romance

It's amazing what can be considered scholarly work in the bellies of a university such as my own. I'm currently taking a course entitled "Sex in French" where we analyze portrayals of sex in French film and litterature. Mostly shocking, somewhat arousing, often disturbing, our assignments are certainly never boring.

Although I enjoy shocking my friends with images found within the pages of these books, I feel a little guilty that my ivy league homework consists of watching X-rated movies. Surprisingly, I am learning a lot about the implications of pornography and sexual taboos on society, and how they have (or haven't) changed over time.

You are surely asking what insights I can share with you all. Well, firstly, sex is a lot more complicated than you once thought. It seems as if when it comes to discussing sex, one is automatically launched into the deep, dark secrets of the human pysche. You'd think that with a title like Sex in French, the class might have been happy. Well, maybe the operative word was French, but all the endings (and middles and beginnings, now that I think about it) were sad, depressing, disturbing, not really happy.

It served as a great contrast to the over-romanticized "Hollywoodien" movies that the US pumps out by the dozen, where man chases woman until the end, when they have passionate, romantic sex, and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after. The film I analyzed for a paper, for instance, was called Romance, and it was the absolute opposite of a romantic film. The director, Catherine Breillat said, "For me, romance is the illusion of love." If we were to accept this French director's opinion, then it seems to me that Americans surround themselves in the illusion of love. Why watch a fictionalized illusion of an elusive emotion? Yet, I even find myself glued to the television, soaking up every fake illusory moment. Maybe it's reassuring to fool ourselves that life is so easy and uncomplicated?

But is romance really the illusion of love? why bother being romantic if there's no love? i guess that 's where sex comes in! gotta bring the chocolate cake and roses on valentine's day to get laid. well, in that sense I suppose Breillat is right. but hey, nowadays, all you need is beer to get laid! so, maybe 'they' are right in saying that romance is dead. No more illusions? can we all handle the fact that it's just all about sex?

according to dictionary.com, romance is defined as:
ro·mance ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-mns, rmns)n.
1.
a. A love affair.
b. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love: They kept the romance alive in their marriage for 35 years.
c. A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something: a childhood romance with the sea.
2. A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful: “These fine old guns often have a romance clinging to them” (Richard Jeffries).

maybe it's silly to categorize our actions and emotions with messy little human-made words. i dunno about you, but my coffee sure does have some romance clinging to it, and i intend on building my romance with my law books. So, if you'd all excuse me, I need to set the mood, light some drippy candles, put on a little Barry Manilow, and try to seduce my brain into studying. May your evening be as filled with romance as mine...