Today's mission on Booking Through Thursday is:
“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful...”
I've seen several other blog posts answering this and I have to agree, the first that comes to mind are Elizabeth Bennet and Fitwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I'd have to say they are a favorite because of their romance - the highs and lows of their relationship makes almost any woman swoon. They are definitely one of the best literary couples out there.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that..." Jane Austen knew how to write a love story. And so it's no surprise to me that another couple from her books appears on my list: Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion. While their romance certainly didn't have the spit and fire of Elizabeth and Darcy's, they did have their highs and lows and their story is of true love lasting "even when all hope is lost." Wentworth's letter is sure to take the reader's breath away.
Next is the stormy relationship between Margaret Hale and John Thornton in Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. There are some similarities between these two and Elizabeth and Darcy in P&P, but their story is still unique and heartwarming.
A list could not be complete without Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L. M. Montgomery's Anne series. From the very beginning a reader knows that Anne and Gilbert are destined to be together. Anne herself is a delightful character, but it is Gilbert's steady love over the years that melts the heart of the reader.
Last, but not least is actually a tie. George Elliot's Middlemarch has two couples that I love: Dorothea Brooke and Will Ladislaw, who's love is forbidden in spite of the fact that they are truly kindred spirits. Fred Vincy and Mary Garth are childhood sweethearts, but their relationship faces difficulties as Fred has grown into an irresponsible young man. He must either put his foolish and childish ways behind him or lose Mary forever.
I could go on and on listing couples, but I've decided to keep it to these five books. Who are your favorite? Leave a comment and tell me or link to your own post.
4 comments:
I kept my list to five couples as well...
I listed one couple.
Hmmm, I pretty much love the same couples as you! I would add Levin and Kitty from "Anna Karenina" though too.
I would have to say that my favorite couple in literature is Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. I think because they aren't the typical "oh, we end up happy at the end" couple is one thing that drew me to them. I could dream up my own ending beyond that of the book.
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