Romances in Fiction

Recently, I've been reading Jane Austen. For those of you who don't know about her, she is a classic romance novelist. Her English books have been very popular. She is most known for her beloved story, Pride and Prejudice.

Her romances are well thought of and really good.  Awhile ago, I was reflecting on how different romance novels nowadays. In her books, there is hardly any public displays of affections, yet no one who read has Pride and Prejudice can deny that Elizabeth Benet and Mr. Darcy were in love.

The sexual content in young adult novels is quite disturbing. Sure, they might not actually do 'it', but many popular ones do the next best thing. (Catching Fire, Divergent, Matched) I'm not criticizing the plot or characters, just the sexual content. Of course, I loved Katniss and Peeta, but I don't think what they did was right.

Okay, so they didn't go all the way, but it's still something. Becoming physical with your significant other is not only immoral, but it is harmful to both people involved. How do I know? Jane Austen's books didn't involve much sexual content, but when a couple broke up, they still got hurt. The unmarried couples who get physical definitely will experience hurt. Of course, with dating, you never know how it's going to end up.

My point? These books promote something that can damage a person. Perhaps these books don't explore negative consequences, but in real life, they are there just the same. What is the dangers of reading books like this? When you really love a book, it's hard to see the bad side of it.

When I read Catching Fire, I had already developed a strong liking for The Hunger Games series. It's awhile since I've read the book so I can't remember what exactly happened. But even though I knew what Katniss and Peeta did was wrong, I kept making excuses. Deep down inside, I knew the truth, but it was hard to see it totally as sin when I loved the series so much. It was still a great book, but I do not agree with what they did, even if they didn't go all the way. No matter the circumstances were, that was wrong.

The Hunger Games isn't as popular as it used to be. (Well, at least the books aren't.) Soon, Divergent will fade away. But books like Pride and Prejudice? They have withstood the test of time. So what I'm trying to say here is: You don't need sexual content to have a good romance story. Romances are often based on how hot the guy is, but real love shouldn't be based on that. The connection between the two people, the unconditional love they have for each other. That's what it should be based on.