Today's post is almost an anti-swoon, but I figure it counts because it is something that is intended to be swoon worthy but just isn't, or maybe it is? (That's part of what we are going to discuss) I want it to be a discussion post too, so that means you guys have to participate and discuss back to make this fun.
If you're just joining this party, Sunday Swoons is a weekly meme (you don't have to post on Sunday. If you can't or don't get it up on the day it doesn't matter, what matters is that you post it and have fun!) Feel free to use my logo, theme, ect, as long as you link back and mention me! You can link up by using the linky button at the bottom of the post.
Today's theme is: Forbidden Love
Ah, forbidden love. That thing where two people fall hopelessly in love, but alas it is not to be! For some reason or another they aren't supposed to love each other and the world will simply end if anyone found out they had committed the scandalous crime of loving another human being. Whether it's social rules/ standards/laws (class, caste, race, physical appearance, status, ect.), a family feud, religious beliefs, or whatever else might be the reason for their love to be forbidden, it always goes along in pretty much the same way every time.
Ok so some questions for you guys (don't worry there will be PLENTY of others to come as well): How do you feel about forbidden love? Love it? Hate it? Why?
Personally, I kind of hate it but I have to admit I also can't help but be intrigued by it sometimes and occasionally deeply ensnared by it. It's like a bad soap opera sometimes you can't watch it through the end because it is so melodramatic and ridiculous, and other times you can't tare your eyes away even though you spend the whole time thinking to yourself "this is so bad, it physically hurts me." In a way it is similar to how many readers feel about love triangles. I honestly have no idea why it is that we can hate something and love(?) something so much at the same time/ feel this way about it, but I think it is part of human nature. Why do you think we feel this way?
(In your guys's opinion...)Why do writers write about forbidden love? How does it help, hinder, and impact the story?
We've already established that it certainly adds drama, and maybe a little too much drama sometimes. Also, it adds tension and has the potential to change the plot of the story. Sometimes the tension and drama is delicious and extremely entertaining, however (like we talked about above) sometimes it leaves us thumping our head against the nearest hard surface. Part of what makes the difference is the amount of tension and drama and the way it is written. Cheesy, over the top drama, that seems to never end is always painful to me and can completely ruin a book (for me). For me, it feels like the author is trying way to hard to add another conflict in and make the book likable and when it's too dramatic and cheesy then it isn't realistic and that makes it hard to appreciate.
What do you dislike about forbidden love stories or what makes you feel one way or another about one?
Additionally, forbidden love happens frequently in novels, especially YA and like most common themes, conflicts, ect., it all starts sounding the same and we get a horrible sense of deja vu. Readers get bored if they already know what is going to happen (or feel like they do), because they usually do (at least have a rough idea). If not done right it makes the book predictable, providing one more thing for readers to dislike about the book.
Let's face it it's a thin line between love and hate, but who doesn't love a little bit of drama?
Overall what do you guys think about forbidden love? When and how should it be used? How do you handle drama? What's your drama limit? What else do you have to add to the discussion? Do you think your cat is in a forbidden, dramatic, and star-crossed relationship with the neighbor dog or vice versa? What next?
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