My Favorite Literary Couples

Valentine’s Day was two weeks ago, but since love is timeless, I’m permitted to talk about literary romances today, aren’t I? Besides, every day is a good day to talk about favorite book characters!

Although I don’t read or prefer many unalloyed romance novels, I appreciate a unique and well-crafted romance within the larger story of a novel. Jane Austen’s works exemplify what I like: social commentaries that don’t focus on the physical attraction between a couple (which can veer too close to objectifying another human being) but rather on their mental and moral compatibility as they interact in a world bigger than themselves. These romances are still delightful and satisfying, but in ways that make us love the characters as real people instead of conduits for romantic thrills, much like how we feel when we witness our family members and friends getting married.

Most female readers have favorite literary couples that demonstrate cherished romantic ideals, and I’m no exception. My top three choices might be unusual, and I certainly understand if you don’t agree with me. I found it unexpectedly difficult to think of many literary couples I adore both halves of. On my long list of best-loved characters, few make it there alongside their partners. (One example of those who don’t is Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. I adore Jane Eyre, but I could take or leave the dark Byronic hero Mr. Rochester.) So each couple on my list includes a man and woman who are equally beloved by me:

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1. Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars of Sense and Sensibility. Most people can readily recognize Elinor’s qualities: her strength, her capability, her discreetness. But I can hear it now: “Edward Ferrars? He’s boring and wooden!” At first glance, maybe. And I do agree that I wish he were more developed. But personally, I find quiet, unassuming, and slightly awkward characters endearing. I also think he’s an equitable match for my favorite heroine, through their humility and high standards of honor and self-sacrifice. One of my favorite things about writing my novel Suit and Suitability was delving into the relationship between my equivalent characters, Ellen and Everett, and trying to show why I love this gentle yet courageous couple and their dynamics. 
   
   

   

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2. Arthur Clennam and Amy Dorrit of Little Dorrit. For years, I didn’t think I’d meet a literary couple that came close to Elinor and Edward, but when I watched the movie Little Dorrit, I was immediately attracted. The book, which I read late last year, was just as wonderful because I got to spend more time in the company of two of the sweetest protagonists in literature. Arthur Clennam may well be my favorite hero, and Amy easily joins the highest ranks of my favorite heroines. Without being unrealistic, they are models of virtue and goodness in difficult circumstances. In the midst of harsh surroundings and grimy, selfish morals, they stay untouched and strive to do the right thing, always putting others above themselves. They are vulnerable and make mistakes, but when they come through all their trials and join together in the end, it’s one of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve ever read.
   
   

   

   I wish I had an image of these two!

3. Eowyn and Faramir from The Lord of the Rings. These secondary characters of the fantasy epic are not as extensively portrayed as the others on my list, but thanks to the movies and a beautiful section within The Return of the King, their relationship enchants me. They spend comparatively little time together in the books and movies, but as separate characters, they are quite appealing: brave Eowyn, disappointed in love and life, accompanies her uncle’s army to battle and slays a terrible enemy that no man can vanquish; and Faramir, the underappreciated younger son of the Steward of Gondor, despite being more of a peace-loving artist than a soldier, valiantly exceeds his duty in the war for Middle Earth. When they meet (as shown in the book and the extended movie version of The Return of the King), these two wounded, heroic characters discover what they had been missing all these years and what will bring them healing and happiness: each other.

What do these three couples have in common? They are selfless and persevere through heart-wrenching circumstances to accomplish what good they can. They are not ostentatious about their affection but are willing to sacrifice their feelings for the greater good. They aren’t flawless, but they are strong, and though tested, they hold up beyond what they think they’re capable of until the end of all their trials. And when they receive their reward in each other, it’s a beautiful picture of true love overcoming all odds, which is what we all long for and can ultimately find in Messiah.

Bonus: My runners-up!

4. Margaret Hale and John Thornton from North and South

5. Daniel Deronda and Mirah from Daniel Deronda

6. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series

7. Godwin and Masouda from The Brethren

8. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

9. Molly Gibson and Roger Hamley from Wives and Daughters

10. Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey

Who are your favorite literary couples?

The Books They Read

Sorry to have neglected my blog last week…I was meeting with my characters from Suit and Suitability, and since we’re editing their novel, they took all my writing time. They only let me post today because I’m writing about them. (Who knew that even classy, polite people like them could be rather pushy?)

Since I began the Dashiells’ story in Suit and Suitability last year, I’ve dug into what they and other people of the novel would have read for leisure. You can tell a lot about people from the books they like, so knowing what my fictional characters read is a vital tool for characterization. It’s always fun to look back on what was popular and available during a certain historical era. I’ve read some vintage books expressly for the purpose of getting to know the 1930s (I enjoyed all of them but The Good Earth). 

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Here’s a sampling of what some of the S&S cast particularly enjoyed in 1935:

Ellen Dashiell - 

Ellen…preferred classics like A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter, heavier fare that withstood decades of opinion. Maybe she was a snob, but why read unless one expanded one’s mind? That was her idea of enjoyment. Entertainment came from cinema and radio.

Nineteenth-century classics make you mull over deep things in life, like right and wrong, human psychology, and purposeful living. Ellen values these books because, as a secretary, it’s easy for her to get lost in the finicky details of a single office. She has a searching mind and needs the “heavier fare” to feed it. Some contemporary novels catch her interest, too, but classics are her favorite. She also finds great things in books on Christian living.

Marion Dashiell - 

[S]atiating herself with a swashbuckling adventure novel put her in a happier state of mind and gave her sweet dreams.

Though Marion reads a wide range of fiction (and only fiction), her top picks are historical romance and adventure. Rafael Sabatini is her favorite author. Captain Blood (which I just read!) and his other novels frequently visit her mind because they sweep her out of the mundane. She dreams of being the lead lady in ever-popular historical romance movies. She catches wind of a new dramatization of her best-loved book, Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn, so you can imagine how wild she’ll be when it comes out later in 1935…her only regret is that she wasn’t able to play Arabella Bishop herself!

Augustine Dashiell - Although we don’t see Mrs. Dashiell taking the time to read in S&S, she’s always loved the sweet, faith-building, Christian romances of Grace Livingston Hill. I’ve read four of these novels so far myself for their lovely 1930s atmosphere. They’re just the thing to soothe a woman who worries about her imprisoned husband and maturing daughters.

Greta Dashiell - Greta loves adventure, so she often turns to the kids series of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Nancy Drew is by far her favorite, like many girls of the 1930s. I confess I’ve read only one of the originals that Greta would have known, The Secret of the Old Clock, but Nancy Drew is one of my favorite fictional characters as well. Her detective work thrills both me and Greta.

Frances Lundberg - Frances doesn’t have a whole lot of time to read, since she works full-time as a secretary. She devours popular mysteries like those by Agatha Christie, her absolute favorite author. With a bent for mysteries, she does a little investigating herself when her employer Oliver Dashiell is accused of embezzlement.

Do you ever give your characters favorite books, or portray them reading in your stories?

Beautiful People: Valentine Edition

Even though I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, the opportunity to delve into my first romantic couple was too enticing to pass up with this edition of Beautiful People. Check out the blogs at Paper Fury or Further Up and Further In to learn more!

Up until last year, I wouldn’t have had a couple to use for this questionnaire. But since my 1930s retelling of Sense and Sensibility, obviously I have one now. Two, in fact, but I’ll focus on my favorite: Ellen Dashiell (aka Elinor Dashwood) and Everett Shepherd (aka Edward Ferrars).

1. How did they first meet?
They met in Ellen’s cousin’s living room. It was totally unexpected on everyone’s parts, including the cousin’s, because Ellen was late and Everett was early. It might as well have happened then, though, because two days later they turned into coworkers when Everett became the accountant at the business where Ellen was a secretary.

2. What were their first impressions of each other?
Ellen noticed Everett was shy, at least around girls. She thought he had a pleasant, endearing look about him, and she felt he needed friendly drawing-out. Everett thought Ellen was strikingly pretty, poised and confident, though quiet, which he especially appreciated. Overbearing girls make him want to disappear.

3. How long have they been a couple?
Well, they’re not really an official couple yet…

4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?
A certain secret makes it impossible for them to be together. But if that issue were swept away, they would be united for life—even into death. They would die for each other.

5. List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)
1) Ellen knows Everett can’t make a decent sandwich to save his life.
2) They both choose apple cider over coffee and hot chocolate (can you believe someone would do that? Actually, they’re people after my own heart there).
3) When Ellen works, she always eats lunch at her desk.
4) They each know the other is cold-natured (they noticed almost as soon as they first met, because neither of them are ever quick to doff their coats or gloves in winter).
5) Everett gets absorbed in numbers; Ellen gets absorbed in typing.

6. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?
No one really except Leona Bingham (aka Lucy Steele). If you know Sense and Sensibility’s plot, you know why.

7. What would be an ideal date?
Although they like working in an office well enough, they love getting out into nature. So a day trip out to Turkey Foot Lake or some other nearby natural spot would be absolutely idyllic to them.

8. What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly?
They’re pretty similar as far as couples go. Both are quiet, though Ellen is more outgoing. Both are neat and orderly. They understand each other very well, often without speaking, so arguments are rare.

9. What have been their best and worst moments together as a couple?
If I answer this question, won’t it give away their story? :) Their best and worst moments as a couple are at the heart of Suit and Suitability.

10. Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years?
At this point, they aren’t sure. They think they want to marry, but the obstacles seem insurmountable.

All in all, Ellen and Everett are rather sedate as a couple—nothing flamboyant or unpredictable, thank you. They love peace and quiet and work and structure, and being there for their friends. We need more people like them in this world!