The Rory Gilmore Book Club discussion

Thought this could be a fun, or potentially deep, topic for Rory fans! I know Lorelai and Rory enjoyed a few rom-coms in their life ;->

"Watching romantic comedies can spoil your love life, a study by a university in Edinburgh has claimed."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/sc...

Lol! This is so funny! I mean, I guess it's not really, but it's an amusing idea for a study at least. And, I have to say, having been to Edinburgh for a few days on a tour, it seems so strange that it would be that city's university that conducted the study... don't know why, it just seems like something Edinburgh would not do...
Anyhoo! While perhaps there's truth to the fact that we watch a slightly idealized version of life in movies and then expect our own lives to be that way, I have a hard time believing that most of us are that influenced (to that extent) by Romantic Comedies. Maybe - but... maybe not.
I'm really curious to see what everyone posts! Thanks, Kathryn!!:D

I think watching GG can spoil my love life, as I often wish to have my own version of Luke who is always there for me and can cook as well! LOL.

Good point there, Dini! Gave me a chuckle.

While I think that for some people viewing overly idealized images of romantic relationships hurts them by setting up unrealistic expectations in real relationships, my experience has been that romantic comedies did more to spoil my single life than my love life. I think that each stage is a gift; the single stage, the dating stage, and the married stage are all great seasons of life and should be appreciated and enjoyed as such. Too many of us spend a lot of energy longing for another stage instead of appreciating the one in which we find ourselves. Single people spend tons of energy longing to be in a relationship; married people spend tons of energy longing for the lost independence of the single life, etc. When I was single and not dating, I found that watching a bunch of romantic comedies made me more dissatisfied with my life because the conflict comes from the couple not being together, and the whole time the viewer is watching with anticipation for the climax of the two getting together. The whole not-being-together stage is the holding stage for the together stage. That pattern encourages a single person to feel like her life is just a waiting stage, instead of a stage to be enjoyed and appreciated for what it is at the moment. I am a romantic and I love a love story, and I had to work hard at appreciating the single stage, so rom-coms were a little counter-productive. At this stage, I am happily married and I don't think that the content of rom-coms really affects my interactions with my husband. And, ironically, now that it matters less, I watch less of them b/c he is around!

One good thing about the majority of the Gilmore Girls seasons (though not all) was that the romances were just part of the stories of the women's lives. There was usually a lot of other stuff going on as well (the inn, classes, friendships, family conflict, etc.). The romantic relationships were realistically important, but not the entire picture of their lives.

You are right there, Elizabeth.
Every stage in life has got great aspects. If you are single, you are only responsible for yourself, if you are with someone, you have someone with whom you can talk.
Only examples, though.. There are many more great things about everything : )

Great comment, Elizabeth!

What about romantic tragedies? Are people more inclined to suicide pacts after watching Romeo and Juliet? I've been married for almost 37 years - some comedy, some tragedy, mostly just life. Which is something the conductors and participants in this study should think about getting.

I agree, Elizabeth. Romantic Comedies are usually worse for those who are single than for those in a relationship. I think a part of it is that you've already accepted the person you're with, especially if you're married, so you don't expect a prince charming, but if you're single, you might still think you want prince charming, and he's no where to be seen.

Lol, Dini! That's hilarious!

Elizabeth, wonderfully put! You make some excellent points! And that's a wonderful insight to the GG story-lines. In a way, that makes them even more realistic.

(have you read Eckhart Tolle's book? I haven't read it yet myself, but my mom has and I've seen some of his talks - via tv - and he's very much into being happy with how things are now ;>).