''Love Story'' is a

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novel by American writer Erich Segal. Segal wrote a screenplay that was subsequently approved for production by Paramount Pictures. Paramount requested that Segal adapt the story into a novel as part of the film's marketing campaign. The novel was released on February 14, 1970 (

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

), along with segments of the story which appeared in ''

The Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

''. ''Love Story'' became the top-selling work of fiction for the duration of 1970 in the United States and was translated into more than 20

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

s. The novel stayed on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for 41 weeks, and peaked at number one. The film was released on December 16, 1970. In 1977, a sequel ''Oliver's Story'', was published, and made into a film in 1978.

Summary

''Love Story'' is the tale of two college students who fall in love: Oliver Barrett IV, a jock and heir apparent to his father's business empire, and Jennifer Cavilleri, the quick-witted daughter of a Rhode Island baker. Oliver (Ollie) is at Harvard preparing to take over the family business, while Jennifer (Jenny) is a music major at Radcliffe College and planning to study in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Although, divided by class, Oliver and Jenny are immediately attracted to each other and begin dating. Upon graduation from college, the two decide to marry, against the wishes of Oliver's father, who promptly severs all ties with his son. Without financial support from Oliver's family, the couple struggles to pay Oliver's tuition at Harvard Law School. Jenny begins working as a private school teacher. After graduating third in his class, Oliver gets several job offers and takes up a position at a respectable New York law firm. The couple move to New York City, excited to spend more time together, rather than working and studying. The pair decide to have a child. After Jenny fails to conceive, they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver that Jenny has terminal leukemia. As instructed by their doctor, Oliver attempts to live a normal life without telling Jenny of her condition. Jenny suspects something is wrong, confronts the doctor, and discovers the truth. With their days together numbered, Oliver is desperate and seeks financial relief from his father, but lies about why he needs it. From her hospital bed, Jenny speaks with her father about funeral arrangements, and then asks for Oliver. She tells him to avoid blaming himself, and asks him to hold her tightly before she dies. When Oliver's father realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York to reconcile with the couple. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny has died. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny had once told him: "

Love means never having to say you're sorry "Love means never having to say you're sorry" is a catchphrase based on a line from the Erich Segal novel ''Love Story'' and was popularized by its 1970 film adaptation starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. The line is spoken twice in the film: ...

..." and breaks down in his arms.

Sources

'' New York'' magazine in 1971 stated that Jenny resembled the "myopic, athletic, brisk princess" Brenda Patimkin in

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

's '' Goodbye, Columbus''. It is sometimes said that

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

falsely claimed that the plot is based on his life at Harvard. In fact, Al Gore mentioned correctly, that he had read that the characters were based on him and his wife. In 1997, Segal confirmed Gore's account, explaining that he had been inaccurately quoted in the ''Nashville Tennessean'' and that "only the emotional family baggage of the

romantic hero The Romantic hero is a literary archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has themselves at the center of their own existence. The Romantic hero is often the protagonist in ...

was inspired by a young Al Gore. But it was Gore's Harvard roommate,

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...

, who inspired the half of the character that was a sensitive stud, a macho athlete with the heart of a poet". Erich Segal had met both Jones and Gore at Harvard in 1968, when he was there on sabbatical.

David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

, who became

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

from 2010 to 2017, was the basis for the character Davey, an ice hockey team captain. Johnston had been a

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than ...

varsity hockey captain and a friend and jogging partner of Segal.

Reception

The novel was an instant commercial success, despite scathing reviews. It was nominated for a

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

, but it was withdrawn when the judges threatened to resign.

William Styron William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work. Styron was best known for his novels, including: * '' Lie Down in Darkness'' (1951), his acclaimed fi ...

, the head judge for fiction that year, called it "a banal book which simply doesn't qualify as literature" and suggested that even by being nominated it would have "demeaned" all the other novels under consideration.

Influences

A number of Indian films were based on the novel: *''Manjal kumkumam'', a 1973 Tamil film *''

Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se ''Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se'' ( hi, अँखियों के झरोखे से, lit=Through the eyelashes) is a 1978 Indian Hindi language drama film, starring Ranjeeta and Sachin and directed by Hiren Nag. It was produced and dist ...

'', a 1978

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

film *'' Madanolsavam'', a 1978 Malayalam film *'' Sanam Teri Kasam'', is a

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film based on this novel. In addition, '' Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'', a 2002 Hindi film, mentions the novel a few times.

References

External links