Goodreads celebrated a week of romance just last week. To celebrate it,
They also celebrated some legendary literary couples, whose timeless stories are told over and over in countless retellings. These couples include:
- Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
- Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre
- Cathy and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights
- Cinderella and her prince from Cinderella
- Beauty and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast
These are all fantastic choices. Who doesn’t love Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal to Elizabeth or swoon from a good Beauty and the Beast retelling?
But as fantastic as these choices are, there are even more literary couples who should be celebrated. So here are three literary couples who hold the love of legends.
1) Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe
These two from the Anne of Green Gables series are to die for. Gilbert spends years pining after Anne, who wants nothing to do with him because of childhood insults and naive romantic ideals.
Despite Anne arriving in Avonlea as an outsider, an orphan, and with red hair and freckles (apparently a crime in that time), Gilbert quickly falls for Anne and keeps falling, despite her need to keep him at arm’s length.
These two are definitely legend material and they are always going to be one of my favorite literary couples.
2) Beatrice and Benedict
These two from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing fall into the classic enemies-to-lovers trope. The two of them battle it out in a war of words before their friends decide to play matchmaker with them, just to kill time.
Both of them are quick-witted, commitment-phobic, and yet somehow perfect for each other in this drama-fueled play.
3) Eros and Psyche
Eros and Psyche have perhaps the most underrated love story in Greek mythology. Eros is willing to risk his mother’s wrath to be with Psyche and she’s willing to endure impossible trials to be with him.
Greek mythology is full of problematic love stories, from Hades and Persephone to Helen and Paris, but Eros and Psyche, while not perfect, is probably one of the sweetest because both parties are willing to prove their love for each other.
Who are your favorite legendary literary couples? Let me know in the comments below.