For this final reading assignment, I want you to think about how the sub-genre elements (sex or religion) work with the elements of a romance novel (Regis's eight elements). How is each element affected by the fact that this book is primarily about either sex or religion?
The elements are:
1. Corrupt society
2. Meeting
3. Attraction
4. Barrier
5. Point of Ritual Death
6. Realization (of how to overcome barrier)
7. Declaration
8. Betrothal
For this blog post, discuss each element in your chosen book.
For the 1000 word paper for your chosen book, discuss one or two elements in depth.
4 comments:
I chose the book, Redeeming Love, and absolutely loved it! It was wonderful, and I look forward to reading more of Francine Rivers work!
The corrupt society was focused on the point that Sarah was a prostitute. She had come from a tremendous abusive background - physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually. She had witnessed her mother dying, and had experienced the desparation of having a father that did not love her. She ended up being sold into prostitution.
The meeting took place when Hosea saw her and thought that she was a beautiful girl. The Lord told Hosea that he was to go and marry her, despite and because of the fact that she was a prostitute. Hosea went to the house that she lived in and worked at and paid immensely to be able to spend time with her. This time was used only to talk to her, not for anything sexual. This was the initial meeting between the two of them.
The attraction for Hosea was immediate. From the moment that he saw her on the road, he thought that she was absolutely beautiful. In fact, he struggled even during the meeting time, to make certain that his focus was to get to know her and not to pursue anything sexually immoral with her. Her attraction for him did not come until much later in the book. She had to resolve many of her own personal, emotional issues before she was able to let her guard down and even find him attractive, much less in love with him.
There were many barriers in this book. Certainly the fact that she was a prostitute was a huge barrier. She had also been scarred, physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually by the other men in her life... including her very own father. She was not saved, and he was a devout Christian. He not only proclaimed his faith, but he lived his faith. Because Sarah had never experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, the freedom of the Lord, and the amazing cleansing of being reborn, she had no clue what he was talking about when he had this personal relationship with the Lord. She didn't even think that it was possible to hear from the Lord, and Hosea had a personal relationship with Christ. It was not until she finally surrendered herself to Him, that she was able to experience this amazing gift of salvation and worship that Hosea was living in. Paul was another huge barrier in the book. He was Hosea's brother, and because he had actually had an encounter with Sarah while she was working as a prostitute, and even after being married to Hosea, he didn't care for her at all. He thought that Hosea deserved much better than her, and he made it abundantly clear throughout the novel. Also, the fact that she could not have children due to the situation that had happened her as a prostitute was another barrier in the novel.
There were many points of death that took place. TIme and time again, Sarah would leave Hosea. The first was to go back and attempt to get the money, the gold that she was owed. Then she left after exposing herself (emotionally) to Hosea and allowing her boundaries to come down some. She then left again when she thought that she wasn't good enough for him and that he deserved much better than her.
The realization came for Hosea at the very beginning of the book. He realized that he was meant to be with her from the moment that the Lord told him that he was called to love her and to betrothe her. Her realization did not come until the end of the book, when she finally left him because she thought that he deserved better. She truly loved him and wanted to give him better than what she had to offer, but when she learned that he had not married again or anything.. she could not wait to go back home!
The declaration for him, again, was at the beginning of the book. Although he sometimes questionned the Lord and what was taking place, he never stopped loving her. He experienced the same love for her throughout the book. Her declaration came when Paul came to find her and to bring her home. It was necessary for Paul to be the one to go and find her... not only to save his own marriage, but to know that she had indeed changed, and that she was Sarah... not the Angel of the prostitution.
The betrothal actually took place at the beginning of the book when Hosea all but forced her to marry him, so that he would carry her out of that house. Yet, I would say that the real betrothal actually took place at the end of the book. It didn't take place with a ring or anything of a physical or sexual nature, but with the most pure and precious gift that she could have possibly given him... when she gave him her true name, Sarah. Absolutely precious.
I thought that this book was a gem, and I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to read it. It was truly a blessing!
Elizabeth Liles
I choose to read Emma Holly's Fairyville.
The corrupt society to me was the fact that fairies and humans lived together and intermingled without each other knowing each others background. The comumunity knew about Zoe being a medium between the dead and alive, however had no idea about Magnus being a fairy.
The meeting has a lot of times. The meeting with Magnus happens two years prior, the meeting between Alex & Zoe was fifteen years prior, the meeting with Bryan was the only person we meet during the book. The meeting between the fairies and Zoe happen at birth.
The attraction
Zoe was attracted to Alex and Magnus immediately. As soon as she met Bryan she found him attractive, but she was not neccesarily interested in him in that manner.
The barrier we see between Zoe and Magnus is that he does not want to have sex with Zoe and have to lose her forever. If he has sex with her he has to return to his original home of Fairy.
The point of Ritual death is when Magnus pretends to be Zoe to ward off the minnions and his Mother. His mother almost kills him when Zoe, Alex, and Bryan enter to find him on the floor weak and near death. This is when Zoe realizes that Magnus truly does love her.
The declaration is when Zoe and Magnus actually say they love each other.
The Betrothal is when the fairies find a loophole for Magnus and Zoe to be able to have sex and Magnus does not have to be forced back to Fairy.
Victoria Hawkins
Kendall Dorr
I had the opportunity of reading Emma Holly's Fairyville, although that was not my first choice but time was also a factor. But what can I say I actually enjoyed it and understood the novel better than I thought I would. This was my first time ever reading anything so fun, interesting and intriguingly different from any other romance novel that I have ever read in my life.
I felt that the elements that I looked at were the corrupt society and attraction which were both two main things that I noticed throughout the novel that were different and odd. The element of corrupt society in Fairyville was magical because most of the Fairyvillers had some sort of magical gift that they could use and the world around them could not comprehend their differences that were genuine and magically different from there’s.
I also thought that the other element was definitely attraction which played a huge role in this novel because the fairies loved to have multiple sexual relationships with any any and everyone including the same sex. Although the erotica in Fairyville was surreal and direct. It also allowed Holly to use a romantic escapade that the main two characters Zoe Magnus had to reach in order for them to be together. Over all the novel was different from any other and allowed me to have and keep and open mind while reading it which you have to have anyway when you read any kind of literature.
I chose to read Emma Holly's Fairyville and I must say that it was extremely different form anything that I have ever read before. The mix between erotica, paranormalactivities and fairys was quite enough to leave anyone who isn't used to this type of reading a little spell bound. Nonetheless, it was a good quick read minus all the chapter long intricate sex scene's!
The corrupt society in this book camme from the seperation between what appeared to be and what actually was. The Fairy's in the story were able to blend into the normal society by theior external apperances. However, there were in fact qualites characteristics about themselves that could not be hidden or covered up, for example their uncontrolable urges to have sex. Once all the characters were introduced I was able to recognize that Alex was actually a fairy before it was revealed because that link to all the fairies was apparent throught the story.
The attraction was done in a very unconventional way in this book because the reader is already informed that Magnus and Zoe have been attracted to each other well before the story line even begins. That was very interesting to me because it just gets right into the meat of things (literally!) and I love that!
The attraction and the barrier go together in this story in the sense that for Magnus and Zoe, their barrier is actually the fact that they are attracted to each other and for Magnus this alone is something that he had been trying to avoid for years. Of course they love each other but do to the Magnus's magical "visa" he can't be intimately involved with her unless he plans on giving up her heart forever. As a result of Magnus's barriers, Zoe creates some of her own which causes her to loose trust in Magnus and threatens to cease the flame to her fire all together.
The point of ritual death is clear because Magnus actually almost dies. Due to his mother's thirst for consolidation of her power in the Fairy Kingdom, she will do anything to ensure that her son does not fall in love with Zoe and stay in the human realm. Nevertheless her efforts are to little and too late because Magnus is cleary already madly in love with Zoe.
The recognition for Zoe comes after she has the threesome with Alex and Bryan. When she is sitting there watching how much the two are in love, she realizes that she can not get rid of her felings for Magnus, and his love is truly all she needs. On the other hand Magnus always recognized that he loved Zoe, but when she kisses him at the beginning of the book and he "tastes her sweetness" his love for her grows even stronger.
The declaration comes when Magnus is lying bloody and scratched up in Zoe's arms after she finds him laying on the ground in his apartment struggling to live after the attack by the minions. This is when Magnus explains everything to Zoe.
Betrothal- What would any good romance be without the "happily ever after" awwww.. Well this definetly came for all of the characters in the story. Magnus and Zoe live happily together on earth away from his cazy mother! THE END
Sherika Merriwether
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