Tragic Romance
Stories where love affairs are doomed by external forces or character flaws, ending in catastrophe.
Summaries
Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus
A young scientist’s ambition to animate life creates a sentient creature, whose rejection by humanity spirals into a cycle of vengeance that destroys the creator and everyone he loves.
Wuthering Heights
On the desolate Yorkshire moors, the savage, all-consuming love between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw ignites a cycle of vengeance that engulfs two generations, destroying the old houses and their heirs before finding a fragile, redemptive peace.
Romeo and Juliet
Star-crossed lovers rush into a secret marriage that spirals into violence, banishment, and a tragic double suicide, ultimately forcing their feuding families to reconcile in grief.
The Great Gatsby
A tragic story of obsession, wealth, and the American Dream, centered on Jay Gatsby's quest to reclaim a lost love and the moral decay hidden beneath the glittering surface of the Jazz Age.