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Jul. 31st, 2006 02:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snowystingrayI was really hoping that this whole five fictional loves thing would inspire me to post more rather than just lurk around LJ, and then I rediscovered RollerCoaster Tycoon. Oh. My. God. Most addictive game ever. I saw my little brother playing it on Saturday and was all, "Oh, man, I remember playing that all the time in middle school!" And then I decided to play for a little while. And then a little while longer. And then... gahhh. I was almost late for my friend's party on Saturday night when I lost track of time playing. Luckily, she lives right across the lake so I still managed to get there in time. See, now, this is what happens when I get four days of work off in a row -- I have too much free time to dedicate to pointless past times!
2. Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre
Unlike with Little Women, I do remember exactly when I first read Jane Eyre. It was the summer between fifth and sixth grade, and my grandmother took me on a two week long trip to Paris. I brought two books with me to read during the plane ride. While the first book has completely passed out of my memory, I don't think I could ever forget Jane Eyre. You could count it as my first foray into "adult" literature; it's definitely had an effect on the way I've regarded pretty much any other book since then. The relationship between Jane and Rochester has left a similarly indelible mark on the way I've regarded other relationships. Jane Eyre is often labeled as a feminist book about a strong young woman finding herself and her own happiness, but I think that is oversimplifying and almost cheapening it. Rochester is a huge part of her happiness and I think people just shy away from saying that because it makes her seem too dependent on a man rather than self reliant. I just can't see why people would find fault with a girl who wants to spend her life with the one person she's found who can be a friend, a companion, and a lover all in one. It is truly a case of finding her soul mate; however flawed Rochester may be, he never has to make himself "worthy" of Jane's love. She loves him because of who he is, because of his character that comes through his actions. After the hugeomgshocking!!1! revelation about his past, although she can't admit to it Jane still forgives him in an instant, because even without knowing everything about him she still instinctively knows what kind of a person he is.
On a less dramatic-romantic-soul-mates note, he just seems like a great person to talk to. They can sit down and discuss anything, no matter how random, and it is still an interesting and intelligent conversation. He enjoys cross-dressing! He likes charades! He takes care of bastard children! Check, check, and check on my list of things that I like in a man.
Er, I realize now that I mostly wrote about why Jane likes Rochester, but I've always identified with her character so closely that you can just carry her reasons over to me as well.
2. Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre
Unlike with Little Women, I do remember exactly when I first read Jane Eyre. It was the summer between fifth and sixth grade, and my grandmother took me on a two week long trip to Paris. I brought two books with me to read during the plane ride. While the first book has completely passed out of my memory, I don't think I could ever forget Jane Eyre. You could count it as my first foray into "adult" literature; it's definitely had an effect on the way I've regarded pretty much any other book since then. The relationship between Jane and Rochester has left a similarly indelible mark on the way I've regarded other relationships. Jane Eyre is often labeled as a feminist book about a strong young woman finding herself and her own happiness, but I think that is oversimplifying and almost cheapening it. Rochester is a huge part of her happiness and I think people just shy away from saying that because it makes her seem too dependent on a man rather than self reliant. I just can't see why people would find fault with a girl who wants to spend her life with the one person she's found who can be a friend, a companion, and a lover all in one. It is truly a case of finding her soul mate; however flawed Rochester may be, he never has to make himself "worthy" of Jane's love. She loves him because of who he is, because of his character that comes through his actions. After the hugeomgshocking!!1! revelation about his past, although she can't admit to it Jane still forgives him in an instant, because even without knowing everything about him she still instinctively knows what kind of a person he is.
On a less dramatic-romantic-soul-mates note, he just seems like a great person to talk to. They can sit down and discuss anything, no matter how random, and it is still an interesting and intelligent conversation. He enjoys cross-dressing! He likes charades! He takes care of bastard children! Check, check, and check on my list of things that I like in a man.
Er, I realize now that I mostly wrote about why Jane likes Rochester, but I've always identified with her character so closely that you can just carry her reasons over to me as well.
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Date: 2006-07-31 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-01 05:10 pm (UTC)That is the exact same example I thought about while I was writing this. Although I decided not to include it, I started on a whole long part about Jane and Rochester being the exact opposite of conventional romance leads, and I certainly had an image of Darcy as a contrast to Rochester. I think Darcy is an attractive character to so many people because he willingly undergoes a change to win the woman he loves. While I can see why people find that romantic, I much prefer the thought of finding somebody that you are perfectly compatible with, without having to change a single thing about them.