Beta types and depictions of epic love in music, movies, novels, and art

[Khola aka Bee]

I'm not sure but I certainly like it. Perfect example:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cwlL9tZo30]YouTube - Ben Folds Five - The Luckiest[/ame]

[Gilly]

wow, dreaming of you for 29 years...*melt* i didnt watch the video (on my cell :-| ) but that lyric gives me hope in a kind of pathetic way...anyways i have entire moleskines filled with epic longing and romantic (mostly non-sexual) fantasies and idealistic poetic musings on love, so i vote yes

[Mr Saturn]

I certainly do. In fact, I consider myself to become more emotional with 'artistic' feelings (love, hate) than in real life.

For those that haven't already seen this.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZSAkCdLzkg&feature=channel_page"]This is my love.[/ame]

Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Quit Me)

[ScarlettLux]

Awesome, you like the National =] Of course, all righteous Betas love a good epic love song, even the Beta STs... actually especially the Beta STs! =D Oh the drama...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0TwmP0lA2Y]YouTube - Skid Row - I Remember You (Live)[/ame]

Haha, cannot resist the intensely melodramatic bordering on cheesiness of it Actually it more than borders, it totally crosses over and just throws up everywhere.

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain
The wind would whisper and I'd think of you
And all the tears you cried, that called my name
And when you needed me I came through

I paint a picture of the days gone by
When love went blind and you would make me see
I'd stare a lifetime into your eyes
So that I knew you were there for me
Time after time you were there for me

Remember yesterday - walking hand in hand
Love letters in the sand - I remember you
Through the sleepless nights and every endless day
I'd wanna hear you say - I remember you

We spend the summer with the top rolled down
Wished ever after would be like this
You said I love you babe, without a sound
I said I'd give my life for just one kiss
I'd live for your smile and die for your kiss

We've had our share of hard times
But that's the price we paid
And through it all we kept the promise that we made
I swear you'll never be lonely

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain
Washed away a dream of you
But nothing else could ever take you away
'Cause you'll always be my dream come true
Oh my darling, I love you

And one of the MOST beautiful songs I've ever heard - and solo: Just please listen to it, it's like drool-worthy, orgasmic... fast forward to 3:00minutes!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMrCIUUtWHU]YouTube - the hold steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged - Stay Positive[/ame]


Lord, I'm discouraged
The circles have sucked in her eyes
Lord, I'm discouraged
Her new friends have shadowed her life
Lord, I'm discouraged
She ain't come out dancing for some time

And I'm trying to light candles
But they burn down to nothing
And she keeps coming up with
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
There's a house on the south side
Where she stays in for days at a time

I know I'm no angel
I ain't been bad that way
Can't you hear her?
She's that sweet missing songbird
When the choir sings on Sundays
And I'm almost busted
But I bought back the jewelery she sold

And I come to your altar
And then there's just nothing
And she keeps insisting
The sutures and bruises are none of my business
She says that she's sick
But she won't get specific
The sutures and bruises are none of my business
This guy from the north side
Comes down to visits
His visits, they only take five or six minutes

Lord, I'm sorry to question your wisdom
But my faith has been wavering
Won't you show me a sign,
And let me know that you're listening?

Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine
I know it's unlikely she'll ever be mine
So I mostly just pray she don't die

[Ezra]

Not just epic love, but epics in general.

But not to derail the thread, I love the film The English Patient.

[idolatrie]

Do depictions of epic love in music, movies, novels and such particularly appeal to betas? I'm wondering if it's related to and . If something has some theme of epic love, I tend to be more drawn to it, even if (being a bit of a culture snob) I think it's kind of embarrassing to like.

But what is culturally embarrassing about liking 'epic' stuff? I mean, ok, it is a bit romantic and a bit pretentious, but there's far more cringeworthy stuff around. Epic love is totally defensible. From both within and outside the academy/canon.

[07490]

But what is culturally embarrassing about liking 'epic' stuff? I mean, ok, it is a bit romantic and a bit pretentious, but there's far more cringeworthy stuff around. Epic love is totally defensible. From both within and outside the academy/canon.

What do you mean by "epic love is totally defensible"?

[Gilly]

Well western society typically demands that people be relatively jaded and have low expectations of anything claiming to be transcendant, prefering that people relegate fulfillment of these desires to their imagination and project them onto things that can be sold (movies, music, video games, etc), so when people are actually passionate, they are typically seen as "naive" or "emo," and as a result arent taken seriously.

[07490]

Gilly, I understand and it saddens me because that kills a lot of good Art, think of the 90's entertainment and now.

[Gilly]

I think I lost most of the 90s the night I downed half a bottle of jack daniels with a handfull of klonopin ;-;

[07490]

It's never cool to mixed drugs with alcohol man.

[Gilly]

Yea thx, figured that one out the hard way x_x

[idolatrie]

Well, for 'epic love' I was thinking more about grand passions, tempestuous affairs and some sense of 'destiny' to it all. Opera like Carmen, ballet like Swan Lake, novels like Anna Karenina. And just epicness in general - themes about swelling, tormenting emotion and the cruel, endless march of time. Give me Hamlet, give me Guernica, give me war poetry from the trenches, the camps. So if you want to look at artists who have considered 'epic' topics in their art, I don't see what is not defensible about being moved by them. Sure, it is easy to be cynical about transcendence through art, but that is such an empty, impoverished way to be. If that makes me a pretentious wanker, fuck it, I'll take that and enjoy the richness, thank you very much.

[07490]

Well, for 'epic love' I was thinking more about grand passions, tempestuous affairs and some sense of 'destiny' to it all. Opera like Carmen, ballet like Swan Lake, novels like Anna Karenina. And just epicness in general - themes about swelling, tormenting emotion and the cruel, endless march of time. Give me Hamlet, give me Guernica, give me war poetry from the trenches, the camps. So if you want to look at artists who have considered 'epic' topics in their art, I don't see what is not defensible about being moved by them. Sure, it is easy to be cynical about transcendence through art, but that is such an empty, impoverished way to be. If that makes me a pretentious wanker, fuck it, I'll take that and enjoy the richness, thank you very much.

Totally.

[Ezra]

so when people are actually passionate, they are typically seen as "naive" or "emo,"

Or on E.