My literary crush

[elizabeth_hoot]

Although my favourite characters are almost always men, except Aravis in "The Chronicles of Narnia" and Mary Lennox is "The Secret Garden," it tends to be more a matter of identification than admiration.  I feel like I'm supposed to identify with heroines rather than heroes, because we're both girls and presumably socialised similarly, but usually

Comments

Interesting, E...

[ali972]

I admit to feeling much of that same indifference toward female characters, especially in modern media, but I never really analyzed the reasons...I'm more of a general 'this is crap' person *snorts*. But I think you hit the nail on the head for me; I don't mind characters who are specific so much, as long as I can relate to them on some other level besides our mutual need for estrogen.

Your analysis makes me want to read Shakespeare again, E! If I ever finish LOTR (and don't hold your breath...I didn't get very far on vacation *snorts*), I might put it on the list.

Re: Interesting, E...

[elizabeth_hoot]

I don't mind characters who are specific so much, as long as I can relate to them on some other level besides our mutual need for estrogen.

Splendid nutshelling, Ali! Heh.

Everybody should read Shakespeare! Over and over again. Aloud, if you can manage it. I'm making my family do it.

LOTR - ah, begins very slowly. It does speed up at the Council of Elrond, though. But I hope you read Henry IV too! And Henry V, because Agincourt? Awesome. (with due apologies to the French, of course)

[hlbr]

I think--this is all speculation, of course--that women are used to identifying with male characters in a way that men and women aren't with women characters, simply because there are more of one, and less of the other.

I mean, when I was growing up, the only books with female characters were the ones specifically targeted at girls. The genre books that I loved, fantasy and sci-fi, had in general all male characters.

I don't need the character to be similar to me to identify myself with him/her, I just need it to be a person. But then--I'm a total author girl. If the author wants me to identify with someone and she/he writes well, I'm there.

[hlbr]

Also, you made me want to read that play! I think I've never. O_O

*gasp*

[elizabeth_hoot]

Henry IV, Part I, is ... it's just brilliant. Part II is, uhm, kind of important too, but not quite so shiny. Except the much-discussed ending. (I always disliked Falstaff so I half-enjoyed it. After glutting myself on criticism I feel like a sadist.)

Oh, you might want to look up Henry V in Austen's History, heh. Since Prince Hal is of course the same person as Henry V, sort of.

Re: *gasp*

[hlbr]

I like them both already, but for weird reasons. There's a sci fi book (Rama II) in which one of the characters--a computer programmer, makes himself two robots... One called Prince Hal and the other Falstaff. :D