the interpretation of romantic fiction with the feminist ideals of female autonomy and gender equality. It also suggests that positive identification with romantic heroines gives audiences the hope and energy to pursue the transformation of gender relations in real life.

The book will be of interest to anyone who ever wondered why so many women (and some men) around the world are enthralled by romantic stories. It will also appeal to anyone who has ever been inspired by romantic happy endings to strive for a world in which men and women love and cooperate with each other—even if it seems like a utopian ideal while the war of the sexes rages on.

By: Ania Grant (University of Auckland New Zealand)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
Weight: 540g
ISBN: 9781032342030
ISBN 10: 103234203X
Pages: 194
Publication Date: 14 August 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ania Grant is a Professional Teaching Fellow and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Schools of Humanities and Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research combines evolutionary and feminist perspectives, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods.

Reviews for Evolution, Feminism, and Romantic Fiction: From Mr. Darcy to Mr. Big.

“A triumph of clear thinking, wide knowledge, and astute reading. Darwin rightly called On the Origin of Species “one long argument.” As a feminist and an evolutionist, Grant begins with one long argument showing the value of romantic love and romantic fiction for feminists and everybody else, before her subtle close readings reveal just how much we can learn from two of the most successful of romantic fictions, Pride and Prejudice and Sex in the City.” -Distinguished Professor Brian Boyd, University of Auckland