Most Horrible Character

[Zee.]

I wholeheartedly agree with Thernadier... he had no reedeming qualities, whatsoever.

I add God in Paradise Lost to the Old Testament

Lima, I also agree with Jane Eyre.. while generally enjoyed the book, I found her character to be so... frustrating, to say the least.

Yeah, right, exactly! she just annoyed the hell out of me. She was bland.

Jane Eyre prudish? Contemporary readers certainly didn't think so.

Yes but we are talking about characters we PERSONALLY find horrible. I don't give two pennies and 5 whistle horns for the opinions of others when it comes to Jane Eyre because it does nothing to sway my view. I found the book to be dry, and it left the worst taste in my mouth. And she just drove me nuts.

[Madame X]

I always think of her as having had a pretty hard life and she has had to toughen up to deal with it all. A good little Victorian? Yes in some ways. But in others quite radical for the time.

Admittedly, her spontaneous sojourn into the woods without a single thought as to how she might thenceforth sustain herself might be considered a bit...rash by some. No doubt an interesting episode, but I daresay the last (beginning with the introduction of St. John, et al). As far as her relationship with Rochester is concerned, call it lack of imagination but I remain utterly unconvinced. He is a constant brooder which intimates a "depth" of character that is never, in my eyes, truly substantiated. In a good mood, he's a doting dolt. Either way, I fail to see what constitutes their attraction (particularly her to him) unless I'm to believe it's a rather simple matter of mutual ugliness.

[PoeticPassions]

Admittedly, her spontaneous sojourn into the woods without a single thought as to how she might thenceforth sustain herself might be considered a bit...rash by some. No doubt an interesting episode, but I daresay the last (beginning with the introduction of St. John, et al). As far as her relationship with Rochester is concerned, call it lack of imagination but I remain utterly unconvinced. He is a constant brooder which intimates a "depth" of character that is never, in my eyes, truly substantiated. In a good mood, he's a doting dolt. Either way, I fail to see what constitutes their attraction (particularly her to him) unless I'm to believe it's a rather simple matter of mutual ugliness.

hahaha
But yeah, I never really understood why she fell in love with him. And, honestly, I though Rochester was quite two-dimensional. He didn't have much intrigue... or actual depth

[ImaginaryFriend]

Cathy from Wuthering Heights. She was so manipulative and cruel.

[mona amon]

Yes but we are talking about characters we PERSONALLY find horrible. I don't give two pennies and 5 whistle horns for the opinions of others when it comes to Jane Eyre ...

Sure. I completely agree. I don't think I said anything contrary to that in the post you quoted.

[Dark Lady]

Admittedly, her spontaneous sojourn into the woods without a single thought as to how she might thenceforth sustain herself might be considered a bit...rash by some. No doubt an interesting episode, but I daresay the last (beginning with the introduction of St. John, et al). As far as her relationship with Rochester is concerned, call it lack of imagination but I remain utterly unconvinced. He is a constant brooder which intimates a "depth" of character that is never, in my eyes, truly substantiated. In a good mood, he's a doting dolt. Either way, I fail to see what constitutes their attraction (particularly her to him) unless I'm to believe it's a rather simple matter of mutual ugliness.

Hmm. Are you not impressed by the Byronic hero?

I always thought she was attracted to him because (horrible cheesiness alert, can't think of a way of saying this in a less nausea inducing way) he saw her for who she really was, unlike the moajority of the characters in the novel. I like the way he always refers to her as some sort of faery or sprite.

But each to their own! I dislike characters and books that some people love so I won't try to force my opinion on you.

[kelby_lake]

Cathy from Wuthering Heights. She was so manipulative and cruel.

Yep, she so was. Needed a good slap.

[brucevayne]

One particular character I dislike immensely (probably because I've recently read the book and its fresh in my mind) is Humbert Humbert from Lolita.

Yes I know its an easy choice but apart from disliking him for the...errr..."obvious" reasons, his personality is utterly dislikeable. He is pompous and amazingly arrogant in the way he considers himself above almost anybody and everybody he encounters. His disdain for females, especially older women (well, older than Lolita) is so strong that it becomes to be amusing - especially the way he constantly refers to Lolita's mother in bovine terms!

Hats off to Mr. Nabokov for creating such a despicable character!

[Gretchen]

I forgot the Thenardiers(spl?) and their daughter Eponine from Les Miserables. Horrible people.

[toni]

Rodolphe Boulanger from Madame Bovary is getting on my nerves for being absolutely arrogant and manipulative.

Yep, she so was. Needed a good slap.

[mal4mac]

Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, and his friends. I end up wanting Shylock to get his pound of flesh.

I agree with that! Did you see the film version with Jeremy Irons as Antonio? The spitting scene at the beginning kind of turned me against him...

The evil aristocrats trying to seduce Nicholas Nickleby's sister are also up there. The most evil one gets an excellent comic comeuppance though. Nicholas might be the most likeable character in fiction... a bit too good to be true though... but who cares...

[Boo Radley]

Daniel Quilp from The Old Curiosity Shop. I couldn't wait for him to meet his end.

[bigben]

Kate in East of Eden.

Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. Are operas literature?

[Inka]

I hate Ewels from "To kill a Mockingbird", and Alden Pyle from "The Quite American", though I liked him at first.

[Paulclem]

Archimandrite Luseferous from Iain M Bank's The Algebraist. He had the head of a rebel leader kept alive so that he could use the rebel leader's living head as a punchbag each morning. All aspects of his life seemed to include a vicious sadism including his use of women.