a psychological

BOYS I'VE
TO ALL THE
approach to
literary criticism
LOVED
BEFORE
BY: IVAN JOSHUA GABRIEL P. PACETE

“
“To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2014 young adult romance novel by Korean- American
author Jenny Han, first published by Simon & Schuster and released on April 15, 2014. Han was
inspired to write the book based on her own habit of writing long letters to boys she had crushes
on as a teenager.”
- Goodreads

In accordance to its author Jenny Han, this young adult romance novel unveiled the
message of psychology of dating, courtship and love: how do women and men attract, behave
and perform mind games to charm a partner.

As a background, the story revolved on a lady named Lara Jean who has never openly
admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it
in a box under her bed.However, things get rough as well as smooth to Lara when her concealed
letters were sent to all of her previous crushes namely: Josh, Peter, John, Kenny, Lucas and
many other guys behind the limelight. In great surprise, Lara Jean found that her younger sister,
Kitty, was the responsible on ferrying the letters. As the story progress, the love story epicentered
to Lara, Josh and Peter- the two boys who fought like in a tug-in- war scenario vying for Lara's
heart. (More mind boggling scene in the movie).

In the story, the art of social dynamics is present especially to the three main characters.
The expression of feelings were manifested in creative ways both rational and emotional
approach. There were conveyance of 'push and pull technique, a strategy where stirring an appeal
to feelings is extreme and suddenly shutting it down. It works like a blazing fire at first then
extinguishing it with a water and then igniting a fire again to keep the tilt of interest and
excitement which is clearly evident to the characters.

Constructively speaking, this story is inspired from the real life encounters of the author
and there is a higher probablity that the author had undergone facets of experiences in love and
dating. Linking this to philosophical views, attraction is not a mere by-product of the heart but it
is also a play of inner games, framing, stimulating and conditioning a potential partner. In this
young adult literature, the author indirectly sending a message the psychology of dating and how
to eventually turn fling, fun, trivial, relationship into genuine and committed connection.