What is yearning and why does it need a comeback?
A super short exploration of the oldest (best?) literary trope
“I burn for you”
“I love—I love—I love you.”
“I can fix that.”
If you recognised the last sentence from the 2003 film Holes, you have to subscribe. Those are the rules.
I will freely admit that this post is completely biased. Yearning is my absolute favourite book trope of all time. Yes, other common tropes like enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship, and forbidden love are often interwoven with this trope, but they mean so little to me without sincere yearning.
Why isn’t anyone talking about that?
What is yearning?
Yearning is more visceral than any one word or even a full sentence of them could accurately define. That is part of the beauty of yearning as a book trope. You nearly need the full novel, or even a series of novels, to come close to the very universally human experience of yearning. It is that vast and yet can be as subtle as a hand flexing or a look shared between two people.
I will try with my limited space here to brush the surface:
Yearning is an all-consuming longing for something that speaks directly and purely to one’s soul.
This may manifest as a romantic yearning, an indescribable wanderlust, or even a passionate ambition for greatness. Yearning alone does not seek to claim that which would fulfil. It is only the sudden knowledge that one is incomplete without this missing part of themselves. Pursuit is not the point, nor is satisfaction, though we as readers turn each page hoping for both. One can yearn indefinitely (which is why we will, for better or worse, always come back to Cathy and Heathcliff).
Ultimately, when we’re discussing the romantic literary trope, yearning is the first tangible awakening of every kind of love.
Where has all the yearning gone?
The advent of technology has had many influences on modern romance. This isn’t a shot at online dating. I feel no shame in saying I met the love of my life on a dating app (Reader, I married him).
However, online dating can at times make romance feel like a slot machine and the literary world has always been a reflection of the world we live in. So many Romance and Romantasy novels seem to be missing genuine yearning in favour of spicy scenes and Tik Tok virality. Even books that claim to have yearning at best display overindulgent desire and at worst showcase straight up toxicity.
These books are entertaining, certainly. I’ve read and loved books that make me blush and giggle like I’m 14 and reading Vampire Diaries again. However, they can only ever titillate and delight—a temporary dopamine hit. Some can’t even manage that. I’m at the stage in my bookish overconsumption (let’s not talk about the entire bookshelf I bought just to display my special editions) where I need more yearning from my books before I commit to a purchase. Books that speak to the core of humanity and of the all-encompassing kind of love we are all so capable of and yet only few will ever know. These are the kind of stories that live forever.
Next month I’ll be sharing a list of my top 10 books full of yearning for my paid subscribers. I’ll share a different list every month, so subscribe today to get access to the monthly book lists, weekly writing prompts, and more!