Shakespeare, Disney and Plot Devices
By Kristen from My Friends Are Fiction
So This Is Love
-Disney’s Cinderella
Honestly, I was raised on insta-love. Think back to the
Disney films: Ariel gave up her life as a mermaid after watching Prince Eric on
his boat and saving him from drowning. Prince Charming chose to marry
Cinderella after one evening of dance, the list goes on.
Perhaps that is why Beauty
and the Beast was always my favored Disney movie. Belle is forced to get to
know the Beast beyond his appearance. They share stolen moments together and as
the viewer we are privy to their emotional attachment growing and blossoming
into something deeper than the friendship they’ve begun.
-Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet
I think literature’s most popular and wildly known case of
insta-love would have to be Shakespeare’s Romeo
& Juliet. As a teen I was incredibly drawn to their story and found it
romantic that two people would give up everything after only encountering one
another a handful of times. What could be a bolder notion of love than to drop
everything for someone you barely know?
As I’ve gotten older
and revisited the classic the romance has slowly slipped away. Yet, no amount
of logical thought could ever detract completely from Shakespeare’s beautiful
words.
The Means to an End?
This brings me to my preferred genre today, young adult. So
many books in this genre tend to utilize insta love as the basis to their
character’s romantic relationship. I’ll not name specifics but I’m fairly certain
most people can think of a few fairly easily. Sadly, more often than not insta-love
glares from the pages instead of portraying the absolute devotion Shakespeare
was capable of instilling within his star-crossed lovers.
When I encounter a book that incorporates this it always
feels that the romance was added for the sole purpose of increasing tension to
the story-line, a means to the end, and not to bolster the emotional draw and
depth of the novel. Pertaining to insta love as a plotting device-I’ve often
wondered if the writer plans to have their characters fall immediately in love
or if to them, they felt that the relationship was justified.
From what I’ve seen in other blogger’s reviews and common
discussion the majority of people feel negatively towards it. Not only does it
pull us from the overall story arc but also misses such a great opportunity for
the author to give the reader insight into both characters.
Your Thoughts
What do you think? Does insta love show a depth of emotion
that is romantic in its ludicrous abandon of logic? Or does it seem like a
missed opportunity to get to know the characters or even a plot device?
Kristen
My Friends Are Fiction
Twitter: @Kris10Williams
I truly love this post and it's such a different spin on the common discussion on insta-love. Kristen did such an amazing job, just as I knew she would. Thank you so much Kristen, for everything! It was truly wonderful having you on the blog! I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I did! Thank you Kristen for stopping by. Now everyone make sure you stop by again tomorrow for another fun feature!
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~Kayla~
Thank you so much for having me! I actually hadn't really thought too much on the topic of insta-love past just knowing it wasn't my favorite type of love in ya. I was thrilled to have the chance to really sit down and think about it. I'm so happy you enjoy the Legos and the blog! Thank you for thinking of inviting me <3
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am a fan of insta-love if the author does a good job presenting it within the context of the story. I also totally believe in insta-love in RL! Romeo and Juliet still maintains it's magnetic pull on me because of the love at first site aspect.
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