Monday, November 29, 2010

Fifteen Characters

I'm picking up on a meme posted over at my friend Stevil's blog. The idea is that you list fifteen characters that have influenced you. You list the first 15 characters that you can recall, in 15 minutes or less. Here is Stevil's list. I wrote my list in 15 minutes or less, as required by the rules and the constraints of our bedtime routine. Here is what I came up with:
  1. Elizabeth Bennet (from Pride And Prejudice. I loved her when I was 13, and I still love her now.)
  2. Princess Leia (do I really need to say it? From Star Wars. Although really, I was more obsessed with Luke Skywalker- I know! Dork! But my sister liked Han Solo, so I had to pick Luke. Still, the rules say the first 15 you come up with, and Princess Leia popped into my head first.)
  3. Jane Eyre (from Jane Eyre, of course. I loved the romance of her story as a teenager. Now I think someone should have punched Mr. Rochester.)
  4. Jean-Luc Picard (from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was the first Star Trek to hook me, and Captain Picard is still my favorite. Make it so!)
  5. The Doctor (from Doctor Who. I first got hooked on the show with David Tennant as The Doctor, and he's still my favorite. I haven't watched much of the new doctor- not because I don't think he's good, but because sleep is more of a priority right now. I'm sure I'll catch up eventually.)
  6. Anne Eliot (from Persuasion. Another Austen heroine. She did them so well!)
  7. Menolly  (from Dragonsong and the rest of the Harper hall trilogy. I loved Anne McCaffrey's dragon books when I was a pre-teen and teenager, and this was the first of her books that I read.)
  8. Atticus Finch (from To Kill a Mockingbird, which may be the best book I was ever assigned to read in school, at any level. I love this book. I find that most non-Americans have never heard of it. Read it! You won't be sorry.)
  9. Mr Darcy (also from Pride And Prejudice. He is a romantic hero who has stood up to my increasing years and wisdom... probably because he had the sense to want to marry an intellectual equal!
  10. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and the sequels- all of which I loved as a kid.)
  11. Jeeves (from Carry On, Jeeves, and various other Jeeves and Wooster stories. The books are a fun read, but if you've never seen the Jeeves & Wooster TV shows, you should. They are brilliant.)
  12. Merlin (of King Arthur fame. I think my version of him is based largely on Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy.)
  13. Anne of Green Gables (from Anne of Green Gables. I had an illustrated hardcover edition, which I adored.)
  14. Arthur Dent (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Good, silly fun, with some sly messages about what is important in life.)
  15. Nancy Drew. Those books weren't high literature, but they were fun. Nancy Drew may be the logical thing for Dora fans to graduate to, really.
OK, I don't do the whole "tag, you're it" thing. But if any of you want to post your own lists, I'll come read them!

7 comments:

  1. Really - I think most people would have heard of Atticus Finch.

    To Kill a Mockingbird has been set as a school text here in Australia for years. It is a wonderful book, I so wish Harper Lee had written more.

    I love the fact that Dill was based on Truman Capote, her friend and neighbour growing up.

    Oh and I agree with you about David Tennant, and I've seen all the Doctors.

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  2. @Claire- interesting! I've never asked an Australian about the book. None of my Kiwi or Brit friends had heard of it.

    It is interesting that you get it assigned in school, too. The story is so rooted in American history, but I suppose one of the reasons I love it is that it transcends its time and place.

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  3. I came up with Harriet the Spy and Scarlett O'Hara then drew a blank and then was consumed by bath time/bed time and the 15 minutes were long expired.

    To Kill a Mocking Bird is a favorite. The dog I had in college I named Scout.

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  4. Great list!! I had friends that were huge Doctor Who when we were growing up. The Doctor I remember will always be Tom Baker from the 70s. How funny is that??

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  5. Great list! I'll try not to think about it all day and do mine tonight. We'll see.

    For me, The Doctor was and always will be Tom Baker. But Jean-Luc Piccard? One of my fav characters ever, and definitely the best captain of any Federation Starship.

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  6. Okay, that's enough to make me finally de-lurk. I'm British and everyone I know did "To Kill a Mockingbird" at school (early 90s)

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  7. Interesting, @Helen... I'm beginning to think that the problem is just that I hang out with a bunch of scientists and techies who didn't pay attention in their literature classes!

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