What fun!! “The 100 favourite fictional characters… as chosen by 100 literary luminaries”
It was beautiful to see many of my old favorites on the list … although I have to admit some I have never heard of.
So then I went to town, choosing my favorite fictional characters. I have no idea how many there are here on this list below … I just kept going until the well ran dry.
My criteria? Characters who made an indelible impression on me, first of all. For whatever reason.
Like Madame Defarge in Tale of Two Cities. I read that book in high school and I remember some of the descriptions of her almost word for word. She is, to me, unforgettable.
The same with Queequeg in Moby Dick. The opening chapters of the book when Ishmael meets Queequeg – and then there’s the strangely homoerotic moment when they lie in bed together and Ishmael wakes up, and Queequeg is hugging him in his sleep … fascinating. I love Queequeg. He, to me, is a character who lives, between the lines of that book. He is alive.
I chose other characters because, in a direct way, they had an impact on how I lived my life, and who I have become. This is not an exaggeration. That’s how Harriet the Spy is for me. That’s how Jo March from Little Women is for me, and that is definitely how Scout Finch and Charlotte the spider are for me. You can NEVER convince me that these characters only live between the covers of their respective books.
I guess that, above all, was my criteria: a character who transcends his or her own genre, who steps up off the flat page, and lives. Lives on, long after you finish the book. Like Cathy in East of Eden. Or The Grand Inquisitor in Brothers Karamazov.
Anyway. PLEASE add your own in the comments.
And just a small note: There should be NO SHAME attached to your favorite fictional characters, and you should assume NO JUDGMENT from me or from anyone else when you put them down. If your favorite fictional character is a feisty brunette damsel in distress in your favorite bodice-ripping romance novel, put it the hell down in the comments here, and BE PROUD.
Okay. So here’s my list.
Sheila’s Favorite Fictional Characters.
Harriet, from Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. Hands down, my favorite fictional character EVER written.
Jane Eyre. from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte the spider. from Charlotte’s Web, by EB White
Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Queequeg from Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery
Miss Havisham. from Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
Ramona. from the Ramona series, by Beverly Cleary
Yossarian. From Catch-22, by Joseph Heller.
Milo. From Catch-22, by Joseph Heller.
The Grand Inquisitor. From Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoevsky.
Bud White. from LA Confidential, by James Ellroy
Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. From Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams.
Elizabeth Bennett. From Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
Mr. Darcy. From Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
Phoebe Caulfield, Holden’s sister. From Catcher in the Rye, by Salinger
Porfiry Petrovitch, the detective in Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky.
Olympia, from Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn
Huck Finn. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Leopold Bloom. Ulysses, by James Joyce.
Alice. from Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.
Frankenstein. from Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Stephen Dedalus. from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce
Hamlet. from Hamlet, by Shakespeare
Gandalf. from Lord of the Rings, by JRRRRRRR Tolkien
Fagin. from Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
Jo March. from Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
Madame Defarge. from Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Atticus Finch. from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Scout Finch. from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Boo Radley. from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Rosalind. from As You Like It, by Shakespeare
Cathy. from East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (just the thought of her makes me shiver)
Villanelle. from The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson (she’s a web-footed cross-dressing redheaded daughter of a Venetian boatmen, during the time of the Napoleonic wars. Unbelievably great character)
Chris, Cathy, and the twins, from Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews …. JUST KIDDING
Update: The comments are AWESOME. Keep ’em coming!
Here are Dan’s choices.
Here are Beth’s. Beth gets extra points for choosing Oscar the Grouch and saying, in regards to that trashcan dweller:
Oscar taught me, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once put it, “to see the miraculous in the ordinary.”
Red…you actually typed out the entire “s” word just now… :)
Well, I’m nodding away at the ones I recognise on your list, Sheila.. especially at Queequeg, and Yossarian and Milo.. and I’d add Major Major from Catch-22 as well.
Corporal Nobbs from Terry Pratchett’s Guards, Guards – for one single line in that book.. Asked why he’s kicking a man lying on the ground, he replies – “Safest way, Sarge”
and Piggy in Lord of the Flies, first read when I was about 11.. an indelible impression.
peteb: There are so many great characters in Catch-22 – it is really hard to choose. Dunbar is pretty damn great, too. Major Major Major Major too … hahahahaha But Milo really gripped my imagination, and Yossarian is pretty much a personal hero of mine.
Jayne:
I know!! Charlotte deserves that respect, I think. You cannot read that book and not be pro-“s”.
I love the Chaplain from Catch-22 too.
I’d have to comb over my shelves to get a complete list, but here’s a few:
Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ditto for Willy Wonka.
Ponyboy from The Outsiders.
Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird.
Alex from A Clockwork Orange (the bastard).
James Leer from Wonderboys.
Hotblack Desiato from Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but only because I really like typing his name.
Ramona from the Ramona series.
Peter from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
Okay…you can leave childhood any time now, Emily….
I’ll probably write a longer post about this later after I have a chance to go through my books at home.
Yay for Ramona!!
In my personal view, some of the most unforgettable characters ever created are in children’s books.
And haha with James Leer from Wonderboys – so right-on. He’s such a great character.
Henry Fleming – The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Yeah it’s a book chock-full of great characters, sheila.. Major Major etc, climbing out the office window is priceless (and he always looks like Bob Newhart in my mind).
But one more to add to the list,
Billy Pilgrim – Slaughterhouse 5.. one of my all time favourite books.
Oh Oh.. (with a little prompting) Slartibartfast (and Marvin) from Hitchhikers Guide to..
//a character who transcends his or her own genre, who steps up off the flat page, and lives. Lives on, long after you finish the book. //
Bang on there.
Now I have to go and do my own list.
I look forward to reading it, Dan – it’s always interesting to hear other people’s thoughts on stuff like this. Very cool.
Slartibartfast! Yes! He’s terrific.
“What is your name, human?”
“Dent. Arthur Dent.”
“Dent, as in ‘the late Arthur Dent’? It sort of a threat you see.”
Emily
“I always think that the chances of finding out what really is going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say hang the sense of it and just keep yourself occupied. Look at me: I design coastlines. I got an award for Norway”
I’ve always liked Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces. Beats the heck out of that that little twerp from Catcher in the Rye. Great American Novel? Gotta be John Kennedy Toole. Hands down.
I also like John Kaltenbrunner from Lord of the Barnyard. (Tristan Egolf, 1998) Guess I’m partial to messed up loners.
Rounding out my top three is Henry from A Secret History. (Donna Tartt, 1992) How I longed to be so smart, so darkly cool, so perceptive in a Holmes-like fashion, and in the end orchestrate a murder/coverup.
Pete – hahaha. Fjords are the latest fashion!
Sheila – this thread reminded me – do you remember that game that Crabtree and Tripp would play in Wonderboys, where they picked a random, odd-looking person and made up their life story on the spot? We are SO playing that when I get to New York.
They do give a lovely baroque feel to a continent, Emily
I would have to add Levin from Anna Kerenina
And have to voice my support for Yossarian, Leopold Bloom, and Billy Pilgrim.
I am in the middle of Brothers K right now, and have yet to meet the Grand Inquisitor.
Oh, and since Shakespeare is allowed then Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet is my all time favorite.
Favorite Fictional Characters
Well, I am proud, but I know my own tendency to be long-winded, and I know how this poor blog has been thirsting for updates, and so without further ado (really, seriously!) I post them here:
I read so little fiction, I can only think of a couple that stand out in my mind.
I second “Ramona” and add Louis from “The Trumpet of the Swan.” I love E.B. White’s characters, even Henry Huggins.
For an adult book, I’d have to go with “Agnes” from The Madness of a Seduced Woman. Awesome character you have SO much sympathy for, even though she’s a murderess.
Lisa – I also love Louis’ blowhard pompous father in Trumpet of the Swan. I remember him striking me as very very funny.
I see I’m not the only one who thought of Willie Wonka. Mr. Fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox by Dahl also stuck in my head.
I admit I spent much of my young adult life reading trashy semi-adventure books, and Remo Williams of the Destroyer series was one of my favorites. (We shall NOT discuss the execrable movie made about him.)
Mitchell Gant from Firefox was another favorite. Very flawed person, but a great pilot, which I suppose was the point.
My obscure choice would be Howarth from To Serve them All my Days, which is still one of my favorite books.
Wow. To Serve Them All My Days. I just got chills – haven’t thought of that book in years.
Nick in The Great Gatsby. The voice of that one decent guy made me want to be that kind of friend. “I’m thirty. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor.”
Johnnie, the narrator of Starship Troopers. That’s such a well told story, like a memoir. Drill Sgt Zim is a cool character in that book, too.
GREAT list, Sheila. I actually remember reading Catcher in the Rye the first time and thinking Holden was certainly my brother Michael and that I had to be Pheobe. I also have a special place in my heart for Owen Meany (thank you, Mitchell, for introducing me to John Irving several years ago.)
Also, of course, Shaw’s Eliza Doolittle.
And Margaret Schlegel in Howard’s End. And Mrs. Wilcox! (the first one, that is.) Talk about a character who permeates an entire novel–she’s only alive for the first few chapters and then it’s as if she’s watching over the rest of it. Amazing.
The butler, Stevens, who narrates Remains of the Day.
Gatsby.
Emma Bovary.
Jo March, for sure.
I’ll think of a million more, I’m sure.
Kate:
Hm. I might have to add Hester the Molester on my list. What a crazy unforgettable character.
And good one with Stevens. “It occurred to me that my heart was breaking.” Isn’t it something like that … at the very end? Oh. It kills me.
FWIW, the DVD of To Serve them All my Days (Masterpiece Theater, of course) is at least available through Netflix. It’s been on my list for a while, but we need to work our way through the Mrs. 18th c. period piece movies and the kids’ Hello Kitty DVDs. [“Coming next: Hello Kitty Gets a Bunion Removed!”]
Okay, since we are allowed plays: How about:
Varya from “herry Orchard”
Puck from “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
and
all 3 sister from “Three Sisters”.
Also, I have to say I fell in love with the Little Twerp from “Catcher In The Rye”. That book changed my life. Well, that and “Marigolds…..” I couldn’t sleep after reading either of those.
All 8 witches from “Drivethrough Macbeth.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Holden Caulfield
Hannibal Lecter
Sherlock Holmes (though he’s more of a mythological figure at this point)
Uh, Lisa and Shiela, Ramona and Henry are Beverly Cleary characters, not E.B. White… Wonder if they still read those books in grade school guess I’ll find out in a couple of years as I have a kid in kindergarten.
For childhood characters: Danny Dunn (of course, most of the “science’ in those books is so hopelessly out of date, and wrong, that today’s kids would laugh at them).
For adult characters: Spenser and Travis McGee (yeah, my adult fiction is pretty shallow)
JFH:
Huh? I wrote in my post: “Ramona, by Beverly Cleary”… ??? What? Did I write it in invisible ink?
If you have a little girl (can’t remember if you do … I think so), then Ramona is definitely a must-read!! :)
Hey, I was a boy and I loved “Ramona the Pest” … My mistake on the Cleary part (didn’t read clearly, guess I better turn on the “Dawnzer”; you know, the one with the “lee light”). But Lisa did write:
“I second “Ramona” and add Louis from “The Trumpet of the Swan.” I love E.B. White’s characters, even Henry Huggins.”
and I got confused…. Sorry (son is 6 and daughter is 3 BTW)
Come to think of it, my brother read all the Ramona books too. I am sure that he related to Ramona’s relationship to Beezus (since I, as his older sister, played the Beezus role in his life).
Ramona the Pest!! Ha! I loved “Ramona Forever”. I really really should read those books again.
Let’s see, who to add that hasn’t already been said. All that’s left for me is more sci-fi/horror staples…
Elijah Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw, from Isaac Asimov’s Robot Series
Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, Bobby Shaftoe, Enoch Root, and Randy Waterhouse from Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (I guess you could say I like the families Waterhouse and Shaftoe more generally)
Mike from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
Dracula from Dracula by Bram Stoker
Ender from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
My sentence wasn’t clear, was it? Sorry.
I was a little sister, so I loved Ramona. I so wanted to name my doll “Chevrolet.”
Man, it’s been a long time since I read Catch-22. Was Dunbar “Oh, well, what the hell” or was that someone else?
Some of these are “transcend the genre” characters; a few are role models to one extent or another; others are simply memorable in the sense that you read the last page, close the book, and say, “I wonder what they all did the next day?”. Here goes:
Cyrano de Bergerac
D’Artagnan
Macbeth
Victor Henry
Harry Flashman
Faramir son of Denethor
Sam Gamgee
Horatio Hornblower
Huw Morgan
Huckleberry Finn
Pilot-Major John Blackthorne
Yoshi Toronaga
Kasigi Yabu
Vasco Rodrigues
Lady Toda Mariko
Father Martin Alvito (these five from Shogun)
Atticus Finch (my mom has said more than once that if she’d read To Kill a Mockingbird before I was born instead of after, my first name would be Atticus)
Buster Kilrain, from The Killer Angels
Krenn tai-Rustazh
Emmanuel Tagore (these two from The Final Reflection, the best–perhaps the only really good–Star Trek novel ever)
Lucky Jack Aubrey
The Continental Op
In Print
Inspired by this article, Sheila posted earlier today, asking readers about their favorite fictional characters as well as listing her own. Her criteria?
Ken –
Don’t you love it when you close a book and wonder what the character will do the next day? Awesome!
At the bookstore where blogger Sean Hackbarth works, there is a mural on the wall depicting a number of noted authors, and also Queequeg, as the only fictional character.
Ooh. I just remembered “The Great Brain”, which I haven’t read in years. I can’t decide whether I liked Tom or JD best, but I think that’s one that I’m do to re-read.
“Ender from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card”
Have you seen that Orson Scott Card is writing “Ultimate Iron Man” for Marvel. One issue out so far and its off to a cool start.
Favourite fictional characters
A few more, off the top of my head, that I would add are King Lear and Beatrice (yes, Shakespeare is allowed), Encyclopedia Brown, Malcolm from Jurassic Park (as I’ve confessed before, I thought Jurassic Park was very cool, and Malcolm was my favorit…