Page 21 - Advanced Romance

18 Advanced Romance*
are courting machines. Those ancestors who could speak poetically, draw deftly, dance nimbly, or deliver fiery moral speeches were regarded as more attractive.”15
And so these traits are similar to the big horn sheep’s head-butting abilities, or the blue-footed boobies
goofy dance seduction. The similarity doesn’t lessen
the transcendence of love in my opinion. But knowing evolution had a major part in the eloquence of real life Romeos and Juliettes does make such deaths much more tragic. Did they die over some ancient command by evolution? Or say the love triangles of Casablanca. Oh, so evolution is jerking you this way and now that way Rick, Ilsa and Laszlo. Who will make themselves the bigger fool and cause more harm while obeying evolution’s commands? Or you become so obsessed with one particular naked ape, one Homo sapien, that you’ll have them as your lover, or almost ask to be killed, like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.
Of course, becoming cynical about such romantic gems as Romeo and Juliette, Casablanca or Breakfast at Tiffany’s is precisely the fear we romantics have. But thinking that way doesn’t decrease the piquancy of those movies for me. It merely makes me think that I’d maybe make better choices if I were in the same situation. It will still hurt like hell or be as romantic as moonlight.
Successful procreation any way possible is what evolution wants, but if a love triangle is all it can get, evolution is happy. Perhaps we should personify