Ranting about classic lit

[dangermousie]

You know how I am the ultimate canon hor, right? If it's in canon, I'll like it OK, shipwise.

EXCEPT.

WTF.

lesbiassparrow reminded me. WTF. Little Women. Why on earth did Jo and Laurie not end up together? Is there anyone out there who ships Jo/Bauer? Seriously. A friend of mine literally threw her book across the room when she got to that point.

Also, Mansfield Park. When I was younger, I even wrote Henry/Fanny fic. Edmund+Fanny are total priggish incest. Though they can preach at each other all day long. Yikes. Come on, Henry is the only one with a sense of humor in that book. I sort of get how Spike/Buffy shippers felt now.

Comments

[hope-fuleigh.livejournal.com]

Curious... Sifting through the comments, I keep seeing the name Bauer and references to a Spanish professor... in my copy, his name was definitely Bhaer and he was definitely German. Is this just me?

Little Women is a book I've probably read about 1,000 times. I adored Jo/Laurie until I didn't. I wasn't entirely sold on the professor, but then I kinda realized that it is just so LIKE Jo to fall for the poor academic with two adopted nephews he's trying to support on his meagre salary. She's got one of those temperaments that adores the tragic and finds that type of thing the epitome of romance. Laurie was too privileged and spoiled and there wasn't enough of the tragic about him (when he was all broody over his relationship with his grandfather, and the battle between becoming a business man and playing the piano - which reminded the grandfather of Laurie's mother who the grandfather didn't like, and the lost granddaughter who broke his heart when he died? THAT'S when he had his chance for Jo, but then he became far too normal for her).

But, I was eventually completely sold on the Laurie/Amy. I know!! It seems so wrong, but the more I thought about it, the more I could just see it... You know, the pretty little sister that everyone seems to adore and prefer to clumsy tom-boyish Jo, except for the handsome rich neighbor who becomes Jo's best friend and seems so very in love with her that Amy gets overlooked for the first time... And she often gets left out of their fun (the skating incident!) And then she goes to Europe and Jo breaks his heart, and Amy is all alone and they meet up and he's all impressed with her and she's not at all with him and gives him that big speech about how disappointing he is, and he goes away. And returns immediately when he finds out about Beth, knowing that she's all alone and her family is so far away, and... dude. I just got sold on Laurie/Amy, what can I say? Well, only so long as I can convince myself that she was secretly in love with him all alone. Only then can I truly embrace it.