Five Classic Books with Plot Centered around a Fling

Books are timeless because of the topics they cover, the feelings they make us feel, and they can stand the test of time. Books with love-centered plots are masterpieces, and people come back to them multiple times in life. Each reading is different from the other. People thrive when love conquers everything, just like it’s meant to be, which is why romantic books and novels work every time. People fall for a good plot where they can find a lady in trouble and a man in shiny armor willing to do anything to make her happy. Of course, there needs to be a twist in a plot, like evil family members or a sad life story that mixes things up. In the end, evil loses, and love wins. A classic recipe for a romance novel. But what readers like the most are intrigues, affairs, and forbidden love. They love to get lost in a world different yet similar to theirs. Writers knew that; romantic novels were spiced up with dark desires, morally questionable actions, and lust. No wonder that fling-centered plots stood the test of time. We bet you’re eager to find out which five books made our list. Well, prepare your library card because you’ll be hitting the library after this article.

Why Do People Gravitate Towards Flings and Affairs for Centuries

Since the dawn of civilizations, humans have been attracted to flings. However, the ways people find affairs have changed through the centuries. Getting them nowadays is simple because of availability of online services for fling dating, and being among like-minded people makes meeting partners much easier. People in the past didn’t have the technology to help them, and most of them could only fantasize about feelings while reading books or listening to other people’s stories. And the interest in such novels lives for a long time. Here are some of the reasons why we’re attracted to flings.

Some readers love reading fling books because of the adrenaline caused by something forbidden. There’s nothing wrong with living through book characters. Other readers enjoy them because that’s their unfulfilled wish; to have an affair. That way, they can have the experience without doing anything. And some readers love this type of literature because of numerous moral dilemmas and questionable situations. The brain gets stimulated and works to figure out whether something is black, white, or gray.

Classic Stories of Fling Relationships

Here comes the moment you’ve been waiting for: the list of classic books that revolve around fling.

The Ebony Tower by John Fowles

This is the only serial of novellas that made it to this list. The Ebony Tower was published in 1974, and it has five novellas, each built around a medieval myth. The Ebony Tower, Eliduc, Poor Koko, The Enigma, and The Cloud.

This particular novella, The Ebony Tower, revolves around an old painter and young journalist who needs to write a story about a painter’s life. The story spices up when David, a journalist, discovers that the painter lives with two younger girls. The culmination comes when David falls in love with one of the girls.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

This Czech classic was published in 1984, and it’s set in the Prague Spring period (1968). The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a philosophical piece exploring artistic life in Prague and complicated relationships between characters. Kundera challenges Nietzsche’s premise that the universe and its events happened and will keep happening again and again. The story follows two men, two women, and a dog and their complicated relationships filled with lies and intrigue.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This book raised some hot discussions when it was first published in 1850. Can you imagine the drama back then? The plot takes place from 1642 to 1649 and follows Hester Prynne, who became pregnant while being in an affair, and she decides to create a new life for her and her child. The Scarlet Letter is filled with history and religious allusions, and it covers themes of sin, legalism, and guilt. It’s no wonder this was one of the first mass-produced books in the USA, and it inspired numerous TV and movie adaptations.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

This classical masterpiece was the first novel Flaubert wrote back in 1856. The story follows Madame Bovary, who lives a lush life, beyond her capabilities, to escape a dull and meaningless life. The novel was brought to court for obscenity, and after the trial, Bovary was launched into the skies. Today, this capital realism book is considered Flaubert’s masterpiece and is one of the most influential books ever. Everyone can appreciate his writing skills in every language translated. Reading Madame Bovary in French must be even better, but learning a language is a long process.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina is another realism classic coming from Russia. Tolstoy considered this to be the first true novel he wrote. This thick novel is over 800 pages long and follows over a dozen major characters. The story is built around an affair between Karenina and Vronsky, and their relationship causes disturbance in their social circles.