Books
Classics:
* Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: The ultimate tragic love story.
* Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: Passionate, tumultuous love with a haunting ending.
* Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: A story of forbidden love and its consequences.
* Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Epic love story set against the backdrop of the Civil War.
Contemporary:
* The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: A unique love story with twists and turns that will leave you heartbroken.
* The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks: A love story that spans decades, with a bittersweet ending.
* Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: A poignant story of love and loss.
* The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: A tearjerker about two cancer patients who fall in love.
Movies
Classics:
* Casablanca (1942): A wartime romance with a tragic ending.
* Titanic (1997): A love story set against the backdrop of a tragic disaster.
* Gone With the Wind (1939): The film adaptation of the classic novel.
Contemporary:
* The Notebook (2004): The film adaptation of the novel.
* The Fault in Our Stars (2014): The film adaptation of the novel.
* Me Before You (2016): The film adaptation of the novel.
* Call Me By Your Name (2017): A coming-of-age story about love, loss, and longing.
* La La Land (2016): A bittersweet story about love, dreams, and sacrifice.
Other Ideas:
* Historical Fiction: Many historical novels feature love stories with tragic endings. You might explore novels set during war, famine, or other periods of hardship.
* Fantasy: Love stories in fantasy often involve difficult choices and sacrifices.
* Science Fiction: Sci-fi can explore unique challenges to love, such as time travel, dystopian societies, or alien relationships.
Finding the Right Fit:
It's helpful to consider what kind of hurt you're looking for:
* Loss: Stories where one or both characters die.
* Betrayal: Stories where love is shattered by infidelity or deception.
* Unrequited Love: Stories where one character loves the other but is not loved back.
* Separation: Stories where lovers are forced apart by circumstance.
Happy reading and watching!