Lena (Beauty and the Beast)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lena |
| Occupation: | |
| Relationships: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Lena is a secondary character in the show Beauty and the Beast (TV).
A fan described her canon role as "Catherine’s most legitimate rival is Lena (Katy Boyer), a pregnant former prostitute who Catherine brings to the World Below, and whose earnest love for Vincent inspires in him a moment’s sensation of being ‘someone else’s possibility’ in another Catherine-less life, even if the thought is short-lived." [1]
Vincent and Lena, and What is Romance?
The topic of romance and how it was defined was a topic in 1990 when Lisa Stubblefield, author of stories in Beast Beloved Tales advertised the second issue as such:
These digest-sized fanzines contain stories of an extremely romantic nature (but nothing sexually explicit) featuring the on-going relationship between Catherine and Vincent. (Please note, BBT 2 is the only one of its kind in that it features Lena in a non-romantic role with Vincent.)
At least one fan complained that the continuing storyline with Lena and Vincent was, in fact, very romantic. Stubblefield addressed this topic in the editorial of the second issue of her zine, From the Tunnels:
Vincent is special to us all for various reasons. It seems we all have our own ideas as to what the ‘Romance’ really is. But one letter in particular struck me forcefully as to just how different our views may be. I’d like to share it with you in a paraphrased version.
A woman wrote to me concerning a flyer which stated, in essence, that Lena appeared in a ‘nonromantic’ role in Beast Beloved Tales 3 [2]. She claimed that the various scenes in the zine that had Lena touching Vincent in rather intimate places could hardly be called 'non-romantic.’ She supposed that I had had many complaints about my ‘romantic' Lena/Vincent zine because of the above blurb that I had placed in my flyer.
...o.k.... This isn’t another raking over the coals for ‘insensitive’ fans. When I offer a zine to you, I’m honestly just another fan who presents her viewpoint. I expect to find those who disagree with me... it goes with the trade. But this fan letter raised a question in my mind that goes beyond disagreements. It raises a critical point about the ‘romance’ of the show that I need to understand. And I need your help to do that. O.k.?
Here goes. The fan feels that the love Lena felt for Vincent and the subsequent physical lengths she went to to impress him with that love was ‘romance.’ My question is: What constitutes romance? Is it sex?
Is it fondling one’s partner in the hopes that gratification will be found for oneself, irregardless of the partner’s hopes and dreams? Vincent and Catherine, at the time that Lena appeared in the Tunnels, had never consummated their relationship. Had not even kissed yet, I think. Yet we say that theirs was a beautiful ‘romance.’ The question that comes to my mind after reading the above fan’s letter was, if romance is sexual, then can we truly say that Vincent and Catherine’s relationship was a romance? We all fell in love with a non-romantic show in that case.
In bringing you From The Tunnels and Beast Beloved Tales, the emphasis has been placed on this couple’s (C&V) relationship, with warm snugglies fitted into the niches and chinks. Now, I hope that you, the fans of this beautiful show, will give me your answer to the question: What is romance - sex, or the discovery of another individual? I’d very much appreciate your help in this.
Sample Fiction
- Adjustments for a New Year by Vickey A. Kime-Macky (1989)
- You, Darkness by Nan Dibble (1991)
- Echoes from the Past by Deborah Nockels ("Lena meets someone from her past.") (originally appeared in Best Mirrors in 1994)
Gallery
from Shadow Knight #2 (1991), Barbara Gudlauski: Lena and Elliott Burch
References
- ^ Once Upon a Time is Now: Looking Back at Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990) (2019)
- ^ Stubblefield may have meant #2, not #3.