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View Full Version : Novels with suicidal protagonists ?



spiltteeth
12-21-2014, 04:53 PM
What are some good literature with suicidal main characters ? I can think of The Bell Jar, The Virgin Suicides, and pretty much every Bukowski book....

TheAlertDriver
12-21-2014, 09:23 PM
If you like Bukowski, stick to him for awhile, aside from his novels he has a lot of short story books all pretty crazy and fun to read if you like his style. Check out his poem compilations too. I can't really think of anybody else but I've read a lot Buks works and he's consistent...

stlukesguild
12-21-2014, 10:02 PM
Goethe- The Sorrows of Young Werther

Ecurb
12-22-2014, 06:21 AM
Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.

Marbles
12-22-2014, 07:45 AM
Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood

A novel with 3 or 4 suicidal characters. The whole story revolves around them. A good, heartfelt read.

TheAlertDriver
12-22-2014, 08:43 AM
Oh I just thought of The Stranger by Albert Camus, really good too.

tonywalt
12-22-2014, 12:08 PM
The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Lykren
12-22-2014, 12:29 PM
Mrs. Dalloway

NikolaiI
12-22-2014, 12:50 PM
Goethe- The Sorrows of Young Werther

Ah, you beat me to it.

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, by Dostoevsky,

Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse

Scheherazade
12-22-2014, 07:58 PM
Catcher in the Rye

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Sound and the Fury

A Perfect Day for Bananafish (short story)

mortalterror
12-22-2014, 11:43 PM
A Hero of Our Time by Lermontov

And then there is that wonderful parody of suicidal romantic heroes at the end of Thomas Love Peacock's Nightmare Abbey. The protagonist swears that he'll kill himself by a certain time if his lover doesn't return to him.

Scythrop laid his pistol between his watch and his bottle. The hour-hand passed the VII.---the minute-hand moved on;---it was within three minutes of the appointed time. Scythrop called again to Crow: Crow answered as before. Scythrop rang the bell: Raven appeared.
'Raven,' said Scythrop, 'the clock is too fast.'
'No, indeed,' said Raven, who knew nothing of Scythrop's intentions; 'if any thing, it is too slow.'
'Villain!' said Scythrop, pointing the pistol at him; 'it is too fast.'
'Yes---yes---too fast, I meant,' said Raven, in manifest fear.
'How much too fast?' said Scythrop.
'As much as you please,' said Raven.
'How much, I say?' said Scythrop, pointing the pistol again.
'An hour, a full hour, sir,' said the terrified butler.

Clopin
12-23-2014, 12:32 AM
Demons by Dostoyevsky has a few suicides.