Authors often place obstacles in the path of love to create compelling stories, from feuding families to terminal illness. James Dawson explores ten common literary devices that keep fictional couples apart, highlighting how these barriers make romance more dramatic.
Classic star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet, are victims of circumstance. Malorie Blackman's Noughts & Crosses flips racism, with dark-skinned Sephy forbidden from loving white Callum. Joan Lingard's 1990s IRA series features Catholic Kevin and Protestant Sadie, separated by sectarian divides.
Emotionally unavailable men, such as Mr Rochester or Christian Grey, present a 'fixer-upper' challenge. In Twilight, Bella must meet Edward's impossible standards, while Mina Harker resists Dracula's allure. Dawson suggests these characters might be better off on Tinder.
Physical distance and time also thwart love. Will and Lyra in The Subtle Knife must move between worlds to reunite, while Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now sees Daisy and Edmund separated by war. Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife uses time travel as a barrier.
Terminal illness features in The Fault in Our Stars, A Walk to Remember, and Before I Die. Death itself is defied in If I Stay and Wuthering Heights. Mythical quests, like Orpheus travelling to the Underworld or Mal retrieving the Stag's antlers in Shadow and Bone, also test love.
Finally, mysterious female characters, such as John Green's Alaska, prove too damaged for love. These literary devices remind us that true love never runs smooth—at least in fiction.
