Yes, all you writers group people - my brain is still on the topic of marriage.
There are typically 2 - count them -
two ways arranged marriages work in stories.
1. The person getting married finds his/her true love in the person s/he been arranged to marry.
2. S/he ends up running away from the arranged marriage with his/her true love.
(We touched on a much less popular option a couple meetings ago - two people living together. One working very hard during the day and then spending his nights a late night bar that he owns and the other working very hard as well, and living with her nose in a book/writing.)
The 2nd "official" option seems to be more popular, probably because it adds "conflict" (and usually angst, but that's a different post.).
I read a book for school recently that included arranged marriages.
Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan. Granted, the main character's didn't go terribly well, but her stepsister got married and seemed to do quite well in her life. We needs more of that, arranged marriages that work, but aren't necessarily "Troo wuv".
Think about culture, and the character his/herself. Is she really going to throw tantrums because she doesn't want to marry a man she's heard is kind and gentle?
And I can't help but wonder about the divorce rate in fictional works, particularly fantasy/SF. I guess that would depend on the culture you've created.
See these rants for more information.
Arranged Marriages . . . Oh, and
Duty-Bound Protagonists. . .
I need to stop watching Doctor Who so close to bedtime. . . it sends my mind into overdrive.
