They're wonderful stories because they tell us something of the truth of love. Somebody is coming to help you; somebody is coming to hold you and to rescue you. Regardless of your past, they will love you. And that is a beautiful thing about these stories. But the problem of the modern romantic comedy is that something else seeps into it. And that's that the story of romance is that you are good and valuable as you are now. You are loved. And this is the depth and the breadth of which I'm willing to go to declare that to you, to state your value to you. But the modern romantic comedy sometimes has this message steep in that although you are good enough now, you never have to change. You're perfect as you are. But the true gospel message, Jesus looks at you and says, "You are great and you are wonderful and you are worth it in this moment. You are valuable and I'm willing to go to these depths and lengths for you as you are now." But the love story of Christ continues on because he says, "I will continue to redeem you. I will continue to save you from the mess and the mire and the muck that you're in. And I will take you to that place where you will shine.
Thinking about this, I'm interested in analyzing a particular type of romantic narrative. Frequently in romantic fiction, there's a high value placed on sacrifice. Often there's some sort of barrier between two lovers - perhaps their physical location, their careers - and one must sacrifice from that part of their lives (relocate to where their lover resides, quit their job) in order for them to be together.
I can think of a few love stories that concern sacrifice; sometimes it's a very tragic sacrifice, as in the fiction of Erich Maria Remarque; his novel Three Comrades (1936) was mostly concerned with two young lovers (Robert and Patricia) against the backdrop of a changing Germany as the Nazis rose to power. The rise of fascism is definitely not an encouraging backdrop for a romance and, indeed, Three Comrades ends tragically as Patricia dies just as the Nazis are coming into power. But it's the way Patricia dies that's so striking: suffering from a lung hemorrhage, she sees Robert depleting all of his meager funds to help prolong her life. Seeing her precarious health as a burden upon Robert and doubting that she has much hope of recovery, she hastens her demise for Robert's sake.
You can debate whether her sacrifice was the best course of action, but it is absolutely a depiction of sacrificial love, definitely on the most extreme end of that scale compared to lovers who sacrifice a job or an existing relationship.
I think I respond strongly to Three Comrades because - like my pastor - I see something in romantic fiction that points to Jesus and his love. And by "romantic," I think I can expand that to the classical definition of romance (as a Portuguese speaker, I'm amused that the Portuguese still use the traditional 'romance' when referring to fictions of all types). When a character in a war story gives up his life to save one of his buddies, what can that be but sacrificial love?
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13) I do believe that and I'm certain the reason a story like Three Comrades - or other fiction by Remarque such as the Spark of Life (1952) - elicit such a strong emotional reaction from me because they're about people sacrificing their lives for the sake of others (in the case of the Spark of Life, it's a concentration camp prisoner who gives his life for his fellow prisoners).
As a Christian, I don't have to look too hard to find my beliefs this reflected in art, but I think it's worthwhile to draw attention to it. I'd like to think this might be true for much of what we like in fiction-- we like them because they assure us about things we believe to be true.
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