[HPforGrownups] Canon and romance (was: L&J typical? (FF))

[Ebony Elizabeth Thomas]

No: HPFGUIDX 19420

The awesome Amy Z wrote:

?  Is it unimaginable that any couples will form who weren't already hinted 
at in the first four novels?

Of course not!  You know, as I read your post I really began to see a bit of 
where no-shippers are coming from... most HP ships haven't even been hinted 
at in canon.  It's just a case of HP fans who wish to play Cupid.  (Although 
some of us are more adept at matchmaking than others.  <eg>)

The *best* romance so far in canon IMO is Arthur and Molly's marriage, as 
someone else pointed out today.  My favorite fictional couples are not those 
whose story ends at "...and they all lived happily ever after", but those 
who are shown dealing with the problems of everyday life.

In C.S. Lewis' essay on romantic love (Eros), he makes an interesting 
observation:  "Eros is driven to promise what Eros himself cannot perform... 
but these lapses will not destroy a marriage between two decent and sensible 
people.  We must do the works of Eros when Eros is not present."

I am not married, so cannot speak about it from experience, but I have been 
in love.  When married couples that I know (and most of the friends I 
interact with most on a daily basis are or have been married) say that they 
are still in love with their spouse, I gather that they are not talking 
about that flushed, 
can't-eat-can't-sleep-can't-do-anything-save-think-of-him infatuated state 
that is so lauded in both popular and classical culture.  How would anything 
ever get done?  One can't stay in that state for all time.

That's why I value the positive example that Arthur and Molly are setting 
for their children.  Too bad they're so terribly neglected in fanfic.  On 
second thought, knowing the ff.net crowd as I do, perhaps that is a good 
thing.  :-)

--Ebony

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Ebony AKA AngieJ
ebonyink at hotmail.com

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