Like Ron Weasley
You always see them together for some reason. The drop-dead gorgeous one is friends with the other one. The other one is by no means unattractive and, really, that is what makes it interesting. Because if you see the other one alone, she becomes the magnet. But for some reason, they always seem to be drawn together like this: the gorgeous one with the pretty friend who seems less so by virtue of sheer proximity. At least, in fiction this seems always true. In real life? Who’s to say?
“It was an occupational hazard of being friends with Hermione Watson. She collected broken hearts the way the old vicar down by the Abbey collected butterflies.”
Hermione, Again
That Hermione, she is something. Clearly, at the most elemental level, she is the object of Mr. Bridgerton’s desire. But is she another broken heart to collect? Or is there something more complex going on here? Hermione has, after all, been a tough nut to crack. Her friend—the one with the occupation hazard, is clued in enough for theorizing:
“But underneath they were all the same. They hung on her every word, they gazed at her as if she were a Greek goddess come down to earth, and they fell over each other in an attempt to offer the cleverest, most romantic compliments ever to rain down upon her pretty ears. And they never seemed to understand how completely unoriginal they all were. If Mr. Bridgerton truly wished to pique Hermione’s interest, he was going to need to do something different.”
Love Scene
Love scenes are great for metaphor. After all, there are only so many words for body parts and overuse kicks in pretty quickly. The metaphor has been the love scene’s writer since love scenes were invented. Though, admittedly, the collapse of censorship issues cut down on the use:
“Her neck arched as he nipped at her earlobe, and she moaned—soft, incoherent sounds that slid from her lips like a song. She wanted to sink into him. She wanted to slide to the carpet and take him with her. She wanted the weight of him, the heat of him, and she wanted to touch him—she wanted to do something.”
Learning from Sisters
Gregory Bridgerton has siblings. Four of them are sisters. This may account for his grandly romantic sensibilities. Of course, he also has the basic masculine sense nature provided to go along with the education provided by nurture. One bit of metaphorical imagery sums up this interior divide; half admiring and half dismissive.
“Mysterious creatures, women. If they could just learn to say what they meant, the world would be a far simpler place.”
Hermione, One More Time
A lot of the book’s use of metaphor is expended upon the subject of Hermione. Specifically, there’s a lot of metaphorical related to the relentless pursuit of Hermione by men who just can’t seem to get they are born to lose this one even when they were born into privilege that’s never known that it is like to lose:
“no one ever seems to admit defeat and move on to a more attainable lady. Once everyone realizes that everyone else wants her, they seem to go mad. It’s as if she’s nothing but a prize to be won.”
