Diana Gabaldon wanted Outlander to focus on characters staying married
We all know Outlander doesn’t fit into one genre. And it isn’t a romance. It’s a love story and a book more than about two characters falling in love and getting married.
Just to explain, romance books focus on a couple meeting, falling in love, and having some sort of happy ever after. Usually, it happens in just one book. We’re left never knowing the rest of the story for this couple. Outlander is so much more than that.
When Diana Gabaldon initially sat down to write the book, she wanted something more than just a story about two characters falling in love. It wasn’t just about all the drama that comes the Frasers’ way, but about the two of them together.
In a tweet, Gabaldon confirmed that the idea was a story about people who stay married for 50+ years. While Claire and Jamie were separated for 20 years, they found their way back to each other. They never stopped deeply loving each other, even when they were with other people. In their hearts, they remained married to one another.
That's very perceptive of you, Nat! As I was writing OUTLANDER (for practice, but then Things Happened...<cough>), I decided that there are a lot of books about how people fall in love and get married--I wanted to explore how people _stay_ married for fifty years (or more). https://t.co/hRrFU4ZFia
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) October 8, 2020
Claire and Jamie have their arguments
Just because Claire and Jamie are happily married, doesn’t mean they don’t argue. We’ve seen plenty of times throughout the Outlander books that they have different opinions on a matter. They want to do things in different ways, especially with them both being raised in different times and under different circumstances.
One thing the books offer is a look at how the two end up back on the same page. We see them work through their disagreements. We watch has they come to understand each others’ point of view.
Sometimes things are said in anger. However, at the same time, they know how to forgive and move on. It isn’t just about remaining married but about remaining happily married. They want to be with each other, and Claire will even take a dangerous trip through the stones to make it possible.
Of course, there’s drama along the way. The two routinely put themselves in the middle of major events, whether it’s Culloden or the American Revolutionary War. However, we see how the two fight to remain together within the drama.