Fictional characters you would like to meet
This is a variation on a meme on Tanzanite’s blog. As I’ve already listed historical characters I would like to know more about elsewhere, this list is fictional characters only.
Three fictional characters I’d like to meet:
1. Lord Peter Wimsey, from the detective novels by Dorothy L Sayers. He’s intelligent, witty and has exquisite manners, so even if he thought me an idiot he’d never let it show.
2. Faramir, from The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Another intelligent, articulate man with courteous manners. Hmm, maybe there’s a pattern developing here?
3. Elizabeth Bennett, from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Sparkling wit and vivacity, coupled with sound common sense.
Three fictional characters I’m heartily glad that I’ll never have to meet:
1. Mr Collins, from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Unctuous, self-righteous, snobbish creep.
2. Bertie Wooster, from the Jeeves novels by PG Wodehouse. The hapless Bertie is hilarious in the pages of a novel, but in real life I should imagine a little of his company would go a very long way.
3. Most of the cast of Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. Yes, I know it’s a classic and all that, but I’m afraid I find Heathcliff, the older Cathy and both Lintons about as sympathetic as spoiled children.
Three fictional characters who scare me:
1. Mrs Danvers, from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, who stalks the corridors of Manderley like a malevolent black spider.
2. General Woundwort, from Watership Down by Richard Adams. Don’t believe a rabbit character can be scary? The General is.
3. Ralf Isambard, from The Heaven Tree by Edith Pargeter. Chilling study in obsessive hatred.
Anyone else care to join in?
6 comments:
Hi Carla, what a neat idea. A proper answer would take a little thinking about and I only have three minutes!
I should like to meet George Elliot's Daniel Deronda: a deep thinker with morals to admire.
And it would be fun to spend some time with Tolkein's Bilbo Baggins -loved him since I was nine.
Certainly wouldn't want to meet Daphne Du Maurier's Maxim in her novel 'Rebecca': a thoroughly cold fish.
Nor would I want to meet Wackford Squeers, the thoroughly dislikable character in Nicholas Nickleby: I could throttle him. Dickens is very 'good' at nasty characters!
You've got me thinking but I'm afraid I must dash.
Bye, Lucy
http://www.lucyannwrites.blogspot.com
PS do visit me as above, you may be able to answer my question about history of food books.
I played, too. And we'll have to share Faramir. :)
Mr. Collins ... eww. But I found more unsympathetic characters to list.
I'll have to ponder this one a little more, but I agree about Mr. Collins.
Lucy - there's no time limit, feel free to take as long as you like!
Maxim is an odd character, I think. There must be a tender side to him that the second Mrs de Winter sees when they are in the South of France together, or she wouldn't fall in love and stay in love (she's naive, but I don't think she's stupid), but it doesn't come over to the reader.
What's your question about history of food books? I went over to your blog but couldn't see it. If you're after a general history of food and cooking, how about Reay Tannahill's book Food in History? I've not read it myself, but I've read some of her historical fiction and she can certainly write clear and entertaining prose.
Gabriele - with countless millions of others, no doubt :-) Still, look on the bright side, the queue for Faramir won't be as long as the ones for Aragorn and Legolas.
You've some interesting choices - I see we agree on Heathcliff.
Susan - I'll look forward to your list if you decide to join in. I think with Mr Collins he's only a little exaggerated from real life, and there's also the 'there but for the grace of God' feeling. I bet Charlotte's fate was a lot more common than Lizzie Bennett's.
Hi there!
I agree completely with Woundwort - he's definitely a scary freak. I'm pretty sure he's related to the plotbunnies in some way.
I actually thought Mr. Collins was rather funny. Annoying, but funny :) I wouldn't want to meet him, though.
Hi Celede! Yes, I always think of the General whenever someone mentions a more than usually aggressive plotbunny.
Re Mr Collins, you're exactly right, and that's why I invented the category of people I wouldn't want to meet. I'd go to considerable lengths to avoid him in real life, but within a book he's a memorable character.
Post a Comment