1. Would live together happily ever after;

2. Should / would break up one day;

3. Would be toxic but should stay together anyway;

4. Should be together but wouldn’t, due to some internal or external factors.

My list would be -

1. Emma and Mr Knightley in Emma. They are my favourite couple in Jane Austen’s novels, their love is built on the foundation of a long lasting, intimate, strong friendship, they understand each other, value each other, and are willing to communicate - there are conflicts when their opinions clash, but that’s much better than if one of them tends to bottle up! I’m convinced they’d be really happy together. The only downside is that Emma is much younger than Mr Knightley and might become a widow one day, I hope they get to enjoy a long and happy marriage before that day comes!

2. Maxim and the second Mrs de Winter in Rebecca. She really should leave him before he finds a reason to kill her… To be fair, the novel never indicates in any way that Maxim might kill the narrator one day; but if I were her, I’d think that murdering one’s wife would become a habit if you’ve already done it once. She is also a much easier target than Rebecca, if Maxim can get away with murdering Rebecca, he definitely can get away if he kills one more wife.

3. Heathcliff and Cathy in Wuthering Heights. They are poster children for toxic relationships, and they inevitably cause each other pain and suffering. Even at the end of the novel, when it comes to Cathy, Heathcliff is still the same man who hopes to be haunted and tortured by the ghost of his lover. He is addicted to the pain inflicted by her, and vice versa. Obviously if you ever meet someone like Heathcliff or Cathy, you should run for your life; but in this fictional story the bond between them is so powerful and poignant in a turbulent, destructive, haunting way. Their crazinesses match; the dynamic between these two is not one between an abuser and a victim, it’s one between two people who have the power to hurt each other equally. If they stay together, at least they won’t be tormenting other people who simply can’t fight back.

4. Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence. I believe Ellen is the only one with whom Newland might get to experience his life in a ‘real’ way, the only one who can give him real happiness and real sorrows. I think Newland also knows this, but he’ll never choose her, because a life in imagination sounds better than a life in reality to him. The ending of the novel is incredibly sad, but it’s also one of the best I’ve ever read.