Not all animal brides are doomed. Not all men are greedy or violent or possessive.

What was the good of dreaming of adventure if you turned your back on the first one that came your way?

The fact that I seem to prefer seals over any other animal brides is something I hadn't actually realized until this moment. Perhaps it's because there's a lot of very cool folklore about it.

Many fairy tales and ballads present us with animals who are nobler, truer, and kinder than the greedy human beings who desire to possess them. I guess I tend to read these stories as very early (and possibly unconscious) feminist texts.

I love the idea of species fluidity, I guess, the sense of the maiden inherent in the swan or seal, the youth inherent in the bear or deer. After all, human beings are animals.

I think happy, companionate marriages between men and women who respect each other (as far as is consistent with being actual human beings) should be every bit as poetry-worthy as angst, bitterness, and shame.

Not all animal brides are doomed. Not all men are greedy or violent or possessive.