After my faboo week, first meeting Lee Goldberg and then having coffee with JAK, I've nothing exciting planned this week. But, today is Valentine's Day, a day that is at least symbolically important to romance writers everywhere. 🙂
What, then, is the quintessential romance novel to you? I have many favorites, but I'm going to have to go with Pride and Prejudice. In fact, my reading group just read and discussed this novel. I've never been a member of a reading group before, but I thought it would be fun, and since we are all actually writers first, it brings a different perspective to the work than we might otherwise find in a readers' group.
What is it about Elizabeth and Darcy that gets the heart sighing? I think it's because he is such an Alpha male, and she is so intelligent and lively. That's just my take. I love the A&E version of P&P with Colin Firth. I love that broody, angsty quality he brings to Darcy. When I reread the novel recently, I couldn't help but picture those characters in the roles. I didn't much care for the recent movie version, though it had its moments. The highly inaccurate outdoor proposal in the rain was so charged with sexual tension that I didn't care the writers had moved the venue. It worked.
What other novels do you think are wildly romantic? Which novel is your all-time favorite romance?
[Oh yes, if you check out JAK's link now, you'll see she's added the picture of the Aloha Chapter writers that I included below. Thanks, Jayne!]
Lynn… I was over at the “Running with Quills” site and saw your photo. I charged over here to tell you, but alas… you already new. HA
Anyway, I love Pride and Prejudice. I have read it several times and hope to read it again and again.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Hey, Cynthia! So glad you went to check out Jayne’s site. 🙂 She is such a nice lady.
I really enjoyed rereading P&P. It’s been about 8 years or so since I read it, so there were things I’d forgotten, nuances that no movie is able to include. I just love it, though. One of our group members had never read it, so she really enjoyed it.
Our book for next month is To The Lighthouse. I picked it to kill two birds with one stone. First, I have to reread it anyway for the thesis, and second, it saves me from having to read something other than thesis work. 🙂 We’re going to read Wuthering Heights too. I’ve never read it before, so I look forward to it.
Wuthering Heights is too dark and brooding for me. I read it as a 14 year old teenager. It just does not have the same impact when read as an adult.
Sounds like you are doing some good reading. I am enjoying Charlaine Harris and paranormal romances. I have not had the brain power lately to do any massive literary reading.
I’ve seen the Colin Firth version of P&P too many times to count (I have the DVD). Yes, I am an addict 🙂
As for other great romances, I don’t usually like tragic endings in my romances but I love Shakespeare’s Othello. All that torment and emotion just gets me every time.
O.K.
It’s not a romance novel, but it’s a romance: a play.
It’s Shakespeares’ “Taming of the Shrew.”
I love theTaylor/Burton rendition.
It’s the “battle of the sexes” in extreme, and god knows, that’s what romance is all about. 🙂
Hey, Cyn! So what are some of your favorite paranormal romances these days?
Oh, Nalini, I am with you on the A&E version! I taped it when it was first on television, and I must have watched it 10 times, fast forwarding through commercials. Then I bought the DVD set when it came out, and then the special edition set when that one came out. I keep the first set to loan out and the second set for me. 🙂 Even my husband likes to watch it. Othello is certainly tragic. I even liked the movie version with Kenneth Branagh.
Shamash, that’s one I’ve managed to never read or watch! How did I get all the way through graduate school without ever reading “Taming of the Shrew”? 🙂 I’ve always intended to watch the Taylor/Burton version.