I finished Daphnis and Chloe. Finally. This story was very good and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was because of the naivete of the two main characters and how innocent they are. If this was real life they would never have survived, they lack common sense and intelligence, they are so ignorant that they would have been murdered by pirates or kidnapped by ne'er do wells. The characters innocence made them appear in my eyes as little children would appear, I wanted good things to happen to them just because they were good people.
I believe that Daphnis' and Chloe's romance could almost be considered one of the perfect romances. Sure it isn't complex or high brow reading, but it is the most basic form of romance there is and the characters love with such innocence and deepness. Neither Daphnis nor Chloe has any personal motives for their interest in one another, their interest is based purely out of love for one another. The two love each other so much that the thought of being separated is enough for them to start planning suicide, which appears to be common theme in romances. I found a very good example of how much these two were in love on page 193... "They kissed continually and they embraced each other like two shoots of ivy that had grown into one"...I believe that this epitomizes the pureness and truth of their love. Also, when I read this quote it reminded me of Dr. Sexson's chosen image for Daphnis and Chloe, they are intertwined so tightly you cannot tell where one ends and the other begins, just like "two shoots of ivy that had grown into one."
