Romance In The Now

I have never really understood the elements of romance. Other than the countless movies I have seen and the books that I have read on the subject matter, i still do not have a grasp on the concepts surrounding romance. There is also a sort of blurred vision when dealing with ideals of romance based on age, sex, and relationship background. It is an ever changing scale to which I just haven't gotten a handle on. I do believe in manners and ideals of a gentlemanly ways with tones of chivalry, but sometimes A question keeps bouncing around in my head. Is romance an event, an emotion, or is it even a real thing. I like to think of Romance as a venture to connect with a person of relationship interest. It seems to me that if something is described as romantic it Is a portion of all the things so mentioned. Its the environment, the mood, and the wanting of another. At least in my mind Anyways. In todays world a lot of the processes for discovering romance feel lost on me. But the frame work is still instilled in each person when being overcome by another.

Thing i liked when i was 6yrs old

At the age of six, I discovered some the moist amazing things the world had to offer; Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, camping, going to the beach, and so on, but my favorites were always the simple things in life. I liked playing on the Atari with my elder brother, building legos as my mother read to me in the living room, and of course losing my mind whenever i caught wind of the ice cream man rolling down the block. I was filled with the intent to destroy G.I. Joes with deadly force. Playing with the cats, or taking our tarantula out for a walk, there was never a dull moment when i was Six.

An Excerpt From Mr. Frye

"Romance is the structural core of all fiction: being directly descended from folktale, it brings us closer than any other aspect of literature to the sense of fiction, considered as a whole, as the epic of the creature, man's vision of his own life as a quest."

                                       Northrop Frye

When reading this quote an entirely new train of thought came crashing into my head. It became obvious to me that I have never viewed romance in such a way. Since romance calls upon the reader to create a world within their mind and follow the guidance of the Mythos. The quest, we have talked about being obsessed in class before but being on a quest is exactly the same thing. You are set on a goal and the adventure doesn't end until the quest or obsession has been completed. The other aspect of this quote that caught me by surprise, is relating romance to folklore and fiction. Can you have a romance that is purely factual, or is it just being expressed in the fictional sense. Either way it reminds me that telling stories all start out the same way, verbally. When reading Haroun, An Ephesian Tale, or Abu Kasim's slipper, you get the notion that all of these stories were rich in oral tradition. I mean seriously what is the purpose of a story? A story has to be told, because if it is not told, does it really exist?

     In trying to develop a character to deem worthy of a villain, the best of them seem to temp the ear with seeds of doubt covered in lyrics of honey. Or something like that. I was dealt a hand of brashness and directed force. Boundaries are blurred while invisible lines draw borders limiting movement until a flinch beckons contact. A primeval heart beat drives the mind wild with adrenaline! Words are basic and gruntal, almost overwhelmingly devouring senses, while a clash of flesh and armor pierce the air. When the battle is exhausted, the beasts retire removed from breath. Drenched, drowning in thirst, quenched by a deep inhale of sky. Romance? Its everything i say to get you to say yes. To see you rival the sun with a smile, golden and beautiful. I'm strong in body basking in your spirit, if only you will let me feel your light against the cheek, I would gladly return favor.

     Now the character at hand is porous, brutally rough, obviously offensive and wearing his lust on his sleeve rather than his heart. He does not feel but grasps at, clinging to familiar words, easily broken down and deciphered revealing a repetitive rotation of cogs in the cranial attic. There is no depth only a puddle of linguistics. His eyes project the channels aping his sitcom like response. Vugarly spewing wanting, whaling waspy words of desperation.

'Love Jones' Part 1

Warning this video Clip contains adult language and suggestive themes.
Also known as swear words and dirty talk. SORRY!


     I was sitting with a bunch of guys and brought the topic of romance, after all the sighs and grunts of distastement, i realized how skewed a view some men have about the topic. On one hand you have the guys that ooze romance and are sappy to their very core, and on the other the bitter cynics that see romance as a series of hoops and hurdles to bound in order to catch a significant other.

     They say its a thin line between love and hate, and the same goes for the practices of romance. Now I am using the romance to reflect the instances that occur during the courtship of a new relationship. While some stories we have read have been over the top, the simple and subtle for of romance has been broken down in this video from the movie "Love Jones." in this clip you get some aspects of the male perspective on romance. Set to be a sort of buffer into the deep topic of romance. I found that the character of Darius Lovehall to be a valid point in the on going struggles of people meeting and falling in love. Its hard work convincing a person to give you a chance, even harder when trying to attract another for the purpose of love.

     I think a lot of people can agree that the first must be a driving force to set two people in motion to find each other. next comes the mutual attraction. The feeling out process, a playful yet challenging game of cat and mouse to check limits and boundaries. Then comes the courtship itself, displays of affection followed by well timed events that cause the two to set sail on a sea of calamity that eventual brings both parties to the same conclusion. The fact that neither person can go without a daily dose of one another. but when the excitement wears off, it is then that you must reinvent the romance.

The Cruel Mistress

Since the title of this class is Oceans of Stories, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the parallels between the sea and love. At first glance some may not see the similarities between the two but after a closer view the body of water and and emotional state often seem the same. Both vast feeling like they go on forever. The sea as well as love are both scary and exciting at the same time when immersed in them. Each filled with gushing swells lifting up and down, leaving the body in a constant state of perpetual motion. Monstrous waves that come crashing down on top of you leaving a person consumed. The two can be nauseating and nourishing all at the same time. Its a wonder after thinking about it that there are so many books, movies, and greeting cards having cliche after cliche written into their bodies of work. yet there is a dark side to these great embodiments. Love and the sea can swallow you whole, drowning you in there midst, leaving the mind and body lost. Playing cruel tricks, devious intents, leaving those caught in the grips desperate for salvation with not a sign of rescue anywhere in sight. All in all both can show extremes, and boy is the ride worth it. Although the most intriguing aspect is that neither can be conquered, only adventured. So when reading the texts of romance and the stories that lie within, remember to enjoy the ride, savor the sweet deliciously salty air that resides in love and the sea.