Enemies-to-lovers! The Anti-Hero! The Final Girl! These are all classic and super enjoyable tropes. Have you ever wondered where they came from? This new column, The Origin of Tropes, will examine just that. In the inaugural edition, we’ll trace one of our most beloved — enemies-to-lovers — back to its roots.
What Is a Trope?
Some sources trace the English word “trope” back to the 1530s, while others say it was first used in the 1100s. In any case, the word stems from the Latin “tropus” (a figure of speech), which comes from the Greek “tropos,” meaning something akin to “a turn” in rhetoric. Though the word has existed for centuries, its use has seen a significant spike in the past two decades.
The word has since expanded its meanings:
*Also used to describe sung parts of the Hebrew Torah.”
In 2004, the site TV Tropes began. The wiki catalogs common clichés and plot devices across media. While some have credited it with changing the meaning of the word trope, the site’s use is more likely a reflection of the language shift.
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Enemies-to-Lovers Trope
So now that we’ve covered the origin of the word “trope,” it’s time to look at one of our favorites and find its beginning: enemies-to-lovers.
First up. What is enemies-to-lovers? Even pinpointing that definition can get complicated. TV Tropes calls the general category “Foe Yay.” It then breaks it down into subgenres, ranging from “belligerent tension” to arch enemies being shipped. It’s a lot, to be honest. But where did this all begin? And why is it so satisfying?
Maybe you’ve heard there are only seven basic plots and no new stories under the sun. None of those plots are romance specifically, but you can break those down further into 20 and 36 plots, which introduce romance into the fold.
All this to say: though romance may not be one of the O.G. plots, it is an integral part of literary history and a well upon which people draw, build and recycle. Enemies-to-lovers is by no means an exception.
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Before diving in, note that this history is very Western-centric, as these stories have dominated so much of English-language storytelling.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu
“The Epic of Gilgamesh” is quite possibly the oldest recorded story on Earth. It also happens to be a homoerotic enemies-to-lovers epic. Written on stone tablets, the tale about an ancient Sumerian king who lived somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE contains the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
Enkidu is a demon, an enemy of Gilgamesh. Eventually, they become friends and, most likely, more. Sadly, they do not get a happy ending. That may be OK. To understate it, neither of these dudes is particularly good.
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus is a character dating back to ancient Greek mythology: A young Trojan prince who appears in The Iliad (700s BCE). However, his love story with Cressida is a Medieval one. These two didn’t find themselves star-crossed on the battlefield — on paper, at least — until Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the epic poem “Troilus and Criseyde” around the mid-1380s.
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Cressida’s dad abandons Troy because he believes the city will fall, she gets flack for it, and Troilus poo-poos love only to be cursed with loving Cressida. While not precisely enemies themselves, there’s enough antagonism in their backgrounds here for it to count.
Chaucer’s story spawned further incarnations of the tale, including Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida.
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are the quintessential embodiment of the enemies-to-lovers trope. We might even call them the modern-day originals. Published in 1813, Austen’s novel is an infant compared to the first two stories discussed. However, it’s much better known, having spawned multiple films and remixes.
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So, while Pride and Prejudice isn’t the first enemies-to-lovers story, the sweeping romance about social structure, misunderstanding, and, yes, pride and prejudice is comfortingly familiar — a tale as old as time, as it were.
Where Do We Go From Here?
As pop culture expands and fractures into more and more niche genres, it’s likely this trope will too. The TV Tropes “Foe-Yay” section may splinter into 20 subsections before we know it. Even still, enemies-to-lovers can be a tricky trope, considering its ability to roll into toxic territory.
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Not to yuck anyone’s yum, but violence and other forms of abuse turning into romance can harm young folk (or even adults). However, a spark of antagonism leading to a spark of attraction is likely harmless. In any case, the trope isn’t likely to go anywhere, considering it began literally thousands of years ago.
Were you surprised by how old the enemies-to-lovers trope is? What’s your favorite iteration of it? Let us know in the comments below. See you next time when we explore the origin of another trope!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/fiction-books-set-on-college-campuses/
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