If you have been here a while, you might consider me a serious person. I am here to debunk that myth. I am very unserious. I enjoy sleeping, reading and watching movies over doing anything else. I am serious only about 20% of the time. So let’s go on an adventure together.
There was a trend on the internet that was everywhere for a while. Women were asking their partners how often they thought of the Roman Empire. Many of them were responding every day or several times a day. It was so funny and unexpected that it made it into the internet hall of fame and got its own name. Suddenly everyone was asking, what’s your Roman Empire?
It got me thinking about a little series I have always wanted to do called how to write a man written by a woman (another internet story of its own) where I detail specific scenes from books about my favorite characters (book boyfriends) and why they work. And as I watch story after story of people’s Roman Empire, I realised this was mine. I will be writing a series on scenes that stay with me from books and kdramas and why they work. Some of them will be creative but some of them will be pure fun. There will be a lot of spoilers of course but if you don’t mind them, join me. Let’s have a good craic.
The first scene I will be discussing is from Northanger Abbey (Henry Tilney is my ultimate book boyfriend). After Catherine misses their first proposed walk then sees Henry at the theatre. She immediately rushes to him to apologise for her behaviour. He assures her that his sister was not upset with her but rather was convinced that there must be a reasonable explanation. Catherine is of course glad to hear that but she quickly brings up his own odd behaviour when he first makes eye contact with her at the theatre. It’s so refreshingly honest how she asks him why he was mad when his sister thought better of her and was not upset with her. He explains that he was not (he was) and here comes my favourite part, he asks her to make room for him beside her and he converses with her about the play they had just seen.
This gesture is so simple but it reveals a lot about Henry. He is kind and friendly but also emotionally intelligent. He recognises that Catherine could tell that he was a little upset with her and so to assure her, he talks to her. He also sits beside her so he will not be towering over her and that must put her at ease. Without doing a lot, he kindly reassures Catherine and gets to know her more. I love that Henry is always attuned to Catherine’s emotions. I love that he respects her but also dignifies her and this tiny scene shows the little things he does to put that across to her. It is so sweet.
His tenderness in that scene is not pronounced, in fact, if you were not paying attention you’d have missed it, but it is a building block for what comes later - his falling for Catherine. Most of the scenes before this one, Henry has been teasing Catherine (did I mention I love a funny man?) but in this scene he is more serious and honest. I like to think of it as the first step he takes towards her.
Men written by women are beloved because they show their care and compassion for their partners, they are not afraid to be vulnerable and their actions back up their words. When creating believable characters, include gestures that speak without dialogue. You just might find yourself creating someone’s book boyfriend. This scene from Northanger Abbey lives rent in my head. And now you know why.
Till next time,
Keep creating, keep reflecting, keep being.
- Ayo
