Storied's video: The Unappreciated Female Writers Who Invented the Novel It s Lit

For more It’s Lit, subscribe to Storied: http://bit.ly/pbsstoried_sub The guy typically credited with inventing what we know as the modern novel was Miguel de Cervantes with his cumbersome 800+ page book, Don Quixote. But what if I told you that the real antecedent for the modern novel was created by… ladies. Before the rise of what would become the modern novel, there was Amatory fiction. Amatory fiction was a genre of fiction that became popular in Britain in the late 17th century and early 18th century. As its name implies, amatory fiction is preoccupied with sexual love and romance. Most of its works were short stories, it was dominated by women, and women were the ones responsible for sharing and promoting their own work. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes, It’s Lit! is a show about our favorite books, genres, and why we love to read. It’s Lit has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Hosted by: Lindsay Ellis Written by: Princess Weekes Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Producer: Stephanie Noone Editor: Nicole Kopren Writing Consultants: Maia Krause, PhD Assistant Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing Executives in Charge (PBS): Brandon Arolfo, Adam Dylewski Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itslitpbs https://twitter.com/thelindsayellis https://twitter.com/weekesprincess Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/itslit_pbs/