The Art of Manipulation: Time as a Weapon

"The Kiss" by Cam de Leon

This is my favorite image of Daphnis and Chloe. "When the lovers saw each other, they almost collapsed to the ground, but finding the strength to stand upright, they greeted and kissed each other, which is what supported them and kept them from falling down (pg. 176)." Once Daphnis and Chloe realize they are in love they continually kiss each other. Before they are married and Chloe is bedded, kissing is the physical manifestation of their love. In their innocence they kiss and kiss and kiss. This painting, by Cam de Leon, does not show up on an image search for Daphnis and Chloe, but to me it is Daphnis and Chloe; two lovers stripped down to their basic human structure become one in a kiss.

"The heroine of romance is supposed to carry out her tactics in low profile, that is, behave with due modesty (Frye, 79)." In order for the heroine of romance to arrange the plot she must often be manipulative. I find that manipulation by a woman of either the hero or the events is present in the peripheral aspects of romance and when manipulating, time is everything. Women in romance often use time as a weapon, whether it is waiting til the right time to act or planting seeds at the right moment, I say women because it is not always the heroine that employs time as weapon. Sometimes it is another female character employing manipulation and time as a weapon to either join the hero with the heroine or keep them apart.

"The hero goes through various adventures about which there is a good deal of mystery, with a female fluttering in and out of his quarters. Eventually this proves to be Rose Bradwardine, arranging the plot in typical heroine fashion, until the hero is ready to know which woman he ought to be marrying (Frye, 84)." Since women are expected to be chaste their power is limited, the promise of a fine time later on is not enough to ensure that she will accomplish her goals. Manipulating people and situations by using an innate knowledge of time (when to act, when and how to plant thoughts, how to change the situation subtly and undetected) is the female's best weapon. The skilled manipulation of female characters allows the plot to move forward and allows the female to remain modest by subtly controlling the action. 

In Daphnis and Chloe Lycaenion, through her selfish manipulation of Daphnis, not only continues the action of the narrative, she inadvertently preserves Chloe's modesty. By tricking Daphnis into learning the art of love making she fulfills her agenda and contributes to the happy ending of Daphnis and Chloe. Her warning to Daphnis about the difference between married women and virgins serves as a plausible reason for Chloe to remain a virgin until the two are wed. 

I can think of countless examples of women and heroines in literature using the art of manipulation and time as a weapon. Whether it be utilizing 'perfect timing' or exercising extreme patience. 

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The award for the archetype of pastoral innocence goes to...Betty White's character Rose on the Golden Girls. Even though the Golden Girls is a comedy, the character Rose is a romantic archetype. She is naive, simple, from a rural farm community, and was a virgin until marriage. She is forever telling wonderful and bizarre stories about her hometown that is so very pastoral it's often hard to tell where the animals end and the  people begin.