She stole another glance at her unattractive client. The fortune, as far as she could judge, appeared to be rather more than a million. Her visitor, on the other hand, seemed a good deal less than human. Myra had not expected romance, but thereare things which make a nice girl hesitate, and he was one of them.
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Clichés in writing
I was reading a John Collier story called "In the Cards", about a gold digger who learns how to tell fortunes so she can find a husband who will inherit one.
[quote=""Margaret""]I'm with Bos on this one. The girl of a past century who rebels against an unwanted marriage is not necessarily a bad plot line, but it's a stretch, and it's been done to death. The times being what they were, I'll bet there were a fair number of aristocratic girls who were as eager as their parents were to land someone with a huge estate and piles of gold. And if they didn't want to marry the guy their parents selected for them, they really didn't have a lot of options.[/quote]
Couldnt agree more. I'd like to read one story where the girl dislikes the man but she does it anyway
Couldnt agree more. I'd like to read one story where the girl dislikes the man but she does it anyway
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
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MLE (Emily Cotton)
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 3565
- Joined: August 2008
- Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
- Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
- Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
- Location: California Bay Area
[quote=""Margaret""]I'm with Bos on this one. The girl of a past century who rebels against an unwanted marriage is not necessarily a bad plot line, but it's a stretch, and it's been done to death. The times being what they were, I'll bet there were a fair number of aristocratic girls who were as eager as their parents were to land someone with a huge estate and piles of gold. And if they didn't want to marry the guy their parents selected for them, they really didn't have a lot of options.[/quote]
I mentor a woman whose husband was selected by the parents. That's how it's done still in most countries where your 'tribe' (relations, contacts, etc) is needed to keep you safe in an insecure world. So although the situation of young women not liking the groom her parents select may be passe' to those of us in the industrialized world where things aren't done that way, it is very much a reality for about 50% of the world's female population.
Every woman in such a situation has a separate story. Some marry and find out how to turn circumstance into love. Some remain bitter all their lives. Some try to get out of it, often with tragic results. (After all, it is usually social reality more than parental whim that dictates the choices.)
Cliches arise from realities of the human condition. Just because they are frequent occurences does not make them untrue. A good writer chooses the stories that will entrall his/her audience.
I mentor a woman whose husband was selected by the parents. That's how it's done still in most countries where your 'tribe' (relations, contacts, etc) is needed to keep you safe in an insecure world. So although the situation of young women not liking the groom her parents select may be passe' to those of us in the industrialized world where things aren't done that way, it is very much a reality for about 50% of the world's female population.
Every woman in such a situation has a separate story. Some marry and find out how to turn circumstance into love. Some remain bitter all their lives. Some try to get out of it, often with tragic results. (After all, it is usually social reality more than parental whim that dictates the choices.)
Cliches arise from realities of the human condition. Just because they are frequent occurences does not make them untrue. A good writer chooses the stories that will entrall his/her audience.
