Lovey Dovey

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've just read Romance Across the Pages, Eyeris's latest post on Eye on Everything, in which he lists his favourite fictional couples. A few weeks ago I started a list of my favourite fictional males, but I think, in the spirit of Valentine's, I'll go the way of fictional couplehood too ...

My Favourite Fictional Couples

Romeo & Juliet
Very corny, huh? And , OK, so they're not entirely fictional. Actually, I'm thinking more in terms of Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version. Weren't Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting just perfect as those teen nitwits? They actually made the whole debacle seem less an exercise in sheer lustful idiocy and quite, quite tragic and sweet.

Howl & Sophie from Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle
I know the first time he saw her was pre-curse, but he continued being crazy about her even when she looked 80! That's true love for you.

Will & Christina from K. M. Peyton's Flambards and The Edge of the Cloud
Martin said recently that it was amazing how every man in Flambards (the house) lusts after Christina considering how average she is. He then said that it's a case of being the only female around for miles. This is true, but it also shows that he has no imagination or soul. I like Christina and the way she makes the best of being dumped with a grouchy old uncle and his two crazy sons! OK, so Will is one of these sons and that makes him her cousin (on her mum's side), which is pretty gross, but this happened a lot back in "ancient" times and not just in England.

Anyway, Will is crazy about aeroplanes and although his brother Mark is into horses just as Christina is, she chooses Will instead. Reason? Well, he's tall, pale and thin and doesn't say much so it must be purely sexual - ha-ha! (Only I can understand the attraction as I like this type of man - in fantasyland, that is. It's nothing to do with Martin looking like the bulgy bear from Narnia!)

Bran & Jane from Susan Cooper's The Grey King and Silver on the Tree
King Arthur's son and a girl whose name is a version of Guinevere. That's either poetic or corny.

Anne Elliott & Frederick Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion
I like that they get a second chance even though I do think Anne's an utter idiot to have given him up in the first place.

Sebastian & Charles from Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited
So who says Valentine's Day is only for heterosexuals? Anyway, there's nothing overtly homosexual about this pair's relationship, but the setting - summertime in Oxford and Venice - just cries out for romance and Sebastian is so much more interesting than the woman Charles eventually ends up with!

Gigi & Gaston from Colette's Gigi
A politically incorrect love story (in 21st century terms) if ever there was one! But I like how Gaston comes to his senses in the end and behaves like a true gentleman.

Harriet Vane & Lord Peter Wimsey from Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey series
I can't no matter how many times I read the books think of Lord Peter doing the wild thing with Harriet. Still, they are so made for one another.

Jo & Laurie from Louisa Alcott's Little Women and Good Wives
Their romance was all in Laurie's head, but each time I read Good Wives, I never fail to hope for a different response from Jo. What would have happened had she said "yes"? Quarrels? Passionate rolls in the hay? Divorce? We'll never know, I guess. Hey, wait a minute, I've never searched for Little Women fan fic ...

The Owl & the Pussycat from the poem by Edward Lear
Let's hear it for inter-species romances! Trust the British to say it's all nonsense ;-)

Comments

[Daphne]

Ivy: Thank you!! Loking forward to reading them!! :-)

[Ivy]

You can read a Laurie/Jo fanfic here - http://www.yuletidetreasure.org/archive/11/adifferent.html

[Amelia]

I realise that I don't know that many literary couples [what kind of books have i been reading???], i only remembered the 2 couples that i mentioned in eyeris' post. And even then, 1 couple was mentioned by someone else first. :(

Maybe there should be a list for hero and sidekicks...I think perhaps I can add more to this category [i hope!] ;)

[eyeris]

wow, this list is a lot longer than mine for sure... hehe.

goes to show how many books I've read that have actual love affairs. :) :)