My top 10 literary romances

[litlover12]

rachkmc did this at her blog, and asked me to do it too. Since it's her birthday, how can I say no? (She just called hers "Rachel's Favorite Romances," but she stuck to literature and literary adaptations. I'm going to follow her lead in that, or I could never narrow it down to ten. But I'm counting plays as literature. Also, I stole one or two of the pictures off her blog. Thanks, Rachel!)






10. Brandon and Marianne, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen

(More because of the movie -- and fanfic :-)-- than the book, really. Austen tended to write her romances with a cool detachment that made them less sentimental than they're reputed to be. However, I have to believe that if she'd seen Alan Rickman, her pen might have heated up just a little.)

"But you will not stay away long?"




9. Beauty and the Beast, Beauty, Robin McKinley

(Absolutely the best version of the story that I've ever seen.)

". . . I cannot live without you, Beauty."




8. Percy and Marguerite, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy

"'Percy! I entreat you!' she whispered, 'can we not bury the past?'"




7. Anne and Gilbert, the Anne of Green Gables series, L. M. Montgomery

(In the books. Don't faint, but I don't like the movies. Sorry, I know everyone else does, but I just don't!)

"I've loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school."




6. Elizabeth and Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."




5. Cyrano and Roxane, Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand

"In my most sweet unreasonable dreams,
I have not hoped for this! Now let me die,
Having lived."




4. Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw)

"Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?"




3. Sydney Carton and Lucie Manette, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

"For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything."




2. Peter and Harriet, the Lord Peter Wimsey series, Dorothy L. Sayers

"Just exercise your devastating talent for keeping to the point and speaking the truth. . . . That's what I love you for. Didn't you know?"




1. Amy and Arthur, Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens

"I am yours anywhere, everywhere! I love you dearly!"



(If you want, you may regard this as a meme, and make your own list!)

Comments

[nisie.livejournal.com]

Great choices!

[sylverwind.livejournal.com]

Hee! Love it! I have something like this on my Tumblr today. My queue is full of all my One True Pairings. ;) (Well, the ones from my biggest fandoms, at least. If I took the time to blog them all... it would take forever!)

[jadepilot.livejournal.com]

Just lovely!

[nurrantiel.livejournal.com]

Great picks! What's Valentine's Day without some Jane Austen? And I love that you've got Anne and Gilbert and Sir Percy.

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, I love this! I myself actually don't mind Jane's cool detachment with regard to some of her pairings. It suits my not-so-romantic nature. :)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I don't mind it much myself, actually. Just once in a while -- as with Brandon and Marianne -- I'd like to see her be a LITTLE more romantic. Just a very little. :-)

[velle.livejournal.com]

These are beautiful! I love your quote choices and the pictures!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

What a perfect list! I love it!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

What a lovely post!

[rosa-cotton.livejournal.com]

*SQUEEEE* Awesome list!

I definitely like Brandon and Marianne more in the film (the Emma Thompson one!!!) and fanfic than the book. Alan Rickman IS Brandon. And that quote from Marianne... *sigh*

Robin McKinley's Beauty is totally made of win! Beauty and the Beast were wonderful. And I had a soft spot for her sister and beau and their coming together in the end. :)

Have not seen or read The Scarlet Pimpernel yet, though it is on my to-do list.

Anne and Gilbert have one of the most unique love-at-first-sight moments in literature.

Confession: I am more of a Bingley/Jane fan than of Darcy/Elizabeth.

I have not seen My Fair Lady either. Another recommendation?

Yeah! Another Sydney/Lucie fan! *shakes litlover's hand* I heart these two in the book and fanfic. I still have to get around to seeing some of the adaptations. Do you have a favorite?

Amy/Arthur -- ah, true love! Yes, yes, yes! Lovely screencap choice. :D

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it!

Re: "Beauty" -- oh, I know. I heart Grace and Robbie. It was so lovely how their story turned out. :-) I really like Beauty's whole family in that one -- it was one of the many nice touches that McKinley gave the story.

Re: "My Fair Lady" -- yes! Yes yes yes yes! :-) It's my second favorite movie of all time (after "Singin' in the Rain").

Re: "Tale of Two Cities" -- the 1958 adaptation is my favorite. (That's the one pictured here.) I think Dirk Bogarde is the best Sydney, and Dorothy Tutin is by FAR the best Lucie. It's not the easiest adaptation to find in the U.S., alas (the DVD I bought has these annoying subtitles that won't turn off), but do find it if you can.

Re: Arthur and Amy -- I think that's my very favorite picture of them!

[victoria-tonks.livejournal.com]

What a great list. I'm particularly happy about 7., because that's exactly how I feel about it too. I can stand the first film, but only the first, but I'm not overly fond of it. The books, though... I've loved them every since I was a girl, and there was a time when I could quote entire chapters word for word. There are few books I love as much as I love the Anne series. And Anne and Gilbert together. I suppose they might've shaped my never-ending love for a soulmate kind of relationship.

I haven't seen "A Tale of Two Cities", but I read the novel, not a long time ago, and I loved Sydney Carton so much. And the scene you referred to as well.

"Little Dorrit" is both on my to-read and to-watch lists, but it'll have to wait till I'm done with my obligatory college reading.

Great post. I may do a similar one once I've a little more time.

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

I'm getting slightly concerned that you have part of my brain. With the exceptions of Cyrano and Little Dorrit which I have not read, I have to agree completely with all your other selections, right down to your sentiments about Alan Rickman.

I did see a play done of Cyrano and I wasn't terribly overcome, but perhaps I'll put it on my reading list on your rec.