Favorite book characters and why?

[MercedesxEdmond]

Edmond Dantes-The Count of Monte Cristo: Best Byronic Hero ever.Sarcastic,true,good,bad all these in balance.

Prince Andrei Nikolaevich Bolkonsky-War and Peace: Educates,intelligent,he can truly care and love,brave.

Lord Henry-Dorian Gray:His quotes about life are some of my favorites ever.

[kiki1982]

Best Byronic hero must be, with many lengths to spare, Jane Eyre's Edward Rochester. Hands down.

It remains to be seen whether I still think so after I have got to know Mr Lovelace properly, but up till now there is not a greater character that is more charming and more versatile.

He even wins from Mr Tilney in terms of charm. And from Mr Darcy (he was better in his Firth version) as he is quite in the background.

For 'real' characters I would pick d'Artagnan. The Count of Monte Cristo is quite good, but he is not really focussed upon by Dumas. D'Artagnan is delightful. He can be so phlegmatic, matter-of-fact, but also so dutiful, honest and enthusiastic. Though Porthos is a great contender in the good heart department.

Oh, oh, and Cyranco de Bergerac I would put down for the one with the best words. Hands down, again, there is no better.

[Charles Darnay]

Best Byronic hero must be, with many lengths to spare, Jane Eyre's Edward Rochester. Hands down.

It remains to be seen whether I still think so after I have got to know Mr Lovelace properly, but up till now there is not a greater character that is more charming and more versatile.

He even wins from Mr Tilney in terms of charm. And from Mr Darcy (he was better in his Firth version) as he is quite in the background.

For 'real' characters I would pick d'Artagnan. The Count of Monte Cristo is quite good, but he is not really focussed upon by Dumas. D'Artagnan is delightful. He can be so phlegmatic, matter-of-fact, but also so dutiful, honest and enthusiastic. Though Porthos is a great contender in the good heart department.

Oh, oh, and Cyranco de Bergerac I would put down for the one with the best words. Hands down, again, there is no better.

I agree with Cyrano....among the best.

Lovelace is a great character (particularly in the later half) - I would say Rochester is more "Byronic" though.

As for all time best character....I don't know. I'm strangely torn between Falstaff (of the Henriad, not "Merry Wives"....never), Tristram Shandy, and Joe Christmas from Faulkner's "Light in August". The first two win out for supreme wit - Falstaff for his malicious satire, Shandy for his....Shandyism.

Joe Christmas wins for best realistic character. The way in which Faulkner creates him is quite fantastic.

[MercedesxEdmond]

Best Byronic hero must be, with many lengths to spare, Jane Eyre's Edward Rochester. Hands down.

It remains to be seen whether I still think so after I have got to know Mr Lovelace properly, but up till now there is not a greater character that is more charming and more versatile.

He even wins from Mr Tilney in terms of charm. And from Mr Darcy (he was better in his Firth version) as he is quite in the background.

For 'real' characters I would pick d'Artagnan. The Count of Monte Cristo is quite good, but he is not really focussed upon by Dumas. D'Artagnan is delightful. He can be so phlegmatic, matter-of-fact, but also so dutiful, honest and enthusiastic. Though Porthos is a great contender in the good heart department.

Oh, oh, and Cyranco de Bergerac I would put down for the one with the best words. Hands down, again, there is no better.

Haha OK ...I don't know because I haven't read Jane Eyre neither d'Artagnan but Jane Eyre gives me the idea of a romantic novel when Monte Cristo is something more deep...He pull people around him on their limits and his character is sure no saint but he lost everything because of others' jealousy and hate and betrayal...

[kiki1982]

You are riht about Jane Eyre being a romantic novel, but Edward Rochester is so real.

To compare to Monte Cristo. Edmond has feelings, but Monte Cristo is so frightening because for most of the story he is without feeling, he is just an abyss, empty. He is like a kind of blac hole that is sucking everything to it and chose to be there as well. He has not even got a bottom really.

Rochester may do bad things, but he is charming, energetic (the energy splatters from the page sometimes), he is intelligent. Devious too, but in all his deviousness he is not empty.

I find him more human than Dantès in his alter ego. Monte Cristo is a very very nice creation, but unless on film he could not be a real man. Rochester can...

[Featchy]

Excluding the obvious (Quixote, Hamlet, Falstaff, etc.):


Bertie Wooster. The greatest character of the 20th century.

Mr Twit, for his delectable villainy and Machiavellian approach to domestic life.

William Collins, because we all meet this obsequious little worm at some point in our lives.

Wilkins Micawber: the best supporting character in a book packed full of fantastic supporting characters.

John Milton's Lucifer. Milton might have been of the devil's party without knowing it, but his readership is firmly and consciously rooted on the fallen angel's side.

Richard III. The grieving widow Anne was unable to resist the verbal charm of her husband's deformed and ugly killer. What chance did the rest of us stand?

[PoeticPassions]

Excluding the obvious (Quixote, Hamlet, Falstaff, etc.):

John Milton's Lucifer. Milton might have been of the devil's party without knowing it, but his readership is firmly and consciously rooted on the fallen angel's side.



I definitely agree with Milton's Satan. His rhetorical style is astounding and he really blows all of the other characters out of the water when he speaks... What a character!


I would also add that one of my favorite characters of all time is Alyosha from Brothers K. I know Ivan is more interesting and more of an intellectual, but Alyosha is just someone I have always loved...

Some others:
Adam Trask
Humbert Humbert
Yossarian
Steppenwolf

[Charles Darnay]

Some others:
Adam Trask
Humbert Humbert
Yossarian
Steppenwolf

completely forgot about Trask. In fact. Pretty much all main characters from EOE deserve to be on this list

[MercedesxEdmond]

You are riht about Jane Eyre being a romantic novel, but Edward Rochester is so real.

To compare to Monte Cristo. Edmond has feelings, but Monte Cristo is so frightening because for most of the story he is without feeling, he is just an abyss, empty. He is like a kind of blac hole that is sucking everything to it and chose to be there as well. He has not even got a bottom really.

Rochester may do bad things, but he is charming, energetic (the energy splatters from the page sometimes), he is intelligent. Devious too, but in all his deviousness he is not empty.

I find him more human than Dantès in his alter ego. Monte Cristo is a very very nice creation, but unless on film he could not be a real man. Rochester can...

Sadly what you say it's true and I can't deny it.Count choose stay the Count for me in the books and he is afraid to be Edmond again.He ask from Mercedes to say what she wants when he doesn't really say what he wants and he loses Mercedes forever(?)...This chapter and the discussion of Edmond with Mercedes is my favorite from the book http://www.online-literature.com/dumas/cristo/112/ I really think he should had been more man and stay in Marseilles and be Edmond...

[PoeticPassions]

completely forgot about Trask. In fact. Pretty much all main characters from EOE deserve to be on this list

Agreed. One of the best and richest novels with such great character development.

[Patrick_Bateman]

Patrick Bateman - Neurotic narcissistic psychopath who approaches murder as if it were an art or medium for self-expression. He also comes with the best catchphrase in literature since the 1980s

Jay Gatsby - An affable bon vivant who chases a dream and naively - or innocently - believes everything will fall into place the way it has done for years over and over again in his mind. There's something delightfully tragic in that.

Meuersault - The poster boy for Existentialism

Marlowe's Mephistopheles You will have to read the play I cannot seem to explain

Behemoth from Master and Margarita - A gun toting, well spoken, chess playing giant black cat who walks on his hind legs and pulls off the heads of Muscovites. What my friends is it not to love?

[JuniperWoolf]

Crake - I can't help it. He's the personification of ice-cold empirical science. *shiver* I do love a mad scientist.

Lucifer - Milton's, for the reasons expressed above.

Tybalt - I dig his style, most of his lines sound like he's spitting. I like fighters and he's a classic one. He is the very butcher of a silk button.

I can't think of any more characters that I really loved, which is actually kind of sad. I kind of like the kid from Of Human Bondage, but only because he reminds me of myself.