11 Shocking Romantic Twists In Literature

No matter your stance on Valentine’s Day, these classic literary (and cinematic!) love stories never fail to bring out the hopeless romantic in all of us. Find the perfect gift for your book-loving Valentine.

1. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

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At first, Mr. Darcy found Elizabeth to be merely “tolerable.”

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But then he was all. . .

2. Romeo and Juliet

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Their feuding families caused an initial roadblock.

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But pretty soon it was ON.

3. Rhett and Scarlett in Gone with the Wind

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Ugh, these two. Rhett swooned over Scarlett for what seemed like forever.

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Then he broke our hearts with this dramatic exit.

4. Cathy and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights

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In what is perhaps the most epic literary love triangle of all time, Cathy marries the socially prominent Edgar and forsakes her childhood love, Heathcliff, who’s like:

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But then Cathy gets mad when Heathcliff leaves her.

5. Oliver and Jenny in Love Story

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Oliver and Jenny are two students from opposite sides of the tracks. They initially HATE each other but [SPOILER ALERT] soon they’re like:

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Okay, it might not be a classic on the order of Romeo and Juliet. But if this tearjerker taught us anything, it’s . . .

6. Noah and Allie in The Notebook

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If this break-up doesn’t make you weep, check your pulse.

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But this rain-soaked reunion made all that heartache worth it. *sigh*

7. Daisy and Jay in The Great Gatsby

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The ne plus ultra of unrequited love stories, Daisy shirks Jay for Tom Buchanan.

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But when they reunite, she realizes the error of her ways.

8. Jack and Ennis in Brokeback Mountain

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That time Jack said this and your heart fell into your stomach when Ennis resisted:

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But then, in the saddest moment ever, Ennis showed he knew they were meant to be all along.

9. Francesca and Robert in Bridges of Madison County

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Her accent, his adventurism, both characters’ emotional unavailability—the tension!

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Even though Robert says “This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime,” Francesca DOESN’T OPEN THE CAR DOOR!

10. Charles and Sebastian in Brideshead Revisited

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Entering the University of Oxford, the middle-class Charles Ryder and the aristocratic Lord Sebastian Flyte fall in love.

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However, Sebastian’s proclivity for drowning his sorrows in alcohol dooms the relationship and the men become estranged.

11. Emmeline and Richard in The Blue Lagoon

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At first, the two teens, stranded on a desert island, interact like a couple of (naked) friends.

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But eventually, the two give in to the changed emotions (and nudity) between them. Ah, reluctant young love.