Literary Genre of the Plot: Love | Istanbul, 2022
Main characters
Dorothy is a trapeze artist. She works in her father's circus and has been a nomad all her life, traveling around Europe with the other performers. She has learned that the boundaries of her world correspond with those of the circus camp, and everything outside is foreign. Faust is the young circus tamer.
A strong, proud boy who loves Dorothy and feels that he is loved back. The fate of the two young people is sealed and blessed by circus tradition. Simon, Dorothy's father, is a sincere man who loves his daughter and is proud to have her with him at the circus and to see her together with Faust, however, he is not sure if Dorothy is happy.
The call to adventure
During the circus's long stay in Istanbul, Dorothy's father falls ill and is hospitalized. His daughter rushes to his bedside and meets Alexis, a young doctor, charming in appearance if shy in manner. An unexpected, uncontrolled feeling arises between the two.
The conflict
Dorothy thought she was in love with Faust, but when she meets Alexis she experiences a strong conflict. Alexis also experiences a similar situation. The doctor's parents are wealthy and desire for him a marriage with an upper middle-class girl. Istanbul is a wonderful city that kindles the feeling that brings the doctor and the trapeze artist closer together.
Dorothy does not want to betray Faust, who realizes that something is happening to his fiancée. After the initial anger he tries to bring Dorothy to her senses, reminds her of her role in the circus, and also of everything they have experienced together.
The Key
Against the backdrop of a dream city, the protagonist finds herself at the mercy of opposing forces: to continue following the circus, take on her father's responsibilities and continue on an already sealed destiny, or to throw herself into the arms of love, defy a world she does not know and be free to follow her instincts? But when her father comes to his senses, it is he who offers Dorothy one more alternative: “Take your time, child. Think only of you and find your own way. Those who love you will wait for you.” And so it happens: the circus leaves for a new city while Dorothy and Faust try to understand whether theirs is true passion or just infatuation.
The alternatives
There are many ways to fuel a romance plot and the resulting ending: Dorothy might initially hate Alexis and then love him madly, or Faust might reveal a dark part of his character. Or Alexis might turn out to be different than imagined. One can connote the writing with a more dramatic voice or a more romantic one.
One can also change trades and places very easily: what matters is to create a protagonist in love who will have to resolve a contrast, a new love for someone very different (in habits, culture...) and place the narrative in a romantic place and then push the story toward an ending full of doubts.
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