The Pursuit of Love

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Pursuit of Love
Author(s):	Eva Stuart
Date(s):	1983
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:
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The Pursuit of Love is a Kirk/Spock story by Eva Stuart.

It was published in the print zine The Voice #2.

It has a prequel called Unto the Day.

Summary

"On a planet seeded by the Preservers, Spock comes to understand and accept his love for Kirk as they study the Grecian society there."

Reactions and Reviews

1986

Lastly, I would like to discuss "The Pursuit of Love", a Greek background story, by Eva Stuart. I'm not sure I would define this as a story. It doesn't have much of a plot. if plot is supposed to have conflict, and there isn't any here. Essentially, on ancient Greek parallel planet, K&S go to a play about Achilles and Patroclus, and then experience Plato's Symposium dialogue with heavy dollops of the original text. Since I am quite familiar with the dialogue and with ancient Greek culture, I thought that Eva could have done something far more interesting with the material. I also thought that this swallowing of Plato's myth whole is a romanticization of Greek homosexuality and scarcely a realistic description of the actual situation in that era. I refer you to GREEK HOMOSEXUALITY by K. J. Dover, the indispensable reference on the subject. The mores varied from city to city, and each city had only a very narrow range of who may practice homosexuality and how it may be practiced. This was no paradise as Eva seems to imply. Yet I love the concept of Kirk and Spock in such an environment, and I think that the story, such as it is, might easily have a fascinating sequel. For one thing, it's a waste to merely refer to a personality like Socrates without using his dramatic potential to the hilt.

1994

Really beautiful writing, expressive and vivid; and natural feeling, not forced or intrusive. Some absolutely exquisite, poetic gems. Highly-defined moments - this author is really talented with this the very essence of time, action or substance, expressed in few words.

Kirk and Spock (and assorted others of first-contact study team) are on a Preservers-seeded world ala 4th century BC Greek Earth. The entire sun-drenched enlightened, artistic, philosophical golden age is evoked so well.

The story is in Spock's head - his exquisitely expressed feelings he has learned must be love. Gorgeous moments of his simple awareness of Kirk's magnetism. Absolutely on the mark with Spock, how he would look at love with his beautifully brilliant mind and a soul longing for the connection most rare. I don't know Plato's writings or even the times all that well, but Spock does, and there is an amazing parallel going on to Plato's Symposium, in which he and Kirk take part. Fine, fine words/speeches of the gathered men, on the subject of the pursuit of love. Spock is finding a truly satisfying, logical simplicity to these concepts of love and wholeness. And Kirk does too. A quiet and very powerful moment of acknowledgment between them, that they have found their other halves, and "the pursuit of the whole is called love."

I was all settled in for this to be a novel, and was crestfallen when what I thought was a scene break was the end!