Today’s discussion is about classic British literature references found in the Rey and Kylo Ren dynamic in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
This episode centers on analysis of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
In our Jane Eyre and Reylo analysis we discuss:
Similarities between Jane Eyre and Rey, including their lonely, deprived upbringing and first friendships that become as family.
Jane and Rey’s longing for a profoundly spiritual and passionate connection.
The remarkable bond that allowed Jane to hear Rochester’s voice from miles away after they had separated, and that connects Rey and Kylo Ren across the stars. 😉
Jane’s kinship and superficial contentment among the Rivers, which she eventually understands will never fulfill her on the level of her passionate bond with Rochester. We argue that in the same way, Rey will never find true fulfillment among The Resistance and her connections there, and will eventually seek out Ben as Jane sought Rochester – and it will be romantic AF.
We look at Kylo Ren as a Byronic hero, and discuss character similarities between him and Edward Rochester.
We find parallels in the Jane/Rochester romance and the story of Rey and Kylo so far.
Lastly, a quick pit-stop by the horrendous possibilities offered by Ben Solo’s potential “atonement”. Some haters who be hatin’ would like to see him bald and disfigured, whereas others make a case for his eventual death or loss of Force abilities as penance for his sins. We conclude that maiming, Force castration and death are not necessary for Ben Solo to have a meaningful and complete redemption arc.
In our discussion of Reylo and North and South we overview the fiery Margaret Hale/John Thornton romance, including their enemies-to-lovers dynamic
His failed first proposal and their painful separation
Their journey towards each other and eventual reconciliation – and how it all relates to the story of Rey and Kylo Ren.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our discussion, which centers on Pride and Prejudice and other literary works.
Today’s episode features awesome analysis by new Star Wars Connection member Chandra.
We apologize for some trouble with parts of our audio – we are improving our sound for the next part of our discussion, which is coming soon to a galaxy near you. ^^
Thank you for
asking! Really, your ask was exactly what I needed. You see, I was thinking
of writing this list for some time now but I was too lazy.
I have stuff to
recommend because I‘ve been actively looking for books that
feature inter-species/monster romances for a long time. Fun fact: Up
until recently I didn‘t know that this kink was called
teratophilia. 🙂 Thanks, tumblr for educating me. Also, since I found
out how to navigate the relevant tags my life has improved
immeasurably.
The
male protagonist is terrifying by human standards. He finds the human
heroine appalling and he’s just as ugly to her. They like each other
from the start.
Alien-lizard-man,
monk and fighter… Need I say more? Ok: The heroine is fat. She does
lose weight while trying to survive on a hostile alien planet though.
The lizard man protagonist is interested in her either way. All kinds
of trigger warnings for this book: violence, rape, gore, death. It’s
also over 900 pages long. Crazy.
Alien-Insect
man, single dad and adorable. The human social worker really tries to
help him and she does… Reads like District 9 fan fiction which is a
good thing! This book is a bit tamer than The Last Hour of Gann but
the sex is still graphic. 🙂
Check
out this author’s other books as she seems to specialize in
monsters of all kinds.
Girl
is abducted by the King of the Goblins. This is not a David Bowie
Goblin King, this one looks really monstrous. It’s a YA book but
the good kind. The heroine is not an insufferable brat and there is
no love triangle (note: love triangles are only acceptable for me if
they end in a three-way).
Really
beautiful and magical book, sex happens but off-screen.
The
heroine is almost a cyborg. Her extremities were replaced by
completely overpowered prosthetics after a horrific assault while
working as a government agent. She’s traumatized, in pain, doesn’t
have full control of her new body and hasn’t come to terms with her
new menacing look. The rock star demon elf protagonist is very much
into her. Yes, really.
Add
a really inhuman demon to the mix with whom the heroine also has an
intense relationship. Don’t worry it’s not a fucking love
triangle (the bane of my existence). You’ll see… Actually the
description of the whole demon society is very cool and unique and
probably my favorite part of the book.
Still,
give this book a chance! Fluffy and sweet romance between a human
woman and an alien-lizard man. Enough plot to be still considered a
science fiction romance rather than just erotica in space.
This
is an actual furry novel. I did not know such a thing existed.
Thankfully the main couple is a WOC and a space elf but there are so
many furries in this book. For example there is a furry (tiger-like ?) couple. They are siblings (twins actually)… But don’t
worry that’s perfectly normal on their planet.
Now
one might think by this description that this book is completely
depraved erotica. Unfortunately it’s not. The tone of this book is
so sweet and cute it could be directed at children. Spoilers: It’s
not because, you know, incest…
So
yeah, strange experience but if your are into this stuff this might
be the book for you.
Books
with dragons: They are really easy to find. Just type ‘dragon’
in the search bars of Goodreads or Amazon. From children’s books to
erotica – there are many titles to choose from. I can’t really
recommend a specific book because they are not my preferred kind of
monster. I have read a few books with dragons but nothing that was
memorable enough to recommend it. I’ve yet to find an interesting
dragon. 😉
Do you know a book with a monstrous love interest? Please, contact me or reblog with your recommendation! Thanks 🙂
I finished reading The Sorceress’s Orc and I loved it! I didn’t expect some things in this book, especially not being it a fucking terato love story, I had a filthy grin on my face while reading some parts. I mean, I though the book just featured orcs, but along the way I was like “Hold on, wtf, it’s like every orc story on Tumblr I’ve read so far!!” (maybe not as NSFW but it’s not for minors as well ;D)
“At the beginning of the story, Vervain, Mistress of the Magical Sciences, is assigned an orc bodyguard, Riyu. She is less than happy that this is considered necessary, but soon finds out that the prejudices she had about orcs are not true, and Riyu is actually rather pleasant company. When the university where she teaches is attacked, she saves the live of her students, and is in turn saved by Riyu. When it is found that one of Vervain’s colleagues has gone missing, she insists to go on a mission to find him.
“
The orcs in the book are awesome, they have very expressive, long and pointy ears, an honour codex, green skin and the main orc character, Riyu, is just so awesome, a fierce warrior, huuuuge, but so gentle and caring towards the main character, Vervain.
Although I recommended the book (because I knew it featured Orcs) I haven’t actually read it yet. Well, after this review it certainly moved up on my long list of books to read.😀
I remember I found this book while I was looking for fantasy and science fiction books that feature a strong romantic element, a heroine that doesn’t conform to established beauty standards (this one’s a bit older than the usual fantasy heroine) AND possibly an interspecies relationship.
…..yes, I’m picky and finding stuff that caters to my tastes is not easy.😉
Many thanks to @fuck-yeah-monsters-and-villains for finding a book that features Orcs and recommending it to me :)) The original title is The Sorceress’s Orc and what I’ve read so far was really good xD
Glad I could help!😀
BEAUTY by Robin McKinley
Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.
When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, “Cannot a Beast be tamed?”
Robin McKinley’s beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple, Beauty and the Beast.
Check out this book on Goodreads: Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41424.Beauty
__________________________________________
One of the best retellings of BatB. Slow, cosy, the perfect winter read.
Do you have a REYLO VIBE recommendation? Submit or contact me!💙💙💙
Hello! It is true, the heroine of The Lady and the Bandit is overweight. But, to be honest, it wasn’t my intention to convey a message about body-positivity –not explicitly, at least.
It came out naturally. I only wanted a protagonist that didn’t look exactly like the hundreds I’ve found in the romance novels I’ve read; one with a different kind of beauty, but who wasn’t conventionally attractive. (I’d disagree, for her facial features are, to me, timeless and pretty. But that’s the mystery of beauty; everyone has their own tastes).
So I turned to classical statues from Ancient Greece and Rome and got her facial features from there. Old paintings from 2-3 centuries ago –specifically Ruben’s– were a great source of inspiration, if not for the period the novel’s set in, at least for Pepita’s aesthetics. She has black, curly hair, though, inherited from her Spanish mother, unlike Ruben’s golden-haired ladies.
I mean, these women must have been deemed desirable enough to be immortalized in works of art! 😀
(I think Pepita is a bit chubbier than these ladies, though)
Does this have effect on her personality? Well, she doesn’t consider herself very pretty. She knows that she’s overweight, perhaps a bit more than she’d like, but that doesn’t make her lose sleep. She has a group of close friends who support each other and tell her that her extra pounds make her look “healthy and classical”, so that’s fine by her.
Now, Rafael, the dashing hero of the story, finds her attractive for many reasons, and one of them is her body type. He doesn’t care much for girls’ sizes, but something about Pepita’s chubbyness just “clicks” with her overall look, and he likes her whole: the combination of her eyes, her hair, her skin, body and personality; and the sudden changes she brings into his life.
Some nasty people, of course, make jokes about her fatness, and that hurts her. Not because of the content of their words, but because they’re aimed to hurt and undermine her self-esteem, and Pepita can’t stand such vileness.
So, Pepita is overweight, indeed, but it’s not really a problem for her. She gets tired faster when running up a hill (who doesn’t?), feels the weather’s heat a wee bit more, and doesn’t really believe people when they tell her she’s beautiful, though she appreciates their well-meaning intentions.
I don’t know if this is the answer you were looking for, but thank you
so much for asking! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask 😀
Thank you for this great and detailed answer! That was exactly what I wanted to know. 😀 She sounds like a great character. Can’t wait to read the book!
Hello Blondetwist! If you mean The Lady and the Bandit, you can find it on Amazon, both in kindle and paperback.
Just yesterday, my bf and I uploaded an updated version (fixing translation mistakes and such) for the paperback. The outdated version was fine anyway, but if you’re very picky about translations, you might wanna wait until the kindle version is updated too, depending on the version you wanted to purchase.
However, if you get the book, I hope you have lots of fun with it!!
The heroine is certainly not as attractive as her beautiful best
friend who gets her own interesting plot line.
The
Darkangel (the Darkangel Trilogy, #1) – Meredith Ann Pierce
The protagonist starts out as unattractive, later she undergoes a transformation of
her appearance which represents a turning point in her character development.
This book has lots of female characters of all shapes and sizes.
The main heroine is plain and a bit overweight. Another important
famale character is dead and looks the part. Both have very
attractive love interests.
This heroine is actually very attractive by human standards.
Unfortunately the male protagonist isn’t human and he finds her
appalling and he’s just as ugly to her. The like each other from the
start.
Stolen
Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, #1) – Danielle L. Jensen
The heroine spends her time around
(mostly) human looking and extremely attractive trolls. She’s not
quite up to their standards.
The heroine is almost a cyborg. Her extremities were replaced by
completely overpowered prosthetics after a horrific assault while
working as a government agent. She’s traumatized, in pain, doesn’t
have full control of her new body and hasn’t come to terms with her
new menacing look. The rock star demon elf protagonist is very much
into her. Yes, really. This book uses and often subverts every trope
known to fantasy and science fiction.
Herb-Witch (Lord
Alchemist Duology, #1) – Elizabeth McCoy
Within the world described in this book the heroine’s look is not only considered
ugly but also shameful as it reveals her barbarian heritage.
The protagonist starts out as rather plain, later she undergoes a transformation of
her appearance which represents a turning point in her character development.
The heroine is fat. She does lose weight while trying to survive
on a hostile alien planet though. The lizard man protagonist is
interested in her either way. All kinds of trigger warnings for this
book: violence, rape, gore, death. It’s also over 900 pages long.
Crazy.
This one stands out as it’s the only book written by a man. It’s
also one of my earliest conscious encounters with an unattractive
female protagonist. For me that was a formative experience. Rather on
the hard side of science fiction the narrative follows the good
looking male protagonist who is a kind of emissary from a culture that values
aesthetics to the extreme coming to a planet where people live by a
more practical approach to life. The female protagonist assigned to him as his assistant is so ugly to him that he can’t
stop staring. After some culture clashing they get married.
I’m always looking for more of my beloved ugly heroines. They are quite difficult to find. So if you know of a book or a movie, please let me know! Reblog this with your suggestions, chat me up, ask or submit. All suggestions are welcome.
TAG: On my blog I use the “unconventional looking / conventionally unattractive heroine” tag.
suggested for Brienne and Jaime (I haven’t read ASOIAF, so I don’t know how they are described in the book but Brienne and Aria from the TV series are certainly great unconventional looking female characters.)
Thank you for your suggestions. I hope there are still more books, movies and comics out there with conventionally unattractive heroines.
FIRE & HEMLOCK by Diana Wynne Jones
One is normal: school, home, friends. The other, stranger memories begin nine years ago, when she was ten and gate-crashed an odd funeral in the mansion near her grandmother’s house. Polly’s just beginning to recall the sometimes marvelous, sometimes frightening adventures she embarked on with Tom Lynn after that. And then she did something terrible, and everything changed.
But what did she do? Why can’t she remember? Polly must uncover the secret, or her true love — and perhaps Polly herself — will be lost.
Monsters and Villains 