Novels with failures as protagonists.

[spiltteeth]

What good books have failures as protagonists ? I'd say practically every Bukowski book. I'm thinking washed up characters, people struggling with bitter disappointments etc

[kev67]

The Remains of the Day possibly?

[Lykren]

Raskolnikov is quite a failure.

[Oedipus]

My autobiography

[kev67]

Lord Jim tries to make amends for a failure he made early on in his career. It doesn't go well.

[sandy14]

Jude the Obscure.

[JBI]

Dream of the Red Chamber.

[Lokasenna]

Much as I hate it, The Catcher in the Rye perhaps?

[kev67]

Much as I hate it, The Catcher in the Rye perhaps?

Holden Caulfield is a bit young to be written off yet.

[sandy14]

For whom the bell tolls, perhaps.

[Dark Muse]

Notes from Underground by Dostoyevsky

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

[coeus]

Yuri Zhivago would get my vote.

[ladderandbucket]

Saul Bellow - Seize the Day.

[sandy14]

Elric of Melnibone.

[Lokasenna]

Holden Caulfield is a bit young to be written off yet.

Hmm... perhaps I'm not the forgiving sort...

[TheFifthElement]

Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys, nobody writes depressed and disappointed females quite like Rhys.

[EvoWarrior5]

Failures as in how? That the character is overall quite dull and does not do much for the story? Or more as in that the character works well for what the book tries to convey, but that the personality of the character is dislikable?

It's been a while since I have read Catcher in the Rye, but I remember that I enjoyed it. I don't think I disliked the character in any way, not in either of the interpretations of failure.

[mal4mac]

The Remains of the Day possibly?

Yes, good choice. Also, Artist of the Floating World by the same author (Ishiguro).

As mentioned, "Jude the Obscure" should be on this list, but any Hardy novel will do, "Tess" and "Return of the native" spring to mind...

Conrad is also a good one, besides "Lord Jim", try "Victory". It's an ironic title...

"Something Happened" by Joseph Heller

[mortalterror]

Every Kurt Vonnegut novel. Also, Lazarillo de Tormes.

[ennison]

How would you measure failure? I personally despise any book about supermen.

[Dark Muse]

Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys, nobody writes depressed and disappointed females quite like Rhys.

That reminds me, perhaps Mrs. Dalloway could be added to this list as well.

[ennison]

Failure was never defined in this thread but the reference to "Jude the Obscure" seemed appropriate. But "Of Mice and Men", "A Farewell to Arms", "Voss" , "The House with the Green Shutters" could qualify if by failure the tragic protagonist is included.