Okay, guys, so I went to Borders the other day. At first, I wasn't really looking for anything before realizing that I'd been trying to look for a copy of Wuthering Heights. Joining the whole Darcy VS. Heathcliff debate and all that. So I searched through the Young Adult section and found...OMFG. What blasphemy is this?! When I saw it, I thought it was a different version of Twilight, but it is Wuthering Heights...although, thank God, it does not say Bella and Ed's favorite in the top corner. It's just a red rose and I can't find a pic of it right now...but imagine New Moon stained red.
At first I thought, okay, it's just the cover. It's not like they hid Twilight references in the book or anything. (Oh, Also, the 'new design' has affected Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Predjudice. I'm not too sure about Sense and Sensibility, though I think that'd be infected as well) so I got it and noticed it had about ten pages where they explained the author and characters and such.
...It's somewhat okay, I must admit, they had the annoying little 'are you destined for furever lurve' things in the front, but what really caught my eye (Not a good thing) is the 'ingredients for a gothic romance'. I really only copied the parts that flew out at my eye.
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A dark, gloomy setting. Does the mansion she lives in have scary, dark rooms, creaky doors, and strange staircases? Don't forget the sun doesn't shine in a gothic romance.
A brooding, inscrutable man. Does your heroine fall in love with someone she shouldn't end up with? Does the man have myserious worries etched deep into his beautiful face? Don't forget to make your leading man complex, he shouldn't do things that are hard to understand!
A willfull, irresistible heroine. Does every man fall in love with her? Does she behave strangely and do whatever she wants, disregarding common sense? Remember, she should be beautiful but unusual!
An element of the mystical. Perhaps your leading man is actually a vampire.
An undying love. The love between your two leads should be passionate, dark, and stormy. Extra points if the setting reflects the mood of the lovers.
A rich sense of the history of gothic romance. Popular gothic works today, such as Smeyer's Twilight (WTF?!) and Tana French's Novels, are very much informed by works of the past, such as Wuthering Heights.
Also, one of the guestions in the quiz:
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Which famous couple is your favorite?
A. Bella and Edward from Twilight
B. Troy and Gabriella from High School Musical
C. Belle and Beast from Beauty and the Beast
Needless to say, I picked C.
