According to wikipedia:
Quote:
Ruritanian romance is a genre of literature, film and theatre comprising novels, stories, plays and films set in a fictional country, usually in Central or Eastern Europe, such as the "Ruritania" that gave the genre its name. Such stories are typically swashbuckling adventure novels, tales of high romance and intrigue, centered on the ruling classes, almost always aristocracy and royalty,[1] although (for instance) Winston Churchill's novel Savrola, in every other way a typical example of the genre, concerns a revolution to restore rightful parliamentary government in the republican country of Laurania. The themes of honor, loyalty and love predominate, and the works frequently feature the restoration of legitimate government after a period of usurpation or dictatorship.
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Of course, the most famous novel in the genre is The Prisoner of Zenda (1894), set in the imaginary country of Ruritania, which gives the genre its name. In it, a British man is traveling in Europe and, when he gets to Ruritania, it turns out he very closely resembles the new king who is about to be crowned. There is a conspiracy to prevent the king from being crowned and he is persuaded to act as a political decoy, resulting in dangerous adventures.
Apart from that well-known novel, I have also read Long Live the King (1917), by Mary Roberts Rinehart, a less-known but rather charming and well-written Ruritanian novel about the country of Livonia, where the old king is about to die and revolutionary conspirators want to get rid of his grandson and heir, who is still a child. It is more thoughtful and less action-filled than the Prisoner of Zenda, although it still had plenty of adventure and excitement.
A more recent novel that pays homage to this genre is The Princess Bride, set in the country of Florin, which is a fond parody and homage of the classic swashbuckling Ruritanian novels.
And there are also secondary world fantasy novels that are influenced by this genre.
Have you read any novels in this genre?