#joe loves jude more than anything else in the world. hes just a horrible person about it

[officialbillhader]

I think people are way too quick to dismiss classic romance stories as not romantic in the same way people are too quick to confirm classic romance stories as romantic. In the heart of all examples like romeo and juliet, great Gatsby, lolita, etc etc is tragedy, sexuality, infatuation, but its not necessarily *wrong* to call these stories love stories. Theyre not the typical disney "no one has any power over the other and everyone lives happily ever after" type stories bc that isnt their purpose. Theyre there as a warning, always.

Im going to use lolita as an example bc its the one ive read most recently. I want to preface this by saying i dont think the ppl who think humbert had a pure love for delores and only wanted to cherish and protect her and the only issue between them is the age difference are right. No, people saying that completely missed everything about the book. But the people who vehemtly deny that also miss crucial parts about the book.

Humbert loved delores. He loved her fiercely and violently. He often described her as a brat, as annoying, as sucking his life away, but he even loved that about her. Everything she did wrong was not wrong because she did it. When he got worried about her, he enrolled her in school. When she got sick, he rushed her to the hospital. When she got kidnapped (left semi-voluntarily) it led him on a desperate chase across the country that led in a man's death.

But the thing people miss is that love isnt pure. Its brutal and horrible and some of the worst things people can do is because love. Love is *intoxicating*. It surrounds you and affects everything you do. its the reasons crimes of passion are a thing. Its sickening. It is completely possible to do the worst things ever to a person and claim its bc of love.

Its not wrong to call unsavory love stories love stories. The love is there for a reason. People get them mixed up with savory love stories for a reason. The characters do those things bc theyre sick with love. Love is deadly. Trying to recatoragorize a genre of romance/love books bc they dont fit the perfect definition of love and romance will only harm our understanding of something every human experiences.