Gosia - Czw 01 Sty, 2009 20:17 Nie wiem, czy to już było? The ten rules of a great love story We've all got a favourite love story, from Pride and Prejudice to Jane Eyre. But what makes certain tales stay with generations of readers (and viewers)? What are the 10 things that make for a potent romantic mix? All will be revealed... Rule 1: Make your hero complicated The quality of the leading man is a make or break element of any love story. And the last thing we want from him is perfection. We want someone challenging, conflicted, a bit moody. Look at the aloof Darcy, or mysterious Rochester. In fact, the Rochester from the novel of Jane Eyre isn't even handsome (although most TV adaptations have ignored this inconvenient fact). Rule 2: Have a memorable rival A good love story will have an alternative love-object to confuse matters for our heroine. It works best if the rival provides a sharp contrast to the main hero – and a classic example of this can be found in Wuthering Heights, in which Cathy loves Heathcliff but tragically chooses to marry Edgar Linton, who is as weak and pleasant as Heathcliff is strong and stormy. This is the kind of meaty dilemma that makes for a memorable yarn. Rule 3: Introduce a juicy villain True love needs to be tested – preferably by a wicked villain. These come in two guises: the vicious brute and the charming rogue. Catherine Cookson came up with some memorable brutes in her stories – most memorable, perhaps, is the pimp Boswell who threatens to destroy the heroine's happiness in The Rag Nymph. And as for the charming rogue, think of Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, who spreads ugly lies about Darcy in order to turn Lizzie against him – the swine! Rule 4: Make the relatives interfere Obstacles are everything in a romantic tale, and families are one of the biggest. Meddling out of malice or misguided good intentions, they should always be on the verge of derailing everything. In fact they do derail things for Anne Elliot, heroine of Jane Austen's Persuasion, who decides to reject Captain Wentworth on her family's advice. The pleasure of the tale comes from watching her overcome this mistake and finally make her feelings known to the great love of her life. Rule 5: An unexpected pitfall is a must Just when you think the two lovers have finally overcome all the odds, a good shocking development should, ideally, threaten to spoil the party. Probably the most famous love story twist is in Jane Eyre, when, just as Jane and Mr Rochester seem set to marry, it transpires that he already has a wife – who happens to be locked away in the house. Which sounds like a deal-breaker, but plucky Jane doesn't let that stop her... Rule 6: Don't forget comic relief No matter how serious or tragic the romance, a little comic relief can elevate everything tremendously. Even the dark and tempestuous Wuthering Heights has a memorable buffoon in the form of the pompous Mr Lockwood, while Romeo and Juliet boasts the marvellous Mercutio, who provides one-liners and puns about everything – even his own death ("Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man"). Rule 7: Mix up your love with a bit of hate To misquote Jane Austen, it's a truth universally acknowledged that two lovers in a romantic tale must dislike each other a little bit. Or a lot, in the case of Lizzie and Darcy, who continually bicker and raise their eyebrows at each other before Cupid bashes their heads together (metaphorically). And take Scarlett O'Hara, who finds Rhett Butler either reprehensible or plain annoying until the very end of Gone with the Wind, when she finally realises she loves him. It was too late of course - he was off to build a dam or something... Rule 8: Society MUST disapprove It may not suit the lovers themselves, but from our point of view it's always more enjoyable if society disapproves of the relationship blossoming before our eyes. Tipping the Velvet serves up the ultimate forbidden romance, focusing as it does on Nan Astley's lesbian awakening. And then there's Tilly Trotter, Catherine Cookson's greatest heroine, who arouses local jealousy and contempt by winning the affection of a wealthy landowner. Rule 9: Add a dollop of decadence A good romance will always have a hedonistic edge to it. Passion, if it's real, is by its very nature decadent. Look at the way Heathcliff wantonly wallows in his love for Cathy. Or consider Madame Bovary, who cheats on her dull husband with her flamboyant lover Rodolphe. And then of course there's Moll Flanders, the charismatic femme fatale in Daniel Defoe's novel, who lives for pleasure and embarks on a sexually charged relationship with the roguish James Seagrave. Rule 10: Slip in a second story A way of emphasising the power of a love story is by contrasting it with a secondary romance in the same tale. Look at how Lizzie and Darcy's authentic love is contrasted with a younger Bennet sister's frivolous fling with Wickham. But perhaps the most famous example is in Anna Karenina, the great novel by Tolstoy, which emphasises Anna's red-hot (and forbidden) passion for Vronsky by comparing it with another character's calmer, more "proper" relationship. Zrodlo nicol81 - Czw 01 Sty, 2009 21:33 Czy te wszystkie reguły mają być zachowane, czy opcjonalne? Bo ja sądzę, że można poradzić sobie bez żadnej- a bez większości to już na pewno  (Zwłaszcza bez 9  ) Najważniejsze to według mnie 1 i 5.
Oólnie wydaje mi się, że to ciekawy pomysł, ale to raczej luźne pomysły niż konkretna lista niezbędnych składników. Jak mówiłam, najważniejsze wydają mi się 1 i 5- ale np. Romeo nie był skomplikowanym bohaterem, a w "Przeminęło z wiatrem" brak momentu, gdy wydaje się, że bohaterowie będą szczęśliwi 
Większość- jak komizm, nienawiść czy "dekandencja" to kwestia gustu...
Gosia - Czw 01 Sty, 2009 22:26 Wiele z tych zasad jest faktycznie słusznych: te komplikacje, dezaprobata towarzystwa lub rodziców, miłość pomieszana z nienawiścią (albo duma z uprzedzeniem  )
Musi być oponent, zły charakter, który mąci między głównymi bohaterami. No i kochankowie zaczynają się czuć ze sobą dobrze, gdy coś sie staje.... (Jane Eyre, DiU). Admete - Pią 02 Sty, 2009 09:51 Tekst jest tez rodzajem żartu
Tamara - Pią 02 Sty, 2009 10:56 Mnie to trochę przypomina przepis na Harlequina
nicol81 - Pią 02 Sty, 2009 11:57
Jakieś komplikacje muszą być- ale np. są pary, gdzie całe otoczenie ppiera ich połączenie czy pracuje na rzecz Może być też miłość pomieszana z przyjaźnią, nie z nienawiścią...
No właśnie, to też niekonieczne- nieraz bohaterowie skutecznie sami mącą, jak np. w "Przeminęło z wiatrem". A i protestuję między założeniu, że czarny charakter musi być mężczyzną... Tamara - Sob 03 Sty, 2009 17:36 Np, Dynastia i Alexis  chociaż to niekoniecznie wielki romans , chyba że z pieniędzmi 
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