Next to "Secret
Babies" and "Big Mistakes," the love triangle - especially among two heroes and
one heroine -- is one of the most popular plot devices in romance fiction through
which an author builds emotional and sensual tension. Ask the romance reader and -- whether she
digs a sweet, "happily ever after" love triad, or a lusty m/f/m romp -- she'll
probably tell you the heroine's clearly in the position of power.
Yet let's have a
little fun and apply to romance heroes and heroines Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's
thoughts on the love triad among "literary" characters. In her much-lauded,
"Between Men :English Liturature and Male Homosocial Desire " Sedgwick
determines from work of literary critic Rene Girard that important female
characters may be seen simply as "conduits" between two characters vying for
their affection. Girard, says Sedgwick
seems
to see the bond between the rivals in an erotic triangle as being even
stronger, more heavily determinant of actions and choices, than anything in the
bond between either of the lovers and the beloved. (Between Men: 21)
Could it then be
the case that love-triad romances like LaVyrle Spencer's celebrated
"Fulfillment " - in which a man who's infertile asks his wife and his
brother to attempt conception - are more about rival discontent and competition
than a woman torn between commitment and desire? If that were so, perhaps our thinking
of the heroine as central power broker is skewed; the guy we're rooting for
to "get the girl," clearly owns the day.
My advocating for Ol' Scratch aside, in the 26 years since "Hummingbird" was published, the love triad's remained as
compelling as ever. How cool, then, that
the device's been mashed up and genre- and gender blended to add spice and
flair. Take for example, Ann Herendeen's exceptional, intelligent and sexy
"Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander ," in which our hero Andrew Carrington
is the ideal alpha Regency romance hero: arrogant, Corinthian, wealthy and highly
sexed. Unlike the "traditional" Regency
hero, Andrew prefers men. Yet dutiful is
our Andrew, and so to beget an heir he marries bluestocking Phyllida Lewis to
whom he soon finds himself physically and emotionally attracted. When Andrew meets his dream guy, brash and
buff Matthew Thornby, Andrew and Phyllida explore not the boundaries of a
sexual triad, but an emotional one.
More traditional -
yet uncommonly sensual and entertaining -- "A Hint of Wicked " by Jennifer
Haymore introduces Sophie and Tristan, duchess and duke of Calton. They're blissful newlyweds when Sophie's first
husband - Tristan's cousin and best friend, Garrett - returns after their
believing him seven years dead. By law,
Sophie must live as Garrett's wife and is drawn again to him emotionally and
sexually. Yet her heart and body can't
help but remember the more mature love she shared with Tristan. Sophie wonders whether the men might allow
her the only choice that wouldn't separate their trio...
Dawn Halliday
blends the traditional historical with the highly erotic in her great new novel,
"Highland Obsession ," in which clan chief Alan MacDonald tenderly introduces
his innocent Highland bride, Sorcha Stewart, to wedding-night pleasures.
Unbeknownst to them, her actual first
lover - MacDonald's closest friend -- jealously watches through their bedroom
window, then kidnaps Sorcha. She decides
which man's love she can live without -- and whether she simply can enjoy both
men... perhaps simultaneously!
What's your favorite kind of romance-novel
love triangle? Who do you believe has the power in the romantic triad? Why does the love triad work so well in the
historical romance?
Michelle Buonfiglio writes daily
about romance fiction and pop culture at Romance: B(u)y the Book (RBTB). Read all Michelle's "Unabashedly Bookish"
posts here.
Message Edited by Michelle_Buonfiglio on 05-26-2009 09:51 PM
Message Edited by Michelle_Buonfiglio on 05-29-2009 02:07 PM
