I was inspired by Carrie at Stalking the Bookshelves–and, of course, by Valentine’s Day–to talk about my favorite romantic pairings from literature (with links to film adaptations).
Top Five Literary Couples:
—Jane Eyre & Edward Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (My favorite film version is from 2011.)
—Harriet Vane & Lord Peter Wimsey from Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, particularly Gaudy Night** (This will seem extremely outdated to the young ‘uns out there, but I’ll always love Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter in the BBC adaptation from 1987.)
—Anne Elliot & Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen’s Persuasion (Take your pick: Ciaran Hinds or Rupert Penry Jones. Either way counts as a win.)
—Margaret Hale & John Thornton from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (Only one film adaptation that I know of, and it is PERFECTION–check the image at the top of this post for corroborating evidence. Of course, I saw the mini-series before reading the book.)
—Christabel LaMotte & Randolph Henry Ash from A.S. Byatt’s Possession (Jennifer Ehle and Jeremy Northam do a fine job in the 2002 film adaptation.)
**It looks like Harper Collins has released new trade paperbacks of the Peter/Harriet books. They are GORGEOUS!
Also on the short list:
Lizzie Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, Percy Blakeney & Marguerite St. Just from The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dorothea Brooke & Will Ladislaw from Middlemarch, Sue Trinder and Maud Lily from Fingersmith, and Helen MacFarquhar & Johnny Howell from The Love Letter.
Young Adult Romance:
Now I certainly consider YA fiction “literary” but I wanted to separate these books from the above list in order NOT to spoil the pairings. (Most of the novels listed below are fairly new.) It was hard to keep it to five–so many YA writers do a fabulous job with romance! But here is my short list (with a little cheating on the last one):
—Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
—The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (But read the first book, The absolutely wonderful Girl of Fire and Thorns, in order to fully enjoy the romance in this second installment. *fans self*)
—Chime, by Franny Billingsley
—Graceling, by Kristin Cashore
–Anything by Eva Ibbotson, but especially A Countess Below Stairs (Omigosh, the scene with the hair!)
Now, what are your favorite literary pairings? Tell me in the comments, or blog about it and link to your post below!
I will leave you with this random photo of Captain Frederick “You Pierce my Soul” Wentworth on a horse (as played by Rupert Penry-Jones).
You’re welcome! 🙂
[Cross-posted at livejournal]
