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Very little literature has been written without reference to love, the greatest of all emotions. Victorians had very idealistic views on love. Engagement and marriage were binding and adultery was a sin. In contrast, since the sixties, love has taken on new meaning. Examples of this are in the use of the phrase 'making love' which used to mean 'flirting' or 'courting' and a 'lover' was no more than 'the one with whom you were in love'.
Victorian writings generally describe the pain behind the struggle to build a loving relationship before it culminates in a romantic and lasting marriage--no easy route!
In A woman's patience by Emma Jane Worboise, General Vernon suggests to his daughter that romance is not a strong enough foundation on which to base a marriage relationship.
"Love and romance are very pretty things, I acknowledge, but love--married love, at least--needs something more substantial than roses and kisses and honeyed nonsense for its daily fare."
Love described in this literature spans emotionless 'love' used as a means to an end, to a 'love' one is prepared to sacrifice everything for. A common thread in romantic literature is love discovered, inevitably followed by a misunderstanding, then disappointment, then fulfilment, and finally a happily married life.
In another thread, one lover has second thoughts, often finding ruin, while the spurned one endures the pain but finally finds a better love and is blissfully married.
These and other topics are addressed amongst the themes on page two.
There are pages on this website devoted to the following writers mentioned below:
The following books which focus on romance are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection.
The lord of the rings (1954) one of the great, unsung romances of West Midlands literature is the story of Arwen Undomiel, the elf princess, who gave up her immortality for love of Aragorn, the future king of Gondor.
The marriage of Megotta (1979)
Page created 31 January 2003 and last
updated 31 January 2003
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