“Who is hands-down the best literary hero, in your opinion? Likewise, who is the best heroine?”
So, let me refer you to my fictional hero Pinterest board...we'll start there, shall we? Here's who I have listed:
Captain Wentworth
Samwise Gamgee
Gilbert Blythe
Marius
Edmund Dantes
Mr. Thornton
Aragorn
Mr. Darcy
Colonel Brandon
(And since my board is "fictional" and not necessarily "literary" I also have:)
Hans Solo
Malcolm Reynolds
Indiana Jones
Batman
Hmmm... my board is really just a beginning, is it not? Ha. Funny to see what struck my fancy when I thought of this idea and started the pinning!
But after looking at my meager list, I lean toward Samwise as my choice for "hands-down" best hero. I did a Character Connection post on him quite awhile back and here's what I said then:
I don't think there's a single other literary character that can match him in loyalty, faithfulness, steadfastness and pure courage. He is amazing. I love him with all my heart.
As for a favorite heroine? This one I haven't considered as much as the hero question. Does she need to have accomplished something heroic? Overcome great odds? Taught us something valuable and long-lasting?
Elizabeth, though we love her, doesn't really fit that description. Jane Eyre maybe, if we think of the things she had to endure in her early life. Anne Shirley taught us how to look on the bright side of life and have fun. Anne Elliott might work also. But none of them really stand out to me! I don't know... who would YOU pick for a "hands down" best heroine?
nodding my head in agreement with all of those :0)
ReplyDeleteJulie: Yep yep!
DeleteOh, Samwise is an excellent choice! I love that he's brave and true, but still a very reluctant hero. To me, humility is one of the finest attributes a hero can have! The heroines that came to mind are Katniss Everdeen and Hermione Granger.
ReplyDeleteSusan: I thought of those too actually, for heroines.
DeleteGreat choice :) My literary hero would probably be Atticus Finch.
ReplyDeleteJennifer: Definitely!
DeleteGreat list!
ReplyDeleteKami: Thanks!
DeleteNot surprisingly I love your list! There are so many fantastic literary heroes and you've listed most of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteMelissa: This list is really just a start....
DeleteLove Samwise!!! I completely agree with this one!!
ReplyDeleteTif: He is so awesome.
DeleteI've never read this the Lord of the Ring books but I have (been forced to) watched them and I'd have to agree that Samwise makes a great choice.
ReplyDeleteLisa: Forced? What? No!
DeleteNope, my vote is Jean Valjean! He's my hero...flawed yet continually striving to be worthy of redemption. A man who truly changed. Love him!
ReplyDeleteThank you Book Group for challenging me to read Les Miserables 5 years ago. It changed me in more ways than one. Don't ya love that?!?!
Oh, okay, Samwise is pretty darn incredible, but I win!! ;)
Inside: Oh MY!!! How could I forget him! You are so right!
DeleteYay for Colonel Brandon :-) As well as Han Solo and Mal Reynolds, LOL!
ReplyDeleteFavorite heroine was harder for me too. It's sad that there aren't more purely awesome heroines in the classics! I think I ended up going with Emma from the Austen novel.
Yay for Samwise! He never gets as much credit as he should.
ReplyDeleteAs for heroines, I can think of several, but none in the "classics". Maybe Scarlett O'Hara. She wasn't always likable, but she did do heroic things.
You have an awesome list of favorite fictional characters! :D
ReplyDeleteHere's my post for CC April meme:
http://surgabukuku.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/best-literary-hero-and-heroine-the-classics-clubs-april-meme/
I had a hard time with the heroine question too. I finally chose Jane Eyre (for reasons described in My April Meme, but there was no clear hands-down winner for me.
ReplyDeleteSam from LOTR is certainly a good choice, and I never even thought of him. But the hero question, to me, was very obvious, so I didn't do much thinking about it.