Love - Definition and Introspection

Running head: LOVE: AN INTROSPECTION
LOVE: DEFINITION AND INTROSPECTION
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1LOVE: DEFINITION AND INTROSPECTION
A dictionary definition of “Love” is “an intense feeling of deep affection towards
something or someone”. The other dictionary definitions are: “a great interest or pleasure in
something” or “feeling deep affection or sexual love for someone”. The etymology of love can
be traced back to Old English word “lufu” and Indo- European rooted Sanskrit word “lubhyati”
which means “desire or lust” (Etymonline.com., 2020). The respective paper is an introduction
and description of various meanings, interpretations and approaches to love through science,
literature and philosophy.
However, the concept of Love is itself a debatable issue as many scholars believe that
love is an evolutionary emotion among the Homo sapiens that makes them “monogamous” in a
society. Anthropologists believe that love is an evolutionary emotion and mechanism among
human beings that functions to attract and retain a mate for the purpose of reproducing and then
caring for the resultant offspring to retain the race of human beings (Fletcher et al., 2015).
Different people have interpreted love differently. Spiritualists say that love is a connection
between two people that surpasses the bodily feelings and union of two souls finally happen in
such case. In spiritual love, the passion felt between both the partners are ethereal and
otherworldly, as argued by spiritual masters and scholars. Philosophers (both materialists and
idealists) say that love is a desire for beauty that transcendent from physical form to
psychological and intellectual form, whereby, the partners are guided by highest and purest form
of thinking which involves altruism, unintentional sacrifice and unconditional affection towards
someone without expectation of anything in return which turns a human into a supreme being
(Amoroso, 2016).
Shakespeare, in his romantic comedy “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, has shown that love
is sometimes confusing, unfair, unrequited and often misunderstood. According to him, love is

2LOVE: DEFINITION AND INTROSPECTION
unpredictable, uncontrollable, incorrigible and gullible and lovers tend to commit mistakes but if
honesty, loyalty and truth prevail in love, the union of the lovers is bound to happen. In
Midsummer Night’s dream, Shakespeare suggests that believing only in love rather than other
materialistic desires such as fertility and political power can make wonders and ultimately, such
kind of pure love survives and thrives in the society (Rebarchik, 2015). Through the line “The
course of true love never did run smooth” Shakespeare tried to say that true love, which is devoid
of any classism and discrimination is heretic and therefore, society tries to oppose such love. But
such love is true and there are high possibilities of such love to be successful and the union of the
lovers are bound to happen (It shows Shakespeare was optimistic towards love). In a popular
American romantic novel “Fault in our stars” by John Green, love between two young cancer
survivors has been shown which is extremely poignant yet interesting. The movie shows how
both of the lovers struggle to keep their bonds even after knowing that their days are numbered.
From a psychological point of view, the love between the couple shown in the movie depicts
how love acts as catharsis as well as the last hope for human beings to survive and live in the
world (Novera, 2017). As psychologists say, love and intimacy are the two factors that help
human beings survive in the world even after going through terminal illness that can claim their
life. With love and intimacy, as science says, certain hormones such as oxytocin (which is known
as happy hormone) flows through the body and the person feels happy from inside which
increases his/her survival capacity to a certain extent, if not completely. On the other hand,
legendary novel such as “Love in the time of cholera” written by Marquez describes the pain of
unrequited love or “one sided love” which is not openly reciprocated or not understood by the
person who is being loved (Andro, 2013). Love, sometimes can also act as obsession which is
again depicted in the path breaking novel by Orhan Pamuk, “The Museum of Innocence” where

3LOVE: DEFINITION AND INTROSPECTION
the lover Kemal tries to accumulate objects belonging to Fusun (his beloved) and keeping the
objects with him that reminded him of his short but tragic love affair with Fusun, even after her
accidental and tragic death after their engagement. Kemal here is shown as a neurotic person
who loves reminiscing his love with Fusun through the objects she has left behind her which
shows how obsessive love can be in a person’s life. Through the line “Whatever anybody says,
the most important thing in life is to be happy” from the Museum of Innocence, Pamuk has
brought about the obsessive love Kemal feels for Fusun when he sees Fusun’s belongings and
remembers their happier moments and it provides him with uncontrollable pleasure and
happiness (DIMITRIA, 2016).
However, love is a broader and a multidimensional concept that is complicated,
sometimes pleasurable and poignant in nature which needs to be introspected intensely. Love has
different connotations in different situations that has to be felt to understand accurately.

4LOVE: DEFINITION AND INTROSPECTION
References:
Amoroso, R. L. (2016). The Physical Basis of Love or Spiritual Union. Scientific GOD Journal,
7(7).
Andro, N. R. J. (2013). Florentino Ariza’s Loneliness Which Leads Into Self-Actualization In
Love In The Time Of Cholera Movie. Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa FIB, 2(4).
DIMITRIA, A. M. (2016). KEMAL BASMACI’S OBSESSIVE LOVE AS REFLECTED
THROUGH HIS ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR IN ORHAN PAMUK’S THE MUSEUM
OF INNOCENCE (Doctoral dissertation, SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY).
Etymonline.com.,(2020). Available at: https://www.etymonline.com/word/love
Fletcher, G. J., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. C. (2015). Pair-bonding, romantic
love, and evolution: The curious case of Homo sapiens. Perspectives on Psychological
Science, 10(1), 20-36.
Novera, N. A. (2017). The Consummate Love of Hazel Grace as Reflected in The Fault in Our
Stars Movie (Doctoral dissertation, Diponegoro University).
Rebarchik, B. M. (2015). What a Dream Was Here: An Ontological Approach to Love and
Magic in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.