[ SECRET POST #7005 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #7005 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.
[pride and prejudice]



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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 10 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1000.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

it's fine if bickering couple is not a dynamic you enjoy, OP (and I personally think it can go from 'these people enjoy sparring, testing each other's wits, having a worthy playmate for their own' or 'these people start off disliking each other but grow to have a deep respect and fondness for each other that still includes lovingly giving each other shit sometimes' to 'oh you just wrote two people that genuinely don't like each other but made them kiss at the end' in the hands of less skilled writers, or writers who are not terribly invested in the romance subplot of a bigger action/comedy/adventure/scifi/whatever. and it's a dynamic that VERY much needs attention and skill to pull off.

but it certainly didn't start with P&P. Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing have them beat by centuries, and I'm sure if I were more well-read on my medieval lais and ancient epics, I could dig up another example or two.

the thing about "they start off sincerely not liking each other and then come around" is that it....provides a narrative arc. Actual tension, actual development. And in P&P's case, because their flaws are significant and real, that romantic development is woven into the character development. Which is a lot more nuanced than "outside forces conspired to keep us apart, but now they don't" which can involve a well-written plot that just isn't as tied to the characters, or "the personal reasons we didn't like each other at first were always trivial and contrived misunderstandings that can be dispensed with as soon as the writer gets to the part of their outline where we switch to being passionately in love," which is a well-worn cliche at this point.

Honestly I think of P&P a lot like Lord of the Rings - it's iconic because there's a lot of really genuine quality and depth and nuance of story there, but precisely because they did inspire so many less-nuanced imitators, the shallow surface level versions of what they're doing have become annoying and widespread clichés. Also, they have their own quirks and a fairly dry writing style which simply isn't for everyone.

TLDR: it's fine if you didn't like the book, but this is a very uncharitable view of what it's doing.

[(Anonymous)]

+100000000 Well said, anon!