Love is a Jane Austen battlefield

Happy Valentine's Day,folks and what better way to celebrate the spirit of romance than checking out a few lively debates?

Particularly those match-ups arranged by Miss Jane Austen, who knew that the course of true love couldn't run smooth without an occasional argument between good friends or frenemies to settle any troublesome matters that promise to get in the way of their happiness.

I have a few examples in mind, from Austen inspired stories, that demonstrate this notion quite keenly. First up is Emma Approved, a modernized retelling of Austen's famous matchmaker whose instincts in love are not as sharp as she believes them to be.

In this particular installment, Emma is elated that her client, Senator Elton, appears to be romantically interested in her personal assistant Harriet due to purchases of theater tickets and hard to find yogurt. However, her business partner "Snarky" Knightley is doing his level best to warn her about the misreadings she's making of Elton's character, advice she really ought to heed:

Next, we have Lost in Austen, in which modern day Amanda Price finds herself replacing Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. It's both a dream come true and a bit of a nightmare, as the world of the book is changing all around Amanda and not for the better.

In trying to keep certain romances on track, she has gotten the attention of Mr. Darcy but not in a positive way. His very nature casts a suspicious eye on Amanda and as a gentleman, he gives her more than fair warning of his fury if her actions prove harmful to his friends:

Speaking of P&P, one of the best inspired confrontation scenes in romcom history comes from You've Got Mail, the delightful Nora Ephron movie where rival booksellers Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly are online pen pals in love.

As Joe finds out during a real world outing that his intended date is the woman he's been publicly feuding with, he backs out at first. Yet, he returns to the restaurant where Kathleen is unknowingly waiting for him and their forced chat turns out to be rather revealing.

 It's appropriate that Kathleen has a copy of Pride and Prejudice on hand, as she does Elizabeth Bennett proud in her denunciation of her unsuspecting romantic partner's prejudices:

And finally, if you're in the mood for some actual fisticuffs, Bridget Jones' Diary has it's two leading men duking it out in the streets.

Granted, their fight is not just about winning the hand of our leading lady, they have some past history that needs serious closure,although perhaps not with a closed fist(yet Mark Darcy is charmingly forceful in that regard):

Well, I do hope that you all are enjoying a less chaotic Valentine's Day that these fine fictional folk, that's for sure.

However, if this whets your appetite for more Austen inspired battles, please take full advantage of my one-day-only holiday sale on my entertainingly evil e-book,Fanny Price; Slayer of Vampires, with it's half off discount at Smashwords today. Just use the coupon code WZ37G for your sweet special download deal.

Okay, commercial over. One last thing that I will say about today is that you shouldn't feel left out of the joys of the day due to lack of a partner. Love is not only about romantic attachments, it's about cherishing the special people in your life. Also, like Jane Austen, you can always take solace in that one devoted love that keeps on giving; books and their wonderful stories that make any true heart flutter with everlasting joy: