Shakespeare in Love: A Fictional Transliteration of the Grammar of Heterosexual Mating

Lorenza Lucchi Basili,Pier Luigi Sacco

doi:10.1177/2158244018822376

Abstract

This article explores the structure of the male–female interaction in the human mating process from the perspective of the so-called Tie-Up Theory, applying it to the analysis of a cinematic fictional narrative, namely the Shakespeare in love movie. We look at romantic fictional narratives as possible simulations with a social cognition valence, and show that, in the case study under exam, the actual structure of the interaction between the two main characters reflects the basic steps of a successful mating process. In view of this, the fact that the long-term couple is not formed at the end of the story neither jeopardizes its social cognition valence, nor the audience’s need and expectation of an emotional climax, as what makes the difference in terms of social cognition is not the story outcome, but the process that leads to it. Our research makes a case for a renewed interest toward romantic fictional comedies as an interesting source of insight into real mating-related interactions, provided that such narratives are socially validated in terms of audience response and intergenerational transmission.

Highlights

The pursuit of the balance between hedonic and eudemonic elements is one of the most critical, delicate aspects of the subtle art of fictional narration (Oliver & Raney, 2011)
A: Even having spent decades of my life teaching and writing about his career, especially his early work, I can’t say. For me, this is as good as any biography of Shakespeare. He must have had an emotional life, but how do you give a sense of that emotional life when no trace of it survives except for what we imagine we find in the words he puts in his characters’ mouths? You have to make it up a little bit
The Tie-Up Theory has been formulated to address the dynamics of interaction in the mating processes of real couples (Lucchi Basili & Sacco, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

The pursuit of the balance between hedonic (aimed at the search for pleasure) and eudemonic (aimed at the search for knowledge and human development) elements is one of the most critical, delicate aspects of the subtle art of fictional narration (Oliver & Raney, 2011).

Results

Conclusion