Is the forbidden love more appealing than the destined love?
seahawk2006 asked:
When reading or watching a story/movie, is the forbidden or impossible love more interesting to the viewer than the ‘destined’ love that was always meant to be? With whom do the readers sympathize? Is the idea of the fated lovers, ‘true love,’ or love at first sight becoming less intriguing or less plausible in modern times? I notice a lot of contemporary stories involve cheating, adultery, or unfaithfulness, with the readers’ sympathy driven towards the unfaithful relationship rather than the original couple. Is this a trend in modern literature? What cultural forces are at work?
Create a video blog…instantly.
When reading or watching a story/movie, is the forbidden or impossible love more interesting to the viewer than the ‘destined’ love that was always meant to be? With whom do the readers sympathize? Is the idea of the fated lovers, ‘true love,’ or love at first sight becoming less intriguing or less plausible in modern times? I notice a lot of contemporary stories involve cheating, adultery, or unfaithfulness, with the readers’ sympathy driven towards the unfaithful relationship rather than the original couple. Is this a trend in modern literature? What cultural forces are at work?
Create a video blog…instantly.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:19 am
That depends on entirely who you are asking and how the author handles the situation. Either one can be intriguing if handled by a great author. Pax-C
July 11th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I agree that both can make for a compelling story.
But personally, I prefer the forbidden/impossible love story as opposed to the “destined” love story – it just seems more realisitic. No relationship is ever easy and I think we can all relate to that.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I think that a lot of times forbidden love actually turns out to be destined love. Romeo and Juliet are a classic case of a forbidden pair of lovers drawn together by destiny. If you’re looking more at “predetermined” love, where either the couple is together already when we join the story or it is decided by some outside force (parents, arranged marraige, culture, etc), then I think a lot of times people are much more interested in the forbidden love because there seems to be more passion and intrigue. In stories of adultery, I think that you are right in saying we are drawn toward the unfaithul couple because they are (or seem to be) truly in love and we see the adulterer as being “trapped” in their relationship. Unless the adulterer is someone who has often been unfaithful and cares nothing for their spouse, then we identify more with the abandoned spouse than the new lover.