In the world of "wow, there really is a holiday out there for everything," April 14th is National Ex-Spouse Day when ex-spouses are encouraged to forgive each other and move on.
For Romance & Manga, I thought a quote about how romances don't always fit a pattern was appropriate.
The quote--from Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer--also illustrates why Gothic literature was so attractive to nineteenth century Englishers (and still is).
Gothic literature arose out of the tension between the modern world and the more visually attractive past. Nobody really wanted to give up newspapers and telegraphs and slowly improving modern medicine. Not really.
But the appealing images of castles and knights and monasteries lingered.
In Sprig Muslin, young Hildebrand (who is not in fact the hero of the novel), reflects:
It was not that he disliked the plan: given the right setting, there was nothing he would rather do than ride off with Amanda on his saddle-bow. The mischief was the right setting was lacking. The adventure demanded an odd dragon or two in the background, and a few false knights in full armour...
A nineteenth century scene was hopelessly anachronistic...one was more likely to be sent to prison, or, at the very least, severely reprimanded for having done something that one's elders would say was not the thing.
As in a number of Heyer's novels, it is the level-headed persons, Gareth and Hester, who get together. They were friends for years, but Gareth has to move on from a past romance before his and Hester's relationship can really take hold.
It is a sweet romance untroubled by dragons, false knights...and prison.
