love triangles poll!

[kindkit]

I've been thinking about that ever-so-common plot device, the love triangle, and wondering if I'm especially weird in how much I hate them. So, a poll! It asks only about the "two men in love with and competing for the same woman" kind of triangle, because that's by far the most frequent kind and the kind that especially puts me off.

Everyone is welcome to vote--you don't have to know me or subscribe to my journal or whatever. And if you'd like to elaborate on your responses in the comments, that's great.

ETA: The second question is meant to be pretty flippant and silly, so don't feel like you're answering it "wrong"!

Poll #15018

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 79

View Respondents

1) You learn that a book/film/TV show features a love triangle of the "classic" sort: two men who both love the same woman. Are you:

View Answers

More interested in reading/watching than you were before
0 (0.0%)

Less interested in reading/watching than you were before
60 (75.9%)

Neither more nor less interested in reading/watching
19 (24.1%)

2) Love triangles can be resolved by:

View Answers

Duels
8 (10.5%)

Fistfights
4 (5.3%)

Flipping a coin
5 (6.6%)

Heroic renunciation on someone's part
15 (19.7%)

Kidnapping
2 (2.6%)

Plot-convenient death
11 (14.5%)

Polyamory
64 (84.2%)

The two competitors behaving as though the love object's own feelings mattered
67 (88.2%)

The vertex/love object declaring "a pox on both your houses" and running away
62 (81.6%)

The two competitors realizing they're actually triangulating their forbidden love for each other
55 (72.4%)

Comments

[mllesatine]

I honestly don't remember seeing the two men compete for a woman trope. I'm pretty sure I have but I can't think of examples. The closest I have is "Bridget Jones' diary" (the movie) where it looks like the two male leads are in competition and actually start a fist fight. But that movie is from Briget's perspective and she had already left jerk#1 before liking guy#2. And it's all her decision and in the book we only get to see both guys through her eyes.

Oh, yeah and maybe Gangs of New York. Leonardo diCaprio and Damian Lewis have that mentorship thing going and Leo falls in love with Cameron Diaz but she was with Damian before. At first Leo rejects her for that and all the other men (she was a prostitute). That was an interesting triangle because there were more layers than love.

I'm not a fan of love triangle in general. I wouldn't purposefully seek out fiction. If I stumble across it (like in Gangs of New York) and it isn't the main focus, then that's fine.

I also don't like threesome or polamory fic so I can't even bend my head-canon if I encounter love triangles I don't like.

Guess I'd choose the plot-convenient death. :)

drive-by comment

[elaineofshalott]

Aw, I got all excited when you mentioned Damian Lewis and then I looked up the movie and it's actually Daniel Day-Lewis. Nuts.

Re: drive-by comment

[mllesatine]

I got them mixed up and didn't even notice. Wow. Name-wise not exactly close and I do know both actors.