Your Favorite Literary Characters (Other than HP)

[LuceMalfoy91]

I've got to say Lyra from His Dark Materials. Shes just a feisty character and not the typical damsel in distress figure most heroines are perceived to be. Also Will, he was pretty cool also

I also like Sookie from the True Blood novels, her narrative is written very well and again shes another heroine that kicks butt and can stand up for herself.

[crookshanks1177]

Originally Posted by bellatrix93

From The Hunger Games, I loved Haymitch, Prim and Peeta. I didn't like Haymitch in the first book at all, but in the second and third I liked what we found out about him, his history with the Games and the Capitol, and the fact that there's much more to him than being drunk, . Prim and Peeta because they're both so human and that's rather difficult to come by in this series, . They are not the only ones of course, but rather the main ones, imo. While there are so many wonderful characters in this book, there are others who are extremely annoying; I find Collins' characters quite intriguing, because you have to feel strongly about them, either love them or hate them.

I liked Haymitch too. However I couldn't get over seeing him in my mind as older. I loved both Peeta and Gale. And Rue, I was absolutely in love with her for some reason. I was such a puddle of tears when she died.

[snapespet]

Two of my favorites are Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane from Dorothy Sayers mystery series. Snarky and intelligent characters set in the 1920's and 30's.

[MistressofRaven]

Katniss from The Hunger Games and Roland and Lev from Unwind.

I just completely understand Katniss, her priorities, the way she reacts to the situations she is placed in, etc. She's just a plain ole regular person. And the culture she comes from seems familiar to me.

Unwind spoilers

Spoiler: show

Roland and Lev are two characters I didn't like at first. Especially Roland. But I eventually saw that he wasn't as bad as he first appeared to be, and I really felt sympathy for him. Lev was a smug, self-righteous little jerk and he weirded me out a little. But he did such an amazing 180 that he became the most interesting character to me. And in my mind he's cute like a puppy

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[Fury]

Been a while since I updated my list, so....

Katniss - Hunger Games
Haymitch - Hunger Games
Brom - Eragon
Uncle Paton - Charlie Bone
Beverly Marsh - It
Leah Clearwater - Twilight Saga
Charlie Swan - Twilight Saga

[glacevenor]

Tyrion Lannister - A Song of Ice and Fire.

[iluvsnape17]

Sue Bridehead - Jude the Obscure
Meursault - The Outsider
Lord Henry - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Helen Burns - Jane Eyre

[Abbsalah]

Lee from East of Eden -- That book is one of the most precious pieces of fiction I've ever read and Lee is just a gem.

also Cal from East of Eden -- I related so deeply to Cal and his struggles.

The Little Prince from The Little Prince -- Who doesn't love this book? I love his sense of wonder and adventure. He is so smart, and has a beautiful childlike quality.

Humbert Humbert from Lolita -- He did such a phenomenal job narrating the story and crafting it. Although some aspects of his character are really hard to stomach, he is shown in such a light that makes you understand him as a whole. His flaws make him so much better. He is also SO smart.

Johnny Truant from House of Leaves -- What a style and what a voice. I love how much of this character we get through such an unorthodox narrative structure.

Stephen Dedalus from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses -- What a great character. I LOVE how Joyce created his sort of alter-ego of himself, and yet showed him flaws and all. Being a young person who likes to act like an intellectual, I really identify with all of his struggles and underlying uncertainties.

.... This list is getting long. I should stop. XD

[horcrux4]

Elizabeth Bennett - Pride & Prejudice : funny, smart, compassionate.
Sam Vimes- Pratchett's Discworld novels: You just have to love him! So angry all the time, but fair and honest.
Jaxom - Anne McCaffery's Pern novels: great guy - sensitive, highly intelligent, physical, trustworthy - ideal man!

[Inigo Imago]

Originally Posted by glacevenor

Tyrion Lannister - A Song of Ice and Fire.

Ah! I agree completely. He quickly found himself at the top of my favorites list when I was reading A Game of Thrones.

I also particularly like both Sabriel and Mogget from The Abhorsen Trilogy. Free magic creatures count, right?

[Erinacchi]

Katniss from Hunger Games
Damien Maslin, Stevie Rae Johnson, Jack Twist, Rephaim, Darius and Aphrodite from The House of Night
Thalia, Annabeth, Tyson, Grover, Percy, Artemis and Poseidon from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
(if manga characters count)
Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi
Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon

[TheScribbler]

Chronicles of Narnia: Edmund, Puddleglum, Bree, and Aslan.
Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennett. She's witty and collected, and she's quite fun.
The Lord of the Rings: Samwise Gamgee. Everything you'd want in a friend, he has!
The Shakespeare Stealer: Widge- his character arch is fascinating to me.

I'm sure there are more, I'll update later

[canismajoris]

Oh, interesting topic... I'm not sure if I've ever really thought about this in terms of overall favorites. I guess I'll come up with a few for now--but this is by no means the top or the extent of the list:

From Troilus and Criseyde (Chaucer): Pandarus

He's the man with the plan. Whether the folk etymology is true, and we get the verb "to pander" from his name, he manages to move pieces I didn't even realize were on the board and convince people to do things that they don't even want to do as they're doing them. He's hard to hate, because his motives might well be genuine, but there's a delicious ambiguity about him that really stuck with me.

The Lord of the Rings: Faramir

There's no two ways about it, I just think he's a paragon of chivalry. I can see why some might count that against him and conclude that he's one-dimensional and unrealistic, but I think the point is that such constancy and integrity are exceedingly rare in real life.

Persuasion: Anne Elliot

"Only Anne." I think I was in love with her at some point. She has her own sort of constancy and integrity, which I think make her a great deal more likable than a lot of other Austen heroines (and being older, there's no hint of Silly Girl Syndrome). She's not obsessed with marrying a landed gentleman, and she handles some of the more dreadful aspects of her family and social life with a lot more grace than most people I know ever could.

[RemusLupinFan]

Originally Posted by canismajoris

The Lord of the Rings: Faramir

There's no two ways about it, I just think he's a paragon of chivalry. I can see why some might count that against him and conclude that he's one-dimensional and unrealistic, but I think the point is that such constancy and integrity are exceedingly rare in real life.

Totally agree. These reasons are why I am quite fond of Faramir. He has a very strong moral compass but yet comes across as quiet and learned. I liked that Faramir didn't revel in war and much preferred to read old scrolls in the Gondor archives (if my memory serves correctly from the information in the Appendices). In this he's a stark contrast to his brother (who I also did like, but not nearly as much as Faramir).

Originally Posted by TheScribbler

The Lord of the Rings: Samwise Gamgee. Everything you'd want in a friend, he has!

Ahh, Samwise is another brilliant character. I'm also fond of Sam and greatly admire his role in getting the ring to Mordor. I don't think Frodo would have survived without Sam's moral support and physical support, especially when they get to Cirith Ungol and beyond.

[Ohuile]

When I read fiction novels I have a way of finding a way to relate to the characters that I'm reading even if the connection is not as straight forward or obvious. It is in that way that I find relation to my favorite literary characters. The best comes from one of my favorite novels as well:

Les Misérables-Jean Valjean
I find a special bond to myself and this character in the way that he is working to find stability for himself that most other people take for granted. He falls in love with the little girl that he adopts as his own in an orphanage and thenceforth lives a life in hiding with her cherishing the brief and half -lived moments that they have together for fear that the antagonist will be on his trail. Jean is also such a vast character as he is present in almost all one thousand pages of the novel. Truly an amazing feat it was for Hugo to carry a character that long and all the while you breathing in every moment of it as if it were the oxygen you breath.

An undeniably dynamic character, Jean Valjean

[AccioMiracle]

Frodo Baggins, from The Lord of the Rings - I think Frodo gets kind of a bad rap. I will concede that Sam is incredibly brave and a hero in his own right, but I don't think he replaces Frodo as the "true" hero of the story. Frodo didn't have the luxury of ignorance when he picked up the ring like Biblbo did. He knew exactly how dark, evil, and corrupting the ring was. He knew he would be chased by undead servants of Sauron and might not even survive the quest. And still he steps up and say "I will take the ring to Mordor." He is brave, humble and purehearted, and he has a sort of uncorruptible goodness about him. He has a quiet strength that I find really admirable. He loves Sam dearly and, despite what some may say, the friendship is not a one-way street. Sam isn't always very sure of himself, but Frodo is always there to encourage and affirm him, pointing out his bravery and loyalty. when he tells Sam that he wouldn't have gotten far without him, the scene speaks well of Frodo as much as Sam. (Sorry....can you tell I'm a bit protective of Frodo? Moving on...)

Puddleglum, from The Silver Chair - Despite his outwardly pessimistic attitude, Puddleglum is firmly loyal to Aslan and to the children he protects. He is a voice of truth when Jill and Eustace need to hear it, and he really is brave. He willingly gives up comfort and safety to do the right thing, and he cares more for others than he cares for himself.

Tom, from Indigo's Star - An American boy living in England for a year, Tom is insecure and a bit cocky. As the story progressed, though, I really fell in love with his character. He brought so much life to Indigo and to the whole Casson family. He was a boy who wrote letters to an 8 year-old-girl because he really thought she was important and worth his time. He taught Indigo how to conquer his fears. He stood up to bullies for the sake of his friends. He learned to love. And how could you not like a kid who sneaks onto the roof of the library and just sits there, playing guitar?

Meg, from A Wrinkle In Time - Meg is a lot like me. She's insecure and she clings to the safety of routine. She loves really well, but sometimes has a hard time receiving love in return. When it comes down to it, though, she's fiercely loyal and dedicated to protecting those she loves. We share a deep hatred for injustice and an intrinsic need to fix all problems, everywhere.

Jess Aarons, from Bridge to Terabithia - I can't say enough good about this protagonist or about this book. Jess changed my life. He is the voice of all of my hopes and fears. I am just like him - the only thing I fear more than danger or the unknown is the possibility of being tested and finding that I am not brave, the idea of turning away at the last second. I needed him to brave, because if he could, I could too. He is a perfect friend to Leslie, and the way he comes to love his little sister is amazing.

[Reid]

Tyrion Lannister
Arya Stark.

[HPitty23]

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. I love my own father, don't get me wrong, but it would be awesome to have a dad like Atticus.

Zane from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. This was the character I was most impressed with as I read the series. And it broke my heart when I read what happened to him.

Anna Fitzgerald from My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I admired Anna so much as I read the novel. She made me laugh, cry, stress, and love deeply. I can't connect with her situation, but I do connect with her on other levels, mainly about the way her mother treats her and her sister.

[DylanLawrence]

I know this is going to sound bad but I just read The Catcher in the Rye again and I feel like I have a relationship with Holden Caulfield. I don’t think I completely identify with him but he’s like a person that I get to know more as I read more of the book. His isolation and ability to talk to children over adults is not who I am but it is who I want to be because children (although they aren’t born perfect) are able to tell truth from falsehood easily. They also have not learnt to hide their selfishness as well as we have. There’s so much more Holden has shown me and I hope there are others that think the same.

[SusanBones]

Rudolph Rassendyll from The Prisoner of Zenda - He is the perfect hero.