stories I never get to read, part 302

[deird1]

You know what's really irritating about living in the 21st century?


There are many things in fiction that I go rather nuts about. Like... spaceships that are alive. Or superheroes who don't particularly want to be.

Which - yay! I get to have plenty of stories about them! Woo!



BUT. One of those things is arranged marriages.

I love fictional arranged marriages. I go totally nuts about arranged marriage stories. Or at least I would - if there ever were any.

Sadly, I live in the 21st century. Which means that every arranged marriage story rapidly turns into an I-thought-I-had-to-marry-you-for-reason-X-but-instead-I'm-going-to-change-the-law-and-abolish-reason-X-because-marriage-should-only-be-about-love-after-all-this-is-the-21st-century story. And the arranged marriage doesn't take place, all the characters cheer... and I go home and sulk because once again my narrative kinks have been thwarted. Hmmph.


(This post has been brought to you by rewatching Princess Diaries 2 and wishing, once again, that she would stick with the nice guy she's not that interested in and have her awesome insta-wedding...)

Comments

[lliira]

Does the arranged marriage have to be a particularly happy one? I've had a story in my head for a while now that has an arranged marriage that turns out neither spectacularly well nor particularly bad. Definitely not happy ever after. The story's about more than the arranged marriage though.

Have you read Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman?