For much of the twentieth century, the stories that shaped our imagination about love were unapologetically romantic. And yet today, a very different language circulates online, with hashtags such as #DatingIsDead and #AntiRomance gaining traction.
Romance, once aspirational and celebrated, is increasingly framed as naïve, inefficient or cringe. And yet the Georgian-era novelist Jane Austen has continued to capture the imaginations of women through stories of courtship, formative human experiences and high emotional stakes. Countless adaptations later, Austen’s novels remain a fixture of popular culture, proving our enduring hunger for love stories rooted in patience, virtue and responsibility.
