tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487611241541459968.post4665578833550011042..comments2018-04-02T11:34:26.470-04:00Comments on MindSpirit Book Journeys: The Cozy Book Corner No. 10: The Dark Hero: The Fascination of the MetaphorMaria Beharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487611241541459968.post-83952510709098996762016-10-05T19:02:00.470-04:002016-10-05T19:02:00.470-04:00Hi, again!
You know, I've seen favorable revi...Hi, again!<br /><br />You know, I've seen favorable reviews of "Wuthering Heights" on Goodreads and Amazon, written by WOMEN. And in these reviews, they state that this is one of their "favorite" books! Incredible! <br /><br />Heathcliff cannot be considered even the slightest bit "romantic". And the story of the "love" between him and Catherine Earnshaw is skimpy at best. The author spends very little time on it. Yes, she states that they were inseparable as children, but their affection did not mature into a full-blown romantic relationship. They had feelings for each other, but, due to their pride, they were separated. <br /><br />Anyway, I won't say more so as not give you any spoilers. The thing is, Heathcliff should not "lauded" in any way, shape, or form. He is a very sadistic, cynical, remorseless character, with not an ounce of human decency or compassion. And this book is almost entirely about him!<br /><br />Oh, you're reading the Koran? And for the second time? I've never read it even once, lol. I'll definitely be looking forward to your posts about this Moslem holy book! Thanks for letting me know!<br /><br />Also, thanks for commenting again!! :) Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487611241541459968.post-48212083439768420262016-10-04T05:29:48.885-04:002016-10-04T05:29:48.885-04:00Heathcliff is most certainly a monster. Yet if one...Heathcliff is most certainly a monster. Yet if one Googles his name and "romantic" you will find a few critics and individuals who sense romanticism in him! This seems perverse. I think that it may be an extreme case of what you are referring to in your post. It may be one reason that abusive men sometimes receive so much support from seemingly decent people. <br /><br /><br />As for misogyny in The Bible, I am currently rereading The Koran. I will be blogging about it in the coming months. Stay tuned for that!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487611241541459968.post-8368845639433492252016-10-03T16:52:25.203-04:002016-10-03T16:52:25.203-04:00Hey, Brian!
Thanks so much for the compliments!! ...Hey, Brian!<br /><br />Thanks so much for the compliments!! Much appreciated!! :)<br /><br />You raise a very interesting point about this attraction having a possible evolutionary, biological component. I think what this means is that bad boys appear to be more masculine. I suppose that, for most women, men who are basically nice, kind, and gentle might seem less attractive and appealing, because these are traits traditionally associated with women. However, in the case of these vampire heroes, there's a marked contrast, and tension, between their monstrous side, and the gentler side they show to their women. For instance, Edward Cullen can be EXTREMELY monstruous when confronting a vampire who endangers Bella. When dealing with her, though, he's never like that. The same thing happens with other vampires in fiction. So I think that what attracts us females to these fictional men is that we see them as protectors, and, biologically speaking, that is indeed very advantageous for a woman. Again, this really clashes with feminist values, but, as you've pointed out, it's probably pretty much hardwired into us.<br /><br />I am definitely going to write more posts about this theme. I found it very interesting, in The Twilight Saga, that Bella was the one who rescued Edward, at one point. This takes place in the novel "New Moon". He had been planning to commit suicide because he had erroneously thought that Bella had died. He was going to do this by revealing his true nature to humans, in the town of Volterra, Italy, by simply stepping out into the sunlight. The Volturi, who are the ruling clan of vampires, and who have no qualms about killing humans, would not have tolerated this, and would have killed him. Bella immediately hops on a plane, along with Alice Cullen, who had seen all this in a vision, and gets to Volterra just in time to stop Edward from stepping out into the brightly-lit city square. I really enjoyed this! And it was electrifying to watch, onscreen!!<br /><br />As for Heathcliff, he definitely IS a monster! Well, as you know, I HATE "Wuthering Heights" just as much as I LOVE "Jane Eyre"!! I really don't see WHY this novel is categorized as "romance", because it's definitely NOT. It focuses almost entirely on Heathcliff and his insane revenge, which, to make matters even worse, he carries out on people who are totally innocent. This character is truly diabolical! The author must have had something REALLY twisted in her mind, to have created such an evil personality. Any pity and compassion I initially had for this character, at the beginning of the novel, were later completely squelched. I'm not denying that this book is a masterpiece, because it is. However, it's a masterpiece of evil, and i really don't see any merit to it, beyond the obvious literary one.<br /><br />Yes, it's true that some men are attracted to women who have the characteristics of bad boys. This is the type of woman known as a 'femme fatale'. I'm glad you agree that it's not that common for men to be attracted to such women. I think the reverse is much more prevalent. This is despite the fact that, in Judeo-Christian tradition, it's entirely commonplace to blame women as 'temptresses' and 'harlots', and to portray them as the source of all the evils in the world. In fact, I am appalled at all the misogynistic passages in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. But this is for future blog posts....lol.<br /><br />Thanks for the GREAT, thought-provoking comment!! :) Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487611241541459968.post-70660656767599027502016-10-03T04:56:06.178-04:002016-10-03T04:56:06.178-04:00This is a phenomenal post Maria. I think it has pr...This is a phenomenal post Maria. I think it has provided food for thought in all sorts of ways.<br /><br />As to why many, but nit all women have an attraction to "bad boys", I do think that there is an evolutionary biology component involved. It may not be beneficial to be attracted to an outright abuser, but to be attracted to an "in - between" type, who is willing to take risks, fight for advantage, etc. might be very beneficial. <br /><br />You bring up such great literary examples of this from the relation to vampires to modern romance literature. Our literature is so full of these examples. I am currently reading Wuthering Heights. I know that you have said a lot about this book in the past. Haethcliff seems to be a man who, though he exhibits certain traits of the dark hero, has completely gone over the edge into abuse.<br /><br />I also recently finished Anthony Trollope's Can You Forgive Her? In his hyper realistic way Trollope prtrays a couple of men who go from attractive dark heroes into the realms of abuse and failure.<br /><br />I would just mention that the tendency to be attracted to darker, troubled people also exists in men. I know a few men where it is very strong. It seems to be less common however. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com