Marriage of Convenience (trope)
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Synonym(s) | lavender marriages |
| Related tropes/genres | Arranged Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mail-Order Bride, Marriage |
| See also | Harlequin Challenge |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Marriage of convenience is a common trope in fanworks, in which characters enter into a marriage for reasons other than love, for example for political or financial reasons.
The trope differs from other marriage-based tropes, such as arranged marriage, because, although it is generally precipitated by outside causes, the marriage is contracted voluntarily. However, there is considerable overlap between the two, and they are sometimes used interchangeably: 500+ works used both tags on AO3 as of August 2021[1].
Because of the politics involved in marriage of convenience stories, they often occur in fandoms set in the past or in fantasy settings. In contemporary fandoms, they are often found in historical AUs or royalty AUs.
In many stories, this trope goes hand-in-hand with others such as fake dating, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers or mutual pining, and the spouses of convenience end up falling in love or admitting a secret, pre-existing love by the end of the story, whether they decide to stay married or not.
The consumation of the marriage of convenience is sometimes a significant plot point, meaning that dubcon might feature in the angstier versions of the trope.
Real-life Examples
Marriages of convenience have been used to uphold public image, bypass laws, and simplify taxes for centuries. E.g., lavender marriages are common in the U.S. (and in some other countries later), performed since early twentieth-century Hollywood in order to maintain the appearance of heterosexuality of several movie, theater and television stars. Especially notable are the marriages of Marlene Dietrich, who engaged in affairs with many famous men and women with her husband's consent, and Judy Garland, whose second husband is commonly thought to have been bisexual.[2]
Green card marriages, which bypass immigration restrictions, are common in the United States, with 2.3 million marriage visas being approved between 1998 and 2007.[3] In 2010, 15% of Irish civil marriages were estimated to be for immigration purposes.[4]
In modern China, an estimated 14 million women are Tongqi, married to queer men who hide their orientations.[5]
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- By the Book by marycontraire (Kaz/Inej). Kaz and Inej get married so Inej can gain rights reserved for Kerch citizens.
- Convenient Husbands series by Annie D (Destiel).
- Cursed at First, But Mended by Lake (Marcus/Esca). Regency AU: Marcus must marry anyone to inherit; he arranges for a temporary marriage with a servant.
- all winners here by Sixthlight (Joe/Nicky). Joe and Nicky start playing gay chicken and never stop.
- Forever Can Never Be Long Enough, Or The Earl Of Epsom Takes A Husband by torakowalski (Jesse/Andrew). Regency AU: an impoverished Earl must marry his parents' ward to keep his fortune.
Resources
- Marriage of convenience AO3 tag (3151 works as of 08/2021).
- Recs tagged Marriage of Convenience at Fancake
References
- ^ AO3 search for works using both 'arranged marriage' and 'marriage of convenience' tags (Accessed 24 August 2021.)
- ^ Lavender marriage article at Wikipedia.
- ^ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_marriage#United_States
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0817/1224276972826.html
- ^ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02929/full