Are you a hopeless romantic like I am? Both the Valentine and Delecoeur books are the types of couples I love to read about or watch on TV or in movies. Sexy, smart, fun and 100 percent committed is what I love in romantic couples.
Below are 15 fictional romantic couples from literature, movies and television. It’s a small sampling of old and new from Rhett and Scarlett to Edward and Bella. Not all of them meet my criteria, but are still considered by many to be great romantic couples (i.e. Rhett and Scarlett aren’t together at the end of the book). Are any of them your favorite? Or if your favorite couple isn’t listed, add it.
I’m madly finishing With This Ring, I Thee Wed, with a publication date of February 14, 2013 (Valentine’s Day). As the day approaches, I thought it would be fun to find out from you, what your favorite romantic or loves scenes are from the first two books. If you’d like to weigh in, please take the poll below. It’s anonymous and you don’t need to submit any personal information.
Most people who think Jane Austen think Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, but for me Persuasion is the book that tops the list. The last book published while Austen was alive, it’s often referred to as the mature Pride and Prejudice. The story is about Anne Elliott who’s family has connections, but unfortunately, her father and older sister have squandered their money. Seven years earlier, she fell in love with Frederick Wentworth, a man with no money or connections, but who had goals and good character. They’d planned to marry until a family friend persuaded her to break the engagement.
Now, seven years later. Anne and her family have to move to cheaper accommodations and rent their estate to Admiral Croft, who coincidentally is married to Frederick’s sister. By this time, Anne is 27 and losing her “bloom”. Frederick is now a captain in the navy and is wealthy. He visits his sister, where he and Anne are reacquainted; however, he acts indifferent to her, as if she were only a past acquaintance. Rubbing salt into Anne’s wound, he openly courts another young woman. Eventually, of course, the two reconcile. The standout scene is when Anne is speaking to a friend of Wentworth’s talking about how men forget the women they love sooner than women forget men. Overhearing this, Wentworth writes Anne a letter that is guaranteed to make you swoon.
“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in
F. W.
I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father’s house this evening or never. “
Chasing him down, Anne and Frederick reconcile.
Aside from this letter, what makes this story so wonderful is the subtle way Austen shows us they love each other still, even though it’s not obvious to them. Wentworth, once angry that Anne could be persuaded to leave him, learns of her strength and loyalty. Anne, who thinks she’s lost all hope of finding true love, learns to do what is right in her heart, not what’s right for her family. What I really love is that idea that they never stopped loving each other, even when all hope of being together was lost.
There have been several movies made of Persuasion, but my all time favorite is with Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root. They do such a fabulous job of showing the viewer their love and longing, while hiding their feelings. Here is a video that shows highlights and the gist of story from clips from this movie version. I highly recommend seeing the movie Persuasion and/or reading the book if you like Jane Austen.
When you think of romantic couples, you probably think of Elizabeth and Darcy or Cleopatra and Anthony. I agree that they are romantic couples, but along with the romantic words — “You pierce my soul,” Capt. Wentworth in Jane Austen’s Persuasion — is the everyday banter that comes between couples once they start their ‘happily ever after’. That’s what I love about Nick and Nora Charles. They come from opposite worlds and yet click so well together. I wonder what their courtship was like. Did they struggle like a typical romance couple…she the rich heiress and he the blue-collar gumshoe who come from different backgrounds? Or was it chemistry when they met and neither cared about the differences? I like to think it was the latter. I can’t imagine Nick worrying too much about what Nora’s family would think of him.
I love how Nora can keep up with Nick on the quips and while they tease each other, you can tell they love and respect each other. And then there is the humor. I like angst as much as the next reader, but I love quirky characters, funny situations, and engaging banter.
If you’re not familiar with Nick and Nora, you can read The Thin Manby Dashiell Hammett, but theThe Thin Man movies are my favorite starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
I recently discovered the TV show Castle. It has all the elements I love; attraction between characters, mystery and in this case, it involves a writer. I haven’t caught up on all episodes, but TNT was showing a few last night. In one of the episodes, Castle’s new series of books featuring Nikki Heat (based on Beckett the detective he follows around), is being made into a movie. The actress hired to play Nikki joins the group to follow Beckett around as part of her researching of the role. The actress is thrilled to meet Beckett, but barely acknowledges Castle. He introduces himself again, telling her wrote Heat Wave, she’s still not impressed. “I’m your creator,” he mutters in the endearing way Castle pouts.
What’s interesting about this show is that in many ways Castle is the rockstar of mystery writers. He’s rich, famous and handsome. But if you think about it, in real life there aren’t many celebrity writers…at least writers that have the same problems that television and movie celebrities have. In many cases, people may not even recognize their favorite authors if they passed them on the street. And very few authors are invited on television unless they are super-rockstars. I recently saw E.L. James on Katie. J.k. Rowling was on the Daily Show. I’ve seen Stephanie Meyer on two talk shows. But I’ve never seen Grisham, Nora Roberts or even Susanne Collins on TV, except for clips from local news stations posted on YouTube.
I guess because writers aren’t seen very much, the best they can hope for is getting on the bestsellers list. If they’re lucky, their books will become a phenomena and garner a movie deal and then maybe they’ll be a celebrity. Of course, authors never go into writing to become a celebrity. But it’s got to be a happy bonus when the public and media create buzz that propels a book’s success.