First off, I found an interesting article about Brokeback Mountain fitting in the pattern of tragic loves in literature: Cowboys in love.
The author mentioned Denis de Rougemont's famous analysis of romantic love in L'Amour et L'Occident which was a book I had to study a long time ago when I was in Highschool!

Because of jamalov29 's last entry, I kept on thinking of romantic love and Spuffy today...finding out the article was a sign that I had to write something about it! This is an answer to your post, Caroline, well kind of...

( Love in the Western World...the basics you need to know )

( Spuffy as THE ultimate romantic love in BTVS )