A Not-so-Brief Word about Tropes
Hello, Romance lovers!
This month’s Romance Required book is “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure if it technically can be considered a true romance novel, even though romance does play a large role in it. But I figured a change of pace might be good, and even though it’s been a very long time since I’ve read the book, I remember the romance parts being very, very romantic.
I remember my mother watching the “Thorn Birds” on television when they made it into a miniseries in 1983. I was only around five years old at the time so it had to have made a big impression on Little Colleen! I remember thinking how beautiful Meggie looked in her “ashes of roses” dress, and how dashing Father Ralph looked in his cassock. I will admit the plain black cassock is my favorite out of all the Roman Catholic clerical garments (I wonder what it says about me that I have a favorite one at all), and I can blame “The Thorn Birds” for this little quirk, I suppose. The main reason why I chose “The Thorn Birds” was because I wanted to focus on a particular “trope” in romance, that being “forbidden love.” (A “trope” is a recurring theme or plot device often found in literature.) Ralph and Meggie’s love, though pure, was definitely forbidden since he had sworn a vow of celibacy to the Catholic Church. There are other examples of the forbidden love trope, such as books involving a romance between a boss and their subordinate, or a teacher and their student (this one usually is set in a college or university setting, for obvious reasons), or even stepbrother and stepsister.
Most romance aficionados have a favorite trope or two. For those keeping track at home, mine happen to be Grumpy vs. Sunshine, friends to lovers, and forced proximity. Below I’ve listed a not-quite-exhaustive list of some tropes, including an example of each and where you can find it in our collection.
Grumpy/Sunshine: where one half of the couple is grumpy and the other is happy. Example: “The Love Hypothesis,” by Ali Hazelwood [ebook/audiobook in Follett]
Only One Bed/Forced Proximity: where a couple is thrown together in very close quarters, and romance ensues. Example: “The Soulmate Equation,” by Christina Lauren [audiobook]
Friends to lovers: this one is kind of self-explanatory; a couple’s relationship develops from being friends to being lovers. Example: “Hook, Line, and Sinker” by Tess Bailey [FIC BAILE 2]
Enemies to lovers: This one is also kind of self-explanatory; a couple goes from being enemies to being in love. Example: “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black [YA BLACK]
Taboo/Forbidden Love: The relationship is unconventional or even taboo. Example: “The Thorn Birds,” by Colleen McCullough [ebook/Audiobook in Follett]
Second Chance: Where a couple might have been together in the past but broke up, and a second chance for love emerges. Example: “Baby One More Time” by Camilla Isely [ebook/audiobook in Follett]
Marriage of convenience/fake romance: Another favorite trope of mine, a couple will pretend to be in love in order to achieve a goal of some sort, only for real love to emerge. Example: “The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn [FIC QUINN 1]
It’s important to note that while personally my preferred romance books feature couples of differing sex or gender, these tropes can occur in LGBTQIA+ romance novels as well. That’s something I love about this genre – there is literally something out there for everyone!
Don’t see your favorite trope listed? Have a recommendation for a good book? Are you reading “The Thorn Birds” right now and just have to get something off your chest? Let us know in the comments!
I hate cliches trope