If you really think about it some of the expressions and actions that sound so good in romance novels wouldn’t really survive in the real world. I mentioned in my last blog about nostrils flaring. Then I got to thinking. This is a favourite in romance books
“His nostrils flared as he looked on her with hunger in his eyes” Hands up. How many of us have actually seen nostrils flare. I have but only on commercials where they have a close up of some weird guy moving them in time to the commercial jingle. While it sounds all ooohhhy in a romance novel, would we really notice if the nostrils of the men in our life flared. I think if I even noticed my husband’s nostril flare, I would think he was coming down with a cold or about to sneeze. And the hunger part too. I can’t say if I ever really noticed a “hungry” look in my husband’s eyes when he feels frisky. Of course, we’ve been married over 30 years now and maybe that’s too long now to notice that hungry look. Although I know he is “hungry” for the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup if hockey ever resumes. I guess I might have been replaced by a little rubber puck.
Another one that amuses me when I think hard enough about it how the hero always manages to lift one eyebrow. “His eyebrow quirked as he looked at her in amusement”. It’s never both eyebrows, it’s always just the one. Now I think the ability to quirk one eyebrow is one of those things not many of us are born with. Kind of like the ability to curl your tongue. My mother could do it, lift one eyebrow, I'm not sure about the tongue curling, but she practiced for hours when she was young. She used to tell my sisters and me that. How hard she would practice in front of the mirror. I think it was one of her proudest accomplishments, learning how to do that. A few times she would sit us down and try and teach us how. She was an odd woman but very dear. Only one of us managed to learn how and it wasn’t me. Although the sister who did learn how quirks her eyebrow at me and it is most annoying. This is the the sister who doesn't read romance novels and she usually does it when I try and discuss them with her. It was hard enough for me to learn how to do the Vulcan “live long and prosper” hand greeting. (I grew up watching the original Star Trek). Spock could do the one eyebrow thing very well though. And the greeting. Talented guy was that Spock, but emotionally very cold. So, did most of our heroes practice this trick when they were kids in the hopes that one day they would be amused enough by some future heroine to do it?
I think there is a lot of romance stuff I haven’t examined in close detail. I’ll have to do some more thinking on it.
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6 comments:
My uncle taught me how to quirk my eyebrow when I was young, and I don't remember practicing much, but I agree it's something you're born with or not. I'm the only one in my immediate family who can do it, and yes, it's a good silent weapon for the skeptic.
What I often get caught up with in reading Romance is trying to figure out the leg and arm positions during those more intimate scenes. If the scene isn't particularly compelling (which happens quite a lot, actually), I get distracted trying to imagine the placing of all the requisite parts according to the author's description, and damn if there aren't a lot of double jointed or otherwise unnaturally flexible lovers in Romance.
Quirking eyebrows, definitely genetic, for us it was passed on by both sides of the family. I can only quirk the left brow, but my darling son (who's 3) can do both brows at the same time when he's angry or annoyed. Silly, I know, and why I needed to pass on this info I'm not really sure--LOL.
What I find annoying--the swallowing of a smile or biting back of a grin, how exactly does one do this?
I think the main reason why our mother wanted us to learn how to quirk our eyebrows was to be able to set young men in their places :) I vaugely remember her saying something like a raised eyebrow is one your most effective weapons.
Robin: I do that sometimes too. The I have to read it over again and think "How'd they do that?"
Oohh the smile swallowing and grin biting - those are good too.
The rock definitely has something goin' on doesn't he. He has such an infectios grin.
"infectous laugh"--how about the whole package, OMG he's as close to perfect as it gets.
Nostril flaring has always annoyed me. I do not want a man looking at me and flaring his nostrils, thank you very much. LOL.
This is very interesting site... » »
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