tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post6202840468194664427..comments2024-03-11T22:15:48.675-07:00Comments on ONCE UPON A BLOG: Wish You Were Part of a Fairy Tale Couple? You May Want to Think Again...Gypsy Thorntonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376146830985305127noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-11746318830995849462010-02-16T19:21:29.840-08:002010-02-16T19:21:29.840-08:00Very interesting post! That Annie Liebovitz photo...Very interesting post! That Annie Liebovitz photo is gorgeous. Where did you get it?suburbanbeatnikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15628494445950673866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-79710174454708845792010-02-15T16:30:20.324-08:002010-02-15T16:30:20.324-08:00Genie of the Shell: Glad you enjoyed the post (and...Genie of the Shell: Glad you enjoyed the post (and Ms. Durst's article) and thanks for taking the time to post such an informative comment. I think you'll enjoy my article when it eventually posts too, by what you wrote. Funny thing is I haven't read about many people realizing the disparity of romance in prince/princess hook-ups vs true love among commoners (there are true love stories among royals too, but you're right - for the most part it's business first. If love follows that's a bonus). It's odd that the only book I can find on the subject is in German (and I don't read German) - such a right subject for study, analysis and a lot of fun too. There's actually a lot of great relationship 'advice' in the old stories if you know where to look, isn't there? Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for the article. ;)<br /><br />Elva: He he - I think you're not the only one enjoying that pic. I do think it's funny how the prince is the one with the eyes closed and the beauty is actually awake though... that could be a WHOLE other post! LOLGypsy Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05376146830985305127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-16330959813882703422010-02-15T08:51:06.057-08:002010-02-15T08:51:06.057-08:00Thanks for sharing that link, I'm off to read....Thanks for sharing that link, I'm off to read. And that first picture...*sigh* I'm such a sucker for a good-looking prince.Elva Undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05921498383279174180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-73279142857412475452010-02-15T06:54:21.625-08:002010-02-15T06:54:21.625-08:00Sweeeet. I'm writing a tongue-in-cheek fairy t...Sweeeet. I'm writing a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale romance (in novel form) myself. But the ironic thing is, a novel based on fairy tales only HAS to be tongue-in-cheek because it comes out during the post-Disney age. Fairy tales only became sappy and ultra-romantic with Disney. <br /><br />Older Indo-European tales (especially German) were filled with violence, abusive relationships (familial and marital), and all sorts of dark themes. There were no magical kisses of true love, and the "happily ever afters" were tacked on at the end of gruesome vengeance tales. The heroine's reward when hooking up with Prince Charming (or King Whoever) at the end was not so much a lifetime of lovey bliss as a chance to escape some kind of horror and wreak revenge upon her enemies. Marital love was not an important focus or an assumption. The important part was the power and secure position that came along with a royal spouse.<br /><br />Tales with more of a focus on love between two young people or husband and wife usually starred two peasants, not a princess bride and a powerful man. <br /><br />For example, the Grimm tales include stories about a peasant husband seeking his lost wife, who has been transformed into a flower or surrounded by body doubles or something. His love for her is tested against his ability to find and recognize her through magical disguises. To me, those stories are much more romantic than the ones in which a girl hooks up with a rich stranger so she can escape abuse and kill her enemies.<br /><br />I guess, originally, romantic love was assumed to be in the court of commoners, who were more likely to marry for love and not power. "True love" was shown by knowing one's lover well and having the devotion to seek him/her out when he/she was "lost" or bewitched. Gifts of money, position, or material riches were not signs of affection so much as contractual obligations or exchanges.<br /><br />That's an interesting concept to consider around Valentine's Day! My advice to fairy tale lovers: Seek wisdom in the OG versions, not modern cartoons.Jean Michelle Miernikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08971882597502010124noreply@blogger.com