What are your favourite rivalries?
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What are your favourite rivalries?
Moby Dick. Captain Ahab makes hatred an artform.
"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee."
The Melancholy of Resistance ~ Laszlo Krasznahorkai
György Ezster and Tünde Ezster in this novel have such a brilliant hatred for one another. Vicious from the one side, and borderline indifferent or slightly fearful from the other. And all through the medium of Janós Valuska. Not to mention the dichotomy of peaceful ghost town of sorts framed against rioting followers of a travelling circus.
And to make it even better, Béla Tarr created a film of this novel called Werckmeister Harmonies, which is quite likely one of the most brilliant films in the history of cinema.
I loved the rivalry between Valjean and Javert in Les Misérables when I read the book.
Eugene Onegin and Lensky.
The contradictions between these ex-friends/rivals and the outcome of their dispute is mighty entertaining!
Having just read Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan, the showdown between Mr. Flay and Abiatha Swelter is grim, deadly, and very entertaining.
Do Gatsby and Buchanan count? Or God v Satan (Milton)?
Thanking about this, I realize how few books I read that fall under the broad conflict category "man v. man." Valjean and Javert is a good example, but sometimes it seems like the rivalry is one-sided - most of the time it seems that the rivalry is one sided. So I must do what I always do in these cases: resort to Shakespeare.
Though not the best play by any means, Titus v. Tamora is a wonderful rivalry.
Sleuth is a real gem, film of 1972, based on the play.
Javert and Valjean seem like a good bet.