On my literature test there was an essay question that went something like this: "Consider your favorite characters in the literature you have read recently; are they like you or are they different? Why?"
So it got me thinking, and there's only one way I could answer: both. I think that my favorite characters have been people who have been enough like me so that I could relate to them, but different in ways that I would want to be more like them. They have things in common with me, but they have the qualities and characteristics that I wish I had.
What do you guys think? Are you favorite characters like you, different, or both?
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I think that was THE most terrible essay question I've ever heard of.
And that the teacher who gave it to you should be beaten with some form of splintered piece of scrap metal.
[ January 19, 2004, 08:06 PM: Message edited by: Scott R ]
Posted by Julie (Member # 5580) on :
Don't forget rusty. That piece of metal should difinitely be rusty. And I would have to agree with exactly what you said. Alike and Different. But not too much.
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Another option would be that they would be like you, but worse than you in ways you would never want to achieve but is interesting to think about, IE: a tough or gritty character in a book who's "ethically challenged," but still shares some values with you.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
quote:I think that was THE most terrible essay question I've ever heard of.
Why? I think it's a particularly good one. It's certainly better than the common "What message did the author intend to send with scene X?" or "What's the theme of X?"
I have notice a few things that I tend to share with my favorite characters:
-Gender: they are generally male -Ethical values: we tend to think similarly in terms of what is right and wrong -Idealism: Both I and my favorite characters both have a tendency to follow dreams -Youth: My favorite characters tend to be young or have a "young" attitude. Both are the case with me. -Rational: My favorite characters tend to favor reason over emotion, as I tend to
However, there's also some big differences: -My favorite characters tend to be far more adventuresome than I am -My favorite characters tend to have far more problems in their lives than I do -My favorite characters tend to be cooler than me -My favorite characters tend to be, generally, more capable than me (Often to the extreme, as in the case of magical characters or Ender.)
hmm... I could probably think of some more if tried hard....
[ January 19, 2004, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: Tresopax ]
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
quote: I think that was THE most terrible essay question I've ever heard of.
And that the teacher who gave it to you should be beaten with some form of splintered piece of scrap metal.
Well, I sort of paraphrased it, but I think it was a good question. It really makes you think about what makes characters interesting. And no beating my teacher.
quote: -My favorite characters tend to be far more adventuresome than I am
Ditto.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I like Anita Blake. She's moral. She always looks out for her friends no matter what. She is rather... modest. But she runs around with gunz and shoots people all day long. And has to look at dead bodies
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I like all characters except boring characters. I love reading good badcharacters or bad goodcharacters, where the bad character has a soft spot, and the good character has a devastatingly ugly blotch. I also have a thing about very ridiculously talented or intelligent characters, Ender is definately an example of that.
And yes, I too like characters who are more adventurous and brave than I am, especially when coupled with genius, in one respect or another.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Methinks Syn has not read the latest books in the Anita Blake series.
My favorite characters are usually very strong willed and intelligent. Not always moral - one of my favorite characters was from a not-so-notable fantasy book.
I kept the book and re-read it several times not because the story was great, but because this one character fascinated me. She did despicable things - had people killed (several times), committed adultery, lied to and manipulated a man who truly loved her and eventually killed him herself.
And yet, I admired her. Everything she did, she did for her children and even though I couldn't condone her actions, I could at least understand her motives for doing it. She was vain, power-hungry and ruthless and yet I was drawn to her character.
Pity the rest of the book was not as good.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
You can't say all of that and then not tell us the title of the book!
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