A Brief Survey of Romance: From Folktale to Information Technology and the Post-Millennial Search for One's Soul-Mate

Abstract

Throughout human history, the nature of emotive, sincere or direct communication on the subject of romance has always been of great interest. From ancient times up to the present, love / the traffic between lovers has captured the imagination, in poetry, in the arts, in song, and later in fiction and film, while messages of love have been ingeniously conveyed through all other known varieties of human communication. The inventions of new technologies have been of great benefit in keeping loved ones connected: the letter, the telegram, telephone, facsimile, and now the internet site, the e-mail message and the mobile phone, have all had their part to play in bridging the gaps which have separated those who desire to communicate about love and with love, wherever the beloved (recipients) might be. Such communications have traditionally traveled by means of land, air and sea transport, and even human travellers in space exchange messages with loved ones on Earth, depending upon radio, internet and satellite technology, just as do their more Earth-bound fellows. Love has ever been a catalyst for great mental and spiritual creativity, assisting new inventions in both technological and artistic circles.