Learn Your Lovers: A Guide to Lover Tropes BY DORI GRAY PHOTOS BY PROVIDED
Protagonist and Soon-to-be Love Interest begrudgingly drag their luggage into their shared hotel room — the only suite conveniently remaining after the hotel accidentally overbooked the weekend. Looking forward to sleeping after the stressful day, they both take in their surroundings and simultaneously groan. … There was only one bed. Merriam-Webster defines a trope to be “a common or overused theme or device.” MasterClass states that tropes are plot devices or character attributes “used so commonly in [a] genre that it’s seen as commonplace or conventional.”
The romance genre, in particular, is notorious for its novels’ tropes, though romantic tropes exist outside of the genre as well. The “there was only one bed” trope is a plot device used to push a couple toward realizing their feelings for each other via forced proximity, and the feelings realized often range from pure lust to true love. No matter how overused, romance tropes are both useful for writers and an excellent source of entertainment and serotonin for readers — do not fact-check that last part. The following are five fanfavorite novel tropes used to bring two characters together, sometimes for forever.
***Writer’s Note: Please be sure to research and read both content and trigger warnings pertaining to the provided trope-y titles before enjoying. Certain novels may contain content some readers may find distressing and/or offensive. 174 | THREAD
