'scuse me ...

[opheliastorn]

I realise this is likely completely off-topic, but it's been bugging me, and apparently I fail enough at the internet not to be able to find what I'm looking for without asking some real-life humans. Thus: barging in here

Comments

[elsolylaluna]

I delved into TVTropes (I hope you're happy, oh god I'll be there all day now), and the closest thing I could find is Love Redeems, which is the flip side of Love Makes You Evil, which I will not link.

[rocza]

That, I believe, is what it's referred to in romance book circles, as well. (opheliastorn, you might want to take a look at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - they might have a tag for something like this.)

And thanks for taking the TVTropes hit, elsolylaluna. I was thinking about it, but kind of had some things I wanted to get done today. ;-)

[opheliastorn]

Would you believe my brain whizzed right past the idea that the romance genre might be a good breeding ground for this? Thanks for the Smart Bitches recommendation.

[opheliastorn]

Thank you! (and curse you - I'm going to have to free up a whole lot of hours before I dare follow that link, damn TvTropes...)

[joyshine]

If I were, my own little self, naming it, I'd call it the Beauty And The Beast trope.
I actually haven't seen very much of this in the fanfic I've been reading lately - thankfully! The things that come to mind, for me, are: Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast, the Frog Prince, The Book of Lilith (self-published and problematic, but worth a read), a bit of it in T.H. White's Lancelot and Guenever

[opheliastorn]

Thank you for the recommendations of books. I'm mainly focussing on derivative texts that build upon characterisations from the originals, but I'm guessing that the Book of Lilith and some retellings of the Frog Prince will fit there, right?

[digital_skin]

I've heard it referred to as "beauty and the best" also, before.

[digital_skin]

must learn to check before clicking to comment. *beast, obviously.

[opheliastorn]

Yes, that sounds like a likely name - now to find out if anyone's written on the subject under it!

[digital_skin]

To be fair most of the use of the term seems to come in reference to the Twilight series. Do update if you find out anything about the origins of it :)

oh! I just remembered that I think I saw someone talking about it in a mediaed.org film - maybe Reviving Ophelia or What Girls Want.

[zinnea]

It's a very, very, very, very old folklore motif--think "Beauty and the Beast" but there are stories even older than that one. (At least in some versions, the Beast wasn't a cruel man, just a foolish one, but in many versions who was quite awful, maybe even evil.)

You might try looking through the links on this page which links to other sites that take a critical look at fairy tales and folklore. Without having searched myself, I'm not sure what you'll find but one of the links goes to "Sources for the Analysis amd Interpretation of Folk and Fairy Tales" and that in turn links ot a number of essays on a number of topic from a variety of analytical viewpoints. Might be something useful there for you and definitely interesting reading along the way.

[opheliastorn]

Thank you very much!

[shhhquietplease]

Since other people have sufficiently answered, I'm just agreeing: Basically the whole reason I don't read fanfiction- it happens over on the gay side of it, too. "He would've never done all those terrible awful inhuman things if he only knew twu wuv! ;_;"

[opheliastorn]

Lol. I stick to only my trusted authors now, the ones who'll deal out the Doctor Who crack with no side order of misogyny or other ick - there is some scary stuff out there.

And not only in ye slandered fanfiction, either. Digital_skin mentioned Twilight above, as an original text that's all heyyyyyy, sexy sexy abuse, and there are at least a few official reworkings or sequels that romanticise evil characters that I can think of - for example, see how hard it is to find someone these days who doesn't think the Phantom of the Opera is a total dish (even Sherlock Holmes likes him, in one book!).