Love is a many-splendored thing, and a good literary romance can be irresistible. But all too often, these love stories are torpedoed by bizarre literary phenomena that can punch holes in the strongest ‘ship – and the book it’s in. Check out our feelings on three of these problems right here!
InstaLove
Ah, InstaLove. That magnetic, eyes-across-a-crowded-room lightning bolt of attraction and devotion which binds two people together and… almost never actually happens in real life.
What’s Wrong With That?
The reason this is a major mistake in literary romance is that InstaLove calls into question all of the lovely romantic goodness which follows. It might be exaggerating to say that the way in which the lovers meet tints all of their future interactions, but there’s something to be said for providing a believable basis for a crucial relationship. InstaLove is the literary equivalent of a styrofoam board. Though fun to play with, it’s light, flimsy, and cracks beneath the weight of a long second glance.
Take, for example, everybody’s favorite baker/master of disguise from District 12. None other than Peeta Mellark himself trips neatly into this unfortunate category. Not only does Peeta fall in love with Katniss on the strength of a glance at an extremely young age, but his feelings survive years of peripheral contact, eventually proving to be so overwhelmingly strong that Peeta is repeatedly willing to sacrifice his life for a girl he barely knows.
Now that’s certainly noble, but it isn’t exactly a beacon of realistic behavior. The reason this is a serious problem and potentially compromises the love story is because if we as readers do not trust that piece of styrofoam supporting the weight of this story, it’s much more difficult for us to accept and ultimately root for the couple which sparked into being through the magic of InstaLove.
The Inevitability Factor
The Inevitability Factor is the silent authorial hand within many novels which subtly (or not-so-subtly in an unfortunate number of cases) sets the two romantic leads on a conveyor belt toward each other. The not-yet-lovers will bump into each other in unexpected places, discover friends (or occasionally enemies) in common, and generally find it impossible to successfully avoid each other, even if they want to. After all, it’s a love story; they simply don’t have a choice in the matter, and the reader has to struggle not to notice.
What’s Wrong With That?
The main problem with the Inevitability Factor is that it thins the world of the story and, to various extents, breaks the fourth wall. While it’s nearly impossible to immerse a reader completely in the world of a novel, The Love Interest walks in a particularly brilliant spotlight in many stories, at which point the resolution of that particular plot line becomes all but assured. The obvious and inevitable love interest can lead to unfortunate plot convolutions, manufactured tension, character assassination and – worst of all – loss of reader interest in the story.
The Inevitability Factor can hamper even very strong stories; take Divergent, a gripping dystopian novel with a romantic side-plot. Though there is plenty of tension in Divergent, it’s hard to look at Tris and Four at any point in the development of their relationship and have much doubt about their romantic future. While the Inevitability Factor doesn’t have to be a literary wrecking ball, it can cause cracks in an otherwise satisfying and unpredictable story.
Zipline Love
If you’ve never ridden a zipline, watch this video. We’ll wait.
Zipline Love works on the same principle, except that instead of an adventuresome individual hurtling through empty space at accelerated, hard-to-believe speeds, it’s a romance.
What’s Wrong With That?
The problems with Zipline Love are many, but it’s primary crime is that accelerated romances challenge the reality of most relationships. Most people progress gradually through the stages of romance and intimacy; not so for Zipline Lovers. Not only do they often develop their attraction through the magic of InstaLove, but the rest of their relationship trundles on almost as quickly. It’s pleasant to be around a real-life crush; for Zipline Lovers, it’s unpleasant to not be around their partner. Surprising commonalities become identical secret dreams, and a pleasant buzz of attraction becomes irrepressible desire.
Another reason why this challenges reality is because, in order for the romantic zipline to function within the story, a whole host of rough personality edges (which we all have, guys) are smoothed over for the sake of the fast track. His unpleasant friends? Oh, he never liked those jerks anyway. Her cell phone addiction? It can’t hold a candle to being with him.
For examples, look no further than the ultimate literary couple: Romeo and Juliet. (Maybe without the cell phone thing.) But talk about riding the fast track to oblivion! Romeo and Juliet’s love story leaves a swath of bodies in its wake, and the two Zipline Lovers don’t meet a fate any better. Far be it from us to accuse the Bard of doing it wrong, but it’s worth taking the star-crossed Venetians as an active lesson from the ultimate pro: Zipline Love won’t leave anybody happy.
What do you think?
Do you agree with our three romantic pitfalls? Do you object to our hypothesis? What are other problems you’ve found in literary love? How would you fix them? Let us know in the comments section below!
More Valentine’s Day articles
Hypable is gearing up for some serious VDay love around here (with a few anti-Valentine’s Day treats as well). Be sure to keep checking out all of our previous articles.
First we had the best modern day couples in young adult fiction. Then Richard so eloquently wrote the article about why we hate Valentine’s Day, and Karen penned a controversial anthem against the love triangle. And be sure to check out Marama’s great list of anti-romance reads, which will keep anyone disinclined to Valentine busy long past the holiday.
Stay tuned for more love hyping your way!