Literary Favorites

Q:  Who is your favorite literary character?

A:  With all things, I have a problem picking just one character.  So I have a list of favorites that I continuously add to.

Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

The most recent movie adaptation that I literally JUST watched.

You have to love Elizabeth Bennet.  If you've ever read Pride and Prejudice, you know that Elizabeth is Jane Austen's most famous heroine, and with good reason.  She's opinionated but witty, beautiful, studious, and hell, she gets Mr. Darcy.  And who doesn't love Mr. Darcy?  I love Elizabeth because of her courage of conviction.  She's fiercely loyal to her friends and family (which I can relate) even though some of her relatives are completely ridiculous.

Mrs. Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Mrs. Bennet from the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice

I LOVE Mrs. Bennet.  Maybe it's because I played her in my high school's production of Pride and Prejudice, but I loved the crazy old woman before that.  I love her because of how completely ridiculous she can be, and yet she really does mean well.  She can plot to have her eldest daughter set up with the dreamy Mr. Bingley, and though she very loudly declaims that it would be an advantageous marriage, I'm convinced that Mrs. Bennet can sense the love between the two.  So it's really not just the money.

Dustfinger (Inkheart)

Paul Bettany as Dustfinger in the movie adaptation of Inkheart

Being a fictional character stuck in the real world has to be difficult, but Dustfinger is by far the coolest character that could be stuck in the real world.  I love that he's so attached to his story and that he really wants to get back to his wife and children at any cost.  And even so, he manages to have a soft spot for Meggie and Farid, even when he tries not to.  Dustfinger's character has so many different facets, it's difficult to tell whose side he's truly on, but it's that mystery that draws me to the character.

Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Who doesn't love Albus Dumbledore?  He's the ultimate good guy, and yet he has a sense of humor, and he really does get stuff done.  As we find out in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore isn't all sunshine and rainbows, but isn't part of growing up learning that our idols are really just human?  I love Dumbledore's affection for Harry, his humor and his genuine concern for the well-being of Hogwarts.  The school really couldn't ask for a better headmaster.

Arthur Dent (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Arthur Dent from the movie adaptation of the Guide

I love Arthur Dent.  Sure, sometimes he's a whiny git with an endless hankering for tea, but I love his sarcasm.  When I read Arthur on the page, I can hear his voice in my head.  So maybe it's the deadpan delivery that I give him that's so amusing, but I really love this character all-around.  He's so spectacularly ordinary yet he's thrown into extraordinary circumstances.  Following his adventures is endlessly entertaining for me, and I just love him.  All the time.

Rosalind (As You Like It)

Rosalind from Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of As You Like It

Rosalind is amazing.  I LOVE how amazingly clever she is.  I love her wordplay.  I love her cross-dressing madness.  And I love how she manipulates complicated situations to benefit her.  One of William Shakespeare's most verbose female characters, Rosalind is truly a spitfire and a force to be reckoned with.

Other favorites:
Voldemort (Harry Potter)
Artemis Fowl and Butler (Artemis Fowl)
Kiki Strike (Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City)
Thursday Next (The Eyre Affair)