|
Issue Date: February 8, 2004
Love stories
Nothing sets the tone for Valentine's Day better than the great romances of literature. What puts celebs in the mood? You may be surprised.
By Brian Truitt
Love is a many-splendored thing. And it's a much-written-about thing, too. From Shakespeare's tragic "Romeo and Juliet" to Margaret Mitchell's Southern classic "Gone With the Wind" to modern-day romance novels in which many a bodice gets ripped, people love to read about lovers. In fact, according to Romantic Writers of America, romance novels alone make up 54% of paperback sales -- that's 51 million people a year reading these tawdry tomes.
So what makes for a truly romantic story? The key: characters with a connection other than physical attraction, says author Jennifer Crusie, whose past five romantic comedies were on the "New York Times" best-seller list. Her new book, "Bet Me," hits shelves this week. "One of the things that always drives me crazy is when they prove their love by saying, 'I love you because you make me laugh' or the classic, 'You complete me,' but that's all conditional love," she says. "It should just be, 'I love you because you're you.' "
Romantic fiction isn't the only genre with lyrical expressions of love, as we found when we asked celebrities which romantic masterpieces tug at their heartstrings:
Southern Comfort
Nancy O'Dell ("Access Hollywood"): "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks revolves around all the tender moments we experience when we are in love and illustrates how those little moments, which seem so simple, stay with us forever and have a profound effect on our lives. It beautifully conveys the message that nothing is more powerful than love. And the story is set in North Carolina, and, being from the South, I know what a romantic place that can be.
Stuck On Love
Matt Damon ("Stuck on You," "The Bourne Supremacy"): Well, I haven't read any really romantic books recently. My favorite poem -- I always liked Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress."
Making a pass
Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls"): It just came out a couple of years ago -- "Passing Through," by a poet named Stanley Kunitz. There are some beautiful poems in there that he wrote to his wife. I recommend those.
The Pain Truth
Henry Rollins (musician, "Live at Luna Park"): Thomas Wolfe's first two novels -- "Look Homeward," "Angel and Of Time and the River" -- are just exquisite, getting that young's man pain of wanting to be with a woman and her leaving. It just scorches you down to your marrow.
Mystic Muse
Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River): I like Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnets. They are just absolutely beautiful. They are like little odes of love to someone. I'm not sure about her history -- if she met him or not -- but they're all just so incredibly beautiful.
This Book's Got Love Covered
Vanna White (Wheel of Fortune): "The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller gave me that feeling of true love where your heart aches for someone.
You grow, girl
Neve Campbell (The Company): I like "On Love" and "On Marriage" from Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet." There's a concept of two trees growing next to each other and that they can't be too close to each other because then they'll overshadow one another and not be able to grow. They won't be able to get sunlight. It's a beautiful concept.
Go to top
Our romantic reading picks
If you're looking for even more heartfelt literature to put you in the mood for love this Valentine's Day, check out these books and poems, recommended by the staff of USA WEEKEND Magazine:
"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë: One of the most romantic stories ever.
"A Room With a View" by E.M. Forster: A proper British woman finds true love with a brash, free-thinking man.
The "Griffin & Sabine" trilogy by Nick Bantock: Romantic correspondence evolves through a series of illustrated letters and postcards.
"Snow Falling" on Cedars by David Guterson: The engaging tale of a man's longing for his childhood sweetheart, whose husband is on trial for murder.
"Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez: A woman marries a man she doesn't love, but what results is a remarkable union.
Song of Solomon from the Bible: The entire book is essentially a collection of love poems.
"The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri: A man literally goes to hell to find his beloved.
The "Merlin" trilogy by Mary Stewart: Tales of magic and romance are set in the world of Arthurian legend.
"The Captain's Verses" by Pablo Neruda: Fiery poems of passion and devotion.
"Well, I Have Lost You" by Edna St. Vincent Millay: A heartbreaking poem of love that slipped away.
"Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: As night falls, the poet beckons his lover.
|
