Character you associate with most in literature and why?

I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)
For me, I would say Philip Casey from Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I have read this amazing novel twice, and more and more he reminds me of myself.
Both times I have read the beginning chapters, okay, okay, I admit, I cried a bit, when a young Philip gets woken up in the middle of the night to see his ill mother, primarily because it reminds me of one of my first memories; the difference - I do not have a clubfoot. Otherwise, how determined, emotional, shy, indecisive, and a wanderer he seems, I can relate with, I feel. He works in a Keats-like way, as both a medical professional and artist, has his flaws (a physical flaw, clubfoot) obvious and vulnerable, and, like me, has unbearably strong and passionate infatuations with women.

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Originally Posted by mortalterror

I believe that's the translation I read it in. It was superb.

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Duly ordered thanks.

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Originally Posted by mono

I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)

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No, actually I have got at least one book out of this thread and some of the others sound interesting too. It seems that a lot of people seem to associate with pessimistic characters rather than optimistic ones. I'm not sure why that should be so, perhaps it is just that pessimistic/discontent characters are more true to life than overtly optimistic ones. As I said in the other thread which spawned this I don't trust optimistic people - they are strange and unnatural beings. ;)

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Originally Posted by mono

I do not consider it 'geeky' Neely; I actually think of these kinds of questions a lot! ;)
For me, I would say Philip Casey from Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I have read this amazing novel twice, and more and more he reminds me of myself.
Both times I have read the beginning chapters, okay, okay, I admit, I cried a bit, when a young Philip gets woken up in the middle of the night to see his ill mother, primarily because it reminds me of one of my first memories; the difference - I do not have a clubfoot. Otherwise, how determined, emotional, shy, indecisive, and a wanderer he seems, I can relate with, I feel. He works in a Keats-like way, as both a medical professional and artist, has his flaws (a physical flaw, clubfoot) obvious and vulnerable, and, like me, has unbearably strong and passionate infatuations with women.

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I think that most Maugham readers would agree that Of Human Bondage is his magnum opus. It certainly influenced my life in a number of ways, but the interesting thing about the novel is its autobiographical content. Maugham was a shy person who had a stammer ( the club foot ) that made him painfully self-conscious . His mother died when he was a child and he later became a doctor at St Thomas' hospital London before giving up medicine for literature. The character of Mildred in OHB is actually based on a boy that Maugham knew when he attended Kings School Canterbury, and in the grounds of which, the writer is buried. Maugham's homosexuallity was for many years a secret to most of his readers at a time when it was illegal and hardly acknowledged. Even years later, when I was visiting Cap Ferat where he had lived for decades, the lighthouse keeper who kept the lighthouse close by Maugham's villa was pleased to show me around, but when he invited me to meet his wife and I tried to talk about what went on at the villa, they were clearly embarrassed and changed the subject.
Philip's feelings for Mildred are an all-consuming passion similar to that of Heathcliffe or Jay Gatsby, and many young men who have read the novel must have known something of the torment of Philip Carey's longing for Mildred.

T.S. Eliot (yes he is a character), and anyone who has read The Waste Land will know why.

I'm going to have to go with Hamlet as well. No body understands me!

I associate myself with Veronika from Veronika decides to die by Coelho.... It could be because of the mutual name or mutual feeling - I am neither happy, nor unhappy, I just cannot bear it...

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Originally Posted by mortalterror

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.

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This.

For me this is actually a question that takes some thinking :p. Come to think of it, I haven't really associated who I am now with a specific character; I suppose that's because I haven't read very many books with a convincing high-school-level female protagonist.

Who I want to be, however, is a conglomeration of quite a few fictional characters :).

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Originally Posted by Neely
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oblomov-Clas...4431466&sr=1-3

Yes this sounds fantastic, do you know if this translation is any good?

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Originally Posted by mortalterror

I believe that's the translation I read it in. It was superb.

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Currently reading Goncharov's Oblomov and I must say it is quite delicious! Thanks again. :thumbs_up I fully intend to slob around and do nothing but read this tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by Neely

Currently reading Goncharov's Oblomov and I must say it is quite delicious! Thanks again. :thumbs_up I fully intend to slob around and do nothing but read this tomorrow.

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Yes, Oblomov's lifestyle can be catching for those readers who are of a slothful dispostion, among whom I include myself, but it is not to be forgotten that Goncharov is using his character as a symbol of Russian inertia in contrast to the energetic Stoltz who represents German dynamism and progressiveness. It is one of the few Russian novels that I have truly enjoyed in that it is amusing despite its tragic undertones.

I'd like to be more like Edward Abbey (he's an author, and his own best character), but I'm probably actually more like Dan Dreiberg. :)

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Originally Posted by Brian Bean

Yes, Oblomov's lifestyle can be catching for those readers who are of a slothful dispostion, among whom I include myself, but it is not to be forgotten that Goncharov is using his character as a symbol of Russian inertia in contrast to the energetic Stoltz who represents German dynamism and progressiveness. It is one of the few Russian novels that I have truly enjoyed in that it is amusing despite its tragic undertones.

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Yes that's true I read about that in the introduction, but he's such an endearing character all the same, I'm already calling my wife Zakhar :lol: with mixed results. :flare:

My personal Life&Love Story has matched with reading of
"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.
I am a living proof that a Character jumped from pages of a book
and entered my Life.It would be difficult to describe parallel life i
have lived with Margarita to be told in a nice writing style.
Fortunately,i realised an ebook "Margarita"Privilege or fate?"


"She had a nice and neat hairstyle, wearied the gold shoes with no heels
and in every way she was Young,Beautiful,her laugh sounded resonant and
exciting, and deep Margarita's voice with falls would be recognized by everybody.
Young?Have I been wrong when i said that?

She was..... delicacy don't allow me to say how Old she was in that
time. There were no lines of old age to be rejuvenated. She had own
relationships with age, which/age/she won and that is not only in her
Imagination .I’ll never forget as she said in a charm way about a man,
fifteen Years younger then she: I am sick of this boring Old man!"

This quotation was about Jelena/Elena Sergejevna ,wife of Mikhail Bulgakov,and
Margarita from his Masterpiece: The Master and Margarita.
Description of Jelena was given by Vladimir Laksin by his Memory.



"By accident or not, my meeting with Master and Margarita
has happened at the same time as occurred my Battle
against my age.I could not imagine to grow old, it was
terrible thought for me. I needed to get to struggle, and
I Won!I must admit i was practicing Meditation and my
Thinking were very strenuous, sometimes to the limit of Madness."


"I am sure every Girl/Woman has a Secret Desire of being Margarita.
She is Magic, Beautiful, Wonderful, she is an Inspiration for her Lover
and she won Old age. Secret Grail was in her hands, magic Cream
or something more, maybe Pact with Devil, all the same,
She got the gem-Eternal Youth.You,who now read these words,
you are so Passionate, Burn from desire to be Margarita."

If you are interested in reading the whole ebook,leave me
a message and i'll give you my e-book.
Thank you

Joe Christmas and yeah as cliche as it sounds, Elizabeth Bennet

Raskolnikov apart from the murderous ways. I'm anxious and perhaps supercilious for no reason at times.